Hawkeye Johnson: Guide, Hiker, Filmmaker and Telluride Adaptive Sports Program Fundraiser Extraordinaire

Hawkeye AKA Michael Johnson

“Working as a prison guard makes you appreciate life’s freedoms even more,” says Michael AKA Hawkeye Johnson. Hawkeye’s job as a prison guard for over two decades drives him in both his work with TASP (Telluride Adaptive Sports Program) as well as in his creative and outdoor endeavors. Clearly, he’s a guy that’s determined to help people make the best use of their lives, no matter what’s thrown their way.

Is it possible to embrace the great outdoors after you’ve suffered a life-changing injury? Damn right it is and through Hawkeye’s work with TASP and his two films, “Off the Hook” and “Load Bearing,” we see that people can live fully regardless of their special needs. Hawkeye teamed up with fellow filmmaker and TASP volunteer Craig Stein for both films, shorts which premiered on separate occasions at Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado.

In this year’s release, “Off the Hook,” Hawkeye and Craig have crafted a five-minute documentary featuring Jake O’Connor, a guy that became paralyzed in a construction accident. In this visually-alluring film, we follow Jake into the wilderness surrounding Telluride, Colorado–up and down mountains, whizzing along trails and at the river’s edge–in his quest to access outdoor activities as he did before his injury. “Off the Hook” impresses upon the viewer that there’s no limit to the human spirit, an ongoing theme at Mountainfilm and TASP, an organization that has been helping people with disabilities through outdoor sports programs since 1995.

Hawkeye and TASP

Hawkeye is both a lead guide for TASP and an ardent fundraiser for their programs (offered winter and summer). He has raised over $25,000. dollars for TASP, largely through major hikes that he has undertaken throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada. He talks about these expeditions—some of which have lasted well over a month—in the recent Travel Fun interview I conducted with him. You can also hear Hawkeye talk about “Off the Hook” and his work with TASP in general.

Listen and let yourself be inspired. Visit Go Hawkeye and TASP to learn more and please make a donation to Hawkeye’s endeavors so that he may add more money to Telluride Adaptive Sports Program coffers. Sadly there are still lots of wounded warriors and others dealing with physical and cognitive disabilities that need our help. Fortunately there’s someone like Hawkeye leading the charge.

Hawkeye on One of His Many Treks

Click here to listen to Hawkeye chat about his new film, TASP and his hikes across America:

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