There are different ways to fly.
John Mierke, 47, of Everett used to glide under fabricated wings, but now he soars with his eyes through the lens of a camera.
The California carpenter successfully took more than 250 hang-gliding flights before a crippling accident.
One Sunday morning in 1992, he was perched on the edge of a 4,000-foot peak on Black Mountain near San Diego.
"I loved flying there," Mierke said. "I had a ball."
That day was different. He could hear the wind whip through the pine trees, but evidently it wasn’t breezy enough at his launch point, he said. His left wing tip clipped a bush. He took off, but flipped backward into a rock.
"I should have had a scraped elbow," Mierke said. "It was just a fluke."
Mierke hit his head, but even though he was wearing a helmet, he broke his neck. Paralyzed and in agony, he concentrated on breathing. He was rescued and taken to a hospital.
He got out four months later and began life as a quadriplegic. The divorced father decided to move to Everett to be near his then-teenage daughter.
"It took me three or four years to put aside my old identity," Mierke said. "I went from a carpenter and hang glider to a guy in a wheelchair."
As we talked, Mierke continually strained forward in his wheelchair. He said it eased the pain as he took weight off his spine. Years ago, Mierke attended Everett Community College and studied business, but the backache became too severe to push to class from his tiny north Everett apartment or to sit and study.
Helpers drop by to attend to his needs. He grows blueberries in his backyard and does his laundry. His fingers don’t move, but he can lightly grasp with his thumb and forefinger to wash his hair and brush his teeth. Someone comes to put him to bed at 9 p.m., and there he stays. He can’t lift himself on and off the mattress.
"I live a very regimented life," Mierke said. "I am flexible, to a point."
Mierke loved photography, so he fashioned a tray across the arms of his wheelchair and devised a pulley system to raise his camera to eye level.
It’s ingenious. If you would like to see some of his work, it’s for sale at Meyer’s Cafe at 1700 W. Marine View Drive, Suite C, in Everett. Owner Christine Neal said Mierke has been a customer for years.
"I think he’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met," Neal said. "He handles it so beautifully. You never hear a word of complaint."
She admires what he is able to do with his photography.
"He sets up that little table," she said. "He just does it all by himself."
Mierke ventures to Grand Avenue Park and takes beautiful sunset pictures. He wants his images to draw viewers in as if they were there. When he sells a photograph, he wants to do the framing, too. He said framing is just as important as the picture.
"There are never enough hours in the day," Mierke said. "I’m always challenged. It ties to carpentry. I can stand back and look at my work."
Searching for great pictures with his digital Nikon, Mierke said he goes on hunts, such as for big game in Africa.
"Just like I used to do for good launch sites," Mierke said. "I love to explore. Finding a good picture is like finding a gold nugget."
When he snaps a gorgeous photo, he said it’s like taking home a trophy. He said he loves exploring with his camera, just like he used to love fly-fishing and backpacking. His goal is to get a van so he can pursue his love of the outdoors.
"I’ve got a lot of dreams and goals," Mierke said. "I’m not wallowing in the past."
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com
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