This week's Get Out column for the StarNews, Zac Adair

For this week's Get Out column in the Wilmington StarNews, I wrote about Zac Adair, the outdoorsman who founded Panacea Adventures with his wife, Celine, not too long ago. 

What Panacea's all about is phenomenal in and of itself. You'll read why if you read the column, which you can do by clicking here. 

Zac's personal story, however, is another thing of beauty all together. In short, the dude hikes all over the place, takes troubled youth on life-altering adventures, and....is blind.

Meeting and writing about people like Zac is what makes this life, this work, so great. He's a totally inspiring, awesome dude. 

I've always wanted to do more outdoors stuff. I've always loved hiking, climbing, rappelling. I'm getting into mountain biking now, and honestly, ever since I met Zac, I just itch to be outside, especially on the beautiful days. Being a writer, I spend most of my time inside, but now I strain daily to find time outside. 

So thanks for that, Zac. 

An excerpt from the StarNews story:

There once was a happy girl who entered high school and forgot how to laugh. As sometimes happens among adolescents, depression took hold.

Then this past summer, she and about a dozen others her age traveled to Pisgah National Forest for an eight-day backpacking trek filled with lots of hiking, rock-climbing, and quality time. Led by Zac and Celine Adair of Wilmington, it was the inaugural expedition for Panacea Adventures. (The Adairs asked that the participants’ last names be withheld for privacy reasons.)

When the girl began school this fall, she was laughing again. She joined three clubs and the golf team. Her mom called Zac a couple of weeks ago and told him, “She’s actually being a high school kid now, Zac.”

Read the full story here.