Hikers with a purpose

Mother-daughter pair crossing nation to battle disease

Yvonne Corral, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 13, 2006 at midnight

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In five months, Robin Grapa and her mother have worn out 12 pairs of hiking boots between them.

On Feb. 4, the mother-daughter team embarked on a 5,000-mile journey across the country - from Delaware to California - to bring awareness to aplastic anemia, a deadly bone marrow disease that Grapa was diagnosed with in 1997.

"Our feet hurt, but it's not even close to what pain the (people diagnosed with this disease) are in," Grapa, a graphic designer from Wisconsin, said in a telephone interview.

Despite the pain, Grapa, 26, and her mother, Patty Laatsch, 48, who are now in Denver, plan to continue walking - and wear out a few more pairs of hiking boots.

So far, they've hiked through Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and eastern Colorado.

By the time they complete their journey, over what is known as the American Discovery Trail, they will have crossed 12 states on foot, with 35 pounds of gear on their back.

They expect to reach their destination - Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco - by October.

If they finish, Grapa and Laatsch are believed to be the first mother-daughter team to conquer the American Discovery Trail, according to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation.

The idea for the hike started when Grapa and her husband, Adam, started talking about having children.

Grapa said she got "a little freaked out" and began to evaluate where she was headed in life. She remembered the joy she experienced in the outdoors when she went on a three-day hike in high school.

Then one day, her husband joked about walking to Hollywood.

"And before I knew it, I found the American Discovery Trail (online)," Grapa wrote on www.ourhike.com, a Web site devoted to the mother-daughter duo. "I thought it would be cool to just go for it all and hike one of the biggest trails out there."

Grapa, who learned she had aplastic anemia as a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, said she thought the hike would be a "perfect opportunity to spread the word" about bone marrow diseases.

"I'm known to have big ideas," said Grapa.

No matter how rough the hike gets, Grapa, who is now in remission, said she and her mother are determined to reach the West Coast.

"(My health) is really good right now. I feel great. I've never felt better or been in better shape," she said. "My mom feels the same way, too. Walking is a great exercise."

The pair hope to raise $1 million during their walk to pay for research to fight bone marrow diseases.

For more information or to make a donation, go to www.ourhike.com.

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