Backpacking In September, he and 99 colleagues walked along the Balkan Peak Trail. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

When I heard that a group of colleagues at McKinsey were planning a backpacking trip, I thought it would be a good fit for me because I like to challenge myself. I also enjoy challenging other people’s worldviews.

I’m scared too. One of the things that makes me unique is that I was born blind.

I was nervous about signing up for hiking because it’s not something I can do alone and I like to be independent. I had to hand this to a group of people who were essentially strangers, even though they were colleagues.

Normally when I have conversations like this, people focus on asking, “How do you do

Feel Like I’m a burden. It was very important to me, but I never felt like a burden.

on the road

Every day we would get up early and have breakfast around 7 a.m., then prepare lunch, pack our bags, and pour water. We lived in a hut on the mountain, with five or six people in one room.

Someone in the group was there to help me throughout the process. I can walk from place to place independently in an environment where I know what is where. But we’re staying one night in these parts, so I’ll walk with a colleague who’s going to have breakfast at the same time.

On the road, I usually walk with a volunteer for two hours and then switch. When walking, I would hold their elbows and they would be one step ahead of me. I can feel their steps by feeling their elbows. They’ll also call out to them and say things like: “Up. Down. Rocks. Trees. Step over something. Stay to the right.”

We had a great time chatting while walking, and we didn’t talk too much about work. They would tell me stories about who they were, where they came from, and travel stories. Of course, food was a big part of the conversation because we were hungry.

I will always remember those colleagues who walked with me and were kind to me. They don’t make me feel like they’re doing something for me, but it’s something we’re doing as a team and they’re doing it with me.

I can’t see the scenery, but I can use my other senses

This trip is also a great way to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. Someone asked me, “Why would you go hiking in a cabin when you can’t even see the scenery?” Yes, I can’t see the scenery, but I can use my other senses.

We climb 1000 meters almost every day and it always feels special at the end. We’ll be in the open mountains. I could feel the wind blowing hard on my face. My guide would give wonderful descriptions of the surroundings. These are some of my favorite moments of the trip.

When you are around the trees, you can sometimes smell a faint pine scent. I basically hear nothing. That’s the mountain. If you don’t speak, you won’t hear anything. Sometimes, when we’re not talking, we just listen to the crunching of boots.

Sometimes we all tell ourselves, “Oh, this is going to be difficult because I have

For us and for me, it’s about questioning our own limits and asking ourselves every day: “What limits do I accept without questioning? What will happen if I refuse to accept them?”