20 Fox Focus | Community
The Hike of Their Lives :
Walking for a Cause Near to Their Hearts
By Kristina Magana
The challenge was daunting : hiking 2,194 miles through 14 states , from Maine to Georgia , a trek that fewer than 22,000 people have completed in one single , continuous journey . But the prospect didn ’ t deter mother-daughter duo Susan Otten , 66 , and Gretja Otten , 27 , of Wayzata , Minnesota from going on the adventure of their lives , hiking the Appalachian Trail in support of Parkinson ’ s research .
Although both women are lifelong endurance athletes and marathon runners , they knew it would take something “ bigger than themselves ” to take on the Appalachian Trail and the extreme weather , terrain and time it takes to complete . Their inspiration : Susan ’ s husband and Gretja ’ s father , Ron Otten , who was diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s disease in 2010 at 51 and who would be their biggest supporter , cheering them on from a distance .
With one pair of trail running shoes each and two 35-pound backpacks , the motherdaughter duo packed only the essentials — dehydrated foods , sleeping bags , tent , light cookware and bear spray — for their journey starting in Maine last July .
Susan and Gretja decided to document their journey and goal of making it to Georgia by late December and raising $ 25,000 for Team Fox , MJFF ’ s grassroots fundraising program . After posting several videos to YouTube , they started amassing thousands of views from people around the world with and without a Parkinson ’ s connection .
They also began meeting “ trail angels ,” strangers along the way who provided acts of kindness , whether it was water , food or a night of shelter . “ We ’ ve heard the saying , ‘ If you want to restore your faith in humanity , go hike the Appalachian Trail ,’” says Gretja .
“ With all of the support and kindness we received on the trail , from our family and friends from a distance and from the online community , we knew quitting was never going to be an option even when it got hard ,” says Susan .