PAYSON, Utah — The National Park Service recently announced it is rolling out a new set of all-terrain wheelchairs at the "Mighty Five" national parks of southern Utah.
But the wheels started turning on that idea in a Payson warehouse just off of Interstate 15, more than three hours north of Zion Canyon.
Sam Durst was born with cerebral palsy. So it had long been drilled into his mind, and that of his friends and family, that outdoor adventures were out of reach.
“Hanging out with Sam was like going to see movies or playing board games — and that’s no fun, because he’s a prolific cheater,” said Ryan Grassley, with a smile.
Grassley has been friends with Sam since high school, and the two grew up together in Springville. Grassley says he's seen how the most beautiful places in our country can be off-limits because they don’t have sidewalks.
“I had this scout leader who was fantastic, and he took us to all of the national parks — and that was all stuff Sam was excluded from,” Grassley said. “They [the Durst family] went to Arches before, and Sam and his mom stayed in the van."
So when they joined forces with Extreme Motus in 2019, Arches was among the first of their trips.
“I said, ‘Well, let’s get revenge on the Delicate Arch trail,’” Grassley said.
When they rolled up on the view, Sam was impressed.
“I said to Ryan, ‘It’s cool,’” Sam said.
But the rest of the crew couldn’t hold it together.
“Ryan got a little misty-eyed,” said Sam, with a chuckle.
“What? I’ve never cried before,” his friend retorted.
Ryan and Sam have spent the years since filming those adventures, from coast to coast and from Zion’s Narrows to Bryce Canyon’s iconic Navajo Loop.
“Last year, I think, across all of our social media channels, we got 300 million views,” said Grassley, who's now the company's chief marketing officer.
They got the attention of the park service, yet there were still bumps in the road.
“[It was tough] to get in the budgets, to raise the funds, to figure out where the chair is going to be stored and how it’s going to be checked out,” Grassley said.
But earlier this month, the NPS announced it had made space for their adaptive equipment at each of the "Mighty Five," an exciting moment for Ryan, Sam and their whole company that’s drawn national attention.
The beauty of this manual, all-terrain wheelchair is that it can bring so many who are close to Sam along for the ride. His nephew, Drew, has taken on a role doing some videography and helping to build the chairs.
“I just really believe in the product and believe in its ability to bring people together,” Drew said.
As they continue to explore places they never thought possible, they hope it helps countless others see all of Utah’s beauty right alongside them.
“It’s opened up the world to us, for sure,” Grassley said.
Grassley says the checkout process at each of the parks can be different, and each park has its own list of approved trails that are safe for the Extreme Motus wheelchair. So, he says to check with rangers as you’re planning your next adventure.
