Hiker with Parkinson's
- Stephanie Soto
- Jun 5
- 2 min read
Rob Cook, a person with Parkinson's, is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Rob says it is his lifelong dream to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail. According to Rob, it is one of America’s national scenic trails – stretching 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. The trail winds through the California desert and follows the spine of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades revealing awesome sights along the way that can only be earned on foot.
"I have been planning this hike for years. But during my planning I picked up an unwelcome companion – Parkinson’s Disease. It’s good for anyone to do difficult things. To prove to yourself that you are tough, resilient, that you are a worthy companion that others turn to in difficult times. To keep pushing. For those of us with PD, exercise is the one thing that has been shown to slow the progression of this affliction. I can’t think of a better way to get a daily dose of exercise than on trail. For me, this is an epic way of simultaneously proving to myself that I can continue to do difficult things and resisting and maybe even delaying PD’s degradation one step at a time, one mile at a time, one day at a time – for months on end."
Check out this news clip on Rob!
Rob started his journey on April 6th after retiring in December. Rob needed a temporary break from his hike after PD related muscle spasms, but he plans to return to the trail soon. Follow his YouTube channel to stay up to date on his progress. He plans to finish the trail by September. Go Rob!