Parkinson’s diagnosis, COVID-19 pandemic urge the Spokane couple to realize their lifelong dream of hiking on the PCT

For two decades, Barry Brown dreamed of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The 2,650 mile route that winds its way from Canada to Mexico seemed like a wonderful adventure. A challenge and something that would put his “perseverance” to the test. But the demands of everyday life – a business, kids, mortgages, and bills – took precedence.

Until everything changed, first with a Parkinson’s diagnosis and then, more recently, a global pandemic. Brown, 60, first noticed tremors, a hallmark of progressive neurological disorder, about five years ago, although he lost his sense of smell, another possible symptom, almost a decade ago.

But it’s a slow failure, and Brown’s business as a commercial print broker was demanding his attention. Until it didn’t work. As COVID-19 raced around the globe, orders dried up. At the same time, the tremors and other symptoms worsened.

He started looking for other jobs, said Ms. Jenny Brown, 49, but Parkinson’s options are limited. He felt hopeless, in part because one of the lesser-known effects of Parkinson’s disease is a decrease in dopamine, a hormone linked to happiness.

Barry was depressed.

“I really wanted to find something that would make him more meaningful and inspire him again,” said Jenny.

Why not the PCT?

With little left to hold them back, the couple began training and packing. Barry told clients he was on a five-month hiatus on medical grounds, and Jenny, who goes to school in Spokane Community Falls, took the summer quarter off. On April 7th, they began migrating from the southern end of the trail on the Mexican-American border.

It all happened pretty quickly, but the uncertainty about how quickly his illness will progress helped force the decision.

“We don’t know if I’ll make it next year,” he said. “We had this strange opportunity.”

On April 7th, they began migrating from the US-Mexico border. Within the first 200 miles, they suffered a setback when something slammed in Barry’s right foot and broke off the trail and took them to a hospital. At first they thought it was a hairline crack that ended the venture. It turned out to be a torn plantar tendon and on May 22nd, the duo were back on their way despite skipping the Mohave Desert as it was too hot.

They celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on April 11th and Barry turned 60 on July 6th. The couple hiked through icy conditions, stepping sideways on steep slopes of snow, and sweating in the blistering heat. It was challenging for them, they said, mostly because some of Parkinson’s symptoms – decreased balance and a tendency to drag your left foot – made traveling over rough mountain terrain difficult.

“Yes, he fell every day,” said Jenny. “Several falls some days.”

The scariest moment was crossing a steep snowfield in California. Jenny led the way, using her manure scoop to cut steps in the slope while Barry followed them, holding on to her backpack.

When they finished at 1 p.m. on August 22nd at the Canadian border in Washington state, they were done.

“We wanted to go home and into our queen-size bed,” said Barry.

“Our bodies were exhausted,” added Jenny.

Of course, there were sublime moments throughout the hike. The drama of the sunrise. Total relaxation and physical exhaustion after a hard day. And a strange coincidence. When the Browns climbed Forester Pass near Mount Whitney, California, they ended up with 12 other hikers, five of whom were from Spokane. This included Gavin Cooley, the former chief financial officer of Spokane City.

“That was just crazy,” said Jenny. “It was fun.”

The lasting knowledge from experience was the direction and hope we were given.

“I feel like I got my husband back,” said Jenny.