Beyond the Trail with Joe Stone

Episode Description

What does meaningful access to the outdoors actually look like?

In this episode of Independent Idaho, Jeremy sits down with adaptive athlete, adventurer, and accessibility consultant Joe Stone for a conversation about disability, outdoor recreation, risk, and the difference between something being called accessible and actually being usable.

Jeremy and Joe talk about returning to outdoor adventure after acquiring a disability, adaptive mountain biking and paragliding, and the equipment and creativity that can make seemingly inaccessible activities possible. They also explore an important question: Does making outdoor recreation more accessible mean making it less challenging?

Joe shares his work through Unified Dirt, which brings people with disabilities, land managers, trail builders, and communities together to improve access to trails and public lands. The conversation looks at what gets in the way, what good accessible trail design can look like, and why people with disabilities need to be part of the process from the beginning.

They also dig into independence and dignity of risk—the idea that people with disabilities should have the same opportunity as anyone else to decide which challenges and risks they're willing to take.

It's a conversation about getting outside, pushing boundaries, removing unnecessary barriers, and creating more opportunities for people with disabilities to experience adventure on their own terms.

About Our Guest

Joe Stone is an adaptive athlete, accessibility consultant, speaker, and founder of Unified Dirt.

Originally from Minnesota, Joe developed a love for outdoor adventure that eventually brought him west. In 2010, a speed flying accident resulted in a C7 spinal cord injury and quadriplegia, dramatically changing how he interacted with the outdoor world.

Joe went on to become the first C7 quadriplegic to attempt an IRONMAN triathlon and has competed internationally in adaptive cross-country paragliding. His experiences have also been featured in documentary, television, and outdoor media, including HBO's Real Sports.

Today, Joe brings his lived experience, technical knowledge, and years in adaptive recreation to his work with communities and organizations seeking to improve outdoor access. He is also a nationally recognized speaker who uses his experiences to explore resilience, problem-solving, inclusion, and the importance of creating opportunities for people to discover what's possible.