Long walks together: conversation, company and shared trail diaries

Gretja and Susan: conversations on repeated walks

Gretja Otten and her mother Susan have shared a long trail journey together.

References: CBS Minnesota

On a riverside walk they discuss whether to turn back at a footbridge or continue to a bend where the water opens into a wider view. Susan favors the bend; Gretja wants to see how much time the return will take. They continue, then take a break and compare their options for the way back.

On another long walk they return to that conversation as they choose a route through a wooded section. They decide on a loop that reaches the river from the other direction, and the recording keeps both voices as they compare the view with the earlier walk. The route decision gives their conversation a subject that carries from one outing to the next.

The recurring conversations offer a different experience from a single trip recap: the viewer can follow how the pair revisit an idea, change direction and notice the same place in a different way. Their separate Appalachian Trail archive follows a much longer journey together.

Gretja and Susan Otten: a shared long trail

Gretja Otten and her mother Susan documented their Appalachian Trail journey together. Their own account records 154 days walking from Maine to Georgia and 94 YouTube videos. It offers a sustained trail diary shared with an older relative, rather than a family member appearing for one short outing.

References: Michael J. Fox Foundation · CBS Minnesota

Looking back, the pair describe help from people they met on the trail, including meals, places to sleep, laundry and rides. Their archive connects the walking itself with the community around a long journey. The firsthand account links directly to their YouTube channel, where the journey can be followed through its episodes.

References: Michael J. Fox Foundation

Choosing between the two formats

The Ottens' repeated walks leave room for conversation about the day immediately ahead. Their Appalachian Trail journey has a destination and a progression over months, with a much larger archive to follow. Both put their shared experience at the center, but the shorter walks make it easier to hear a conversation develop in one outing.

Sources and attribution

1. Michael J. Fox Foundation

   Susan and Gretja Otten share the hike of their livesPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. CBS Minnesota

   Mother and daughter on the Appalachian TrailPublished Aug 24, 2022 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026