80-year-old identical twin sisters hike the Appalachian Trail
INSIDE EDITION - Don't let their age fool you — these two daring twin sisters are taking on new adventures, one step at a time.
Elrose Couric and Sue Hollinger, two 80-year-old identical twins, have completed a 2,190-mile-long hike along the Appalachian Trail.
Their motivation for the hike began in 1992 but they’ve been active even before they could talk.
"We’re outdoor people,” Couric told InsideEdition.com. “Our mother told us we’ve been running around since we were 9 months old.”
The twins began documenting their hike in 1998 along with a few friends called the "Hayward Hikers."
After several years and families later, almost all of their fellow hikers dropped from the group and the two sisters decided to plan the hike on their own.
“Even if we didn’t finish, we wanted to start the goal,” said Hollinger.
Couric and Hollinger’s 18-year quest was finally completed on July 7.
Hollinger said her own reason to keep going was to spend as much time as she could with her sister.
The tenacious twins are both widows and are now living in Florida together after being apart for nearly 30 years.
The hike took 13 hours and along the way, the twins have not only taken in the amazing scenery but also encountered dangerous wildlife.
“We’ve had several bear incidents but we only felt threatened once,” said Couric. “We saw a baby bear on the slope and a mother bear on the hike. When we tried to walk past, she wouldn’t let us.”
Although the twins were exhausted from the hike, they felt invigorated.
"There were so many boulders," said Couric. "Every step was a muscle step and occasionally we would have to spend the night there."
Even with a few injuries, Couric and Hollinger continued on — and were encouraged by relatives cheering them on.
For the final stretch of the hike, Couric and Hollinger were joined by their family members with applause and tons of hugs.
"Our family was so proud of us," Hollinger said. "The last week of our hike, our grandchildren hiked with us; they were really into it."
The sisters said they will set another goal once they’ve had an opportunity to rest.
“We will continue hiking again if we’re able to get up from the couch,” Couric said.