Any hiker would face a struggle if they attempted to complete three of America most difficult and inaccessible long-distance paths.

But attempting to hike them while hauling numerous little children is quite another matter.

But the Netteburgs are well on their way to accomplishing that after finishing both the Appalachian Trail, which spans nearly 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometers) between Georgia and Maine, and the Continental Divide Trail, which runs 3,028 miles (4,873 kilometers) from New Mexico to the Canadian border in Montana.

America

e family of hikers from the US is on its way to completing North America’s holy hiking trinity, the Triple Crown, which covers almost 8,000 miles (around 12,900 kilometers). Danae and Olen Netteburg, both 44, and their five children Lyol, 14, Zane, 12, Addison, 10, Juniper, 7, and Piper, 2, are part of the group.

group of seven
The Netteburgs feel extremely fortunate to be able to trek these renowned trails as a family, and are currently about halfway through the 2,653-mile (4,270-kilometer) Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the border of Mexico via California, Oregon, and Washington to Canada.

Danae tells Travel, “We recognize, a lot of people can’t do it. Either they don’t want to, or they lack the resources (time, money).. So, we’re pretty fortunate.

Doctors Danae and Olen met while in medical school in 2003, and they married about three years later.

The couple moved to Chad, a landlocked nation in north-central Africa, in 2010 to establish a medical business. They later had three children, all of whom were born in the US.

Although the couple had taken a few backpacking excursions together over the years, including a trip to the Canadian Rockies after getting married, they didn’t decide to attempt a long trek as a family until Juniper, their fourth child, was about two years old.

Read More: Libya protests break out over engagement with Israel