Trevor Thomas was diagnosed with a rare, incurable eye disease that ultimately caused him to go blind in 2005 at the age of 35. While his experiences as a blind man are similar to most in the blind community, the journey he embarked on is truly extraordinary. While he learned the skills necessary to function as a blind person, he soon discovered that despite his education and work experience, he was now virtually unemployable, just like 90% of his peers. To combat his depression over the loss of his sight, he began recreational hiking on local greenway trails and found it to be therapeutic. Hiking alone with the use of a trekking pole became a source of independence and freedom, an obsession that led him to discover the world of long distance hiking.

He first gained notoriety in 2008 when, against all odds, he became the first blind person to complete a solo thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. The experience had a profound effect on his life, while the publicity it generated provided a unique opportunity- that of sponsorship from outdoor gear manufacturers that enabled him to launch a career as a long distance hiker. As he began attempting more remote and challenging trails, he had to abort his attempt of the Colorado Trail (2011). He then decided to get his first guide dog (Tennille) from Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2012. Thomas changed everything- from his gear to his hiking style, developing a new method for navigation with his guide. Thomas and Tennille hiked successfully for over 5 years. completing thru hikes of some of North America's most challenging long trails until Tennille’s premature retirement in 2018. Check out his website here: The Blind Hiker.

Unwilling to quit, Thomas started over with a second guide (Honolulu-“Lulu”) from Guide Dogs for the Blind. Within a year, the pair completed their first thru hike on the Continental Divide and are still thru hiking. He is currently the only person to have successfully trained guide dogs to perform backcountry guide work. Over the past 15 years, Thomas has hiked 40,000 miles on North American long trails with a decade of working with guide dogs.

Thomas established Team FarSight Foundation, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2014, with a goal of inspiring the blind & visually impaired to step outside their personal comfort zone to empower them to lead a more fulfilling life. TFF supports guide dog access rights and trail accessibility. As a small foundation, we adapt our programs and initiatives to reflect the ever-changing needs of the blind and visually impaired. Whether we are evaluating new technologies for trail navigation or developing new products for active guide users, we are committed to inspiring the blind to empower themselves.