Mother-daughter duo finish 2,200-mile hike through Appalachian Trail for Parkinson's research
MINNEAPOLIS -- As we jump start the new year with new goals in mind, a west metro duo is just finishing a huge goal.
It's a story we've been tracking since the summer. Sue Otten and her daughter Gretja have been hiking through the Appalachian Trail. Their goal is to raise $50,000 for Parkinson's research through Michael J. Fox's foundation. They also had a goal to finish by Christmas, they started in July.
When they sat down with WCCO after finishing the monumental feat, Gretja said, "We did it - hits us in little bits all the time. Oh my gosh, it's hard to grasp it."
It's almost unimaginable. Minnesotans Sue and Gretja hiked from Maine to Georgia, up to 30 miles per day.
"We talk about it all the time. How do you grasp like how far we walked? It is hard to comprehend that we walked 2,200 miles," Gretja said.
It's a journey, and mission, to raise money for Parkinson's research in honor of their husband and father, Ron Otten, who is on his own journey to fight the disease.
"It's a great parallel and a great analogy. Parkinson's, there's a lot of obstacles in your way, mental and physical," Sue said.
Sue knows firsthand, since she had two major obstacles herself after falling in Pennsylvania. She pointed out her battle wounds>
"Nine stitches here, 10 staples at the top of my head."
She kept going.
"There was no reason not to, so we bought the helmet," Sue said.
So, they marched on. It was a feat so taxing that they each lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks. They burned 5,000-7,000 calories a day.
"Trail angels" became their saving grace.
"I tallied it up the day after we finished, and we stayed in the homes of 25 different families who we had never met before. And they welcomed us into their home, gave us shower, laundry, breakfast, just wanting to help out, no strings attached anyway," Gretja said.
"Meeting them and their their stories are just so powerful, that was by far the best part of the trail and the most surprising. We didn't even know what a trail angel was before we went on the trail," Sue said.
As the angels laid watch, they hit the finish in Georgia four days before Christmas, greeted by friends and the man behind the mission. They leaped into Ron's arms.
"It so was about the people and the kindness, and the goodness and support and positivity is so alive and well in humanity. People say if you want to restore your faith in humanity, go hike the Appalachian Trail, and boy of boy is that true [laughs]! It's so true, people are amazing," Gretja said.
The ladies say the toughest part of the trail was the monotony. They would hike 10 hours a day and try and sleep 10 hours, too. Sue turned 66 on the trail, making her one of the oldest female finishers.
Their advice to anyone with big goals in mind: Go for it, and when you fall, get up and keep trekking.
The duo met their goal to raise $50,000 for Michael J Fox's foundation. In fact, as of Monday, they've raised $70,000.
To check out their detailed Youtube channel, click here.
