ST. PETE — A St. Pete fitness trainer has traded in life at the gym for life in the outdoors. However, his overall mission remains the same, and that’s to raise awareness for a disease that has been a part of his family for as long as he can remember.
Since 2020, Ryan Beck estimates he’s hiked more than 3,000 miles across some of America’s most epic trails.
Every step of every hike, he’s thinking about his grandfather Bill.
“My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when I was really young, I was nine years old, so I kind of grew up with it. It was something that was real inherent in my family,” said Beck.
ABC Action News first reported on Ryan and Bill back in January 2020. Ryan was running a boxing class called Rock Steady, specifically designed for people living with Parkinson’s.
“I didn’t expect him to do all this and get so involved,” said Bill during the 2020 interview.
Ryan became so dedicated he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness for the disease. Halfway through, he learned his grandfather had passed away.
“Before I left, he had encouraged me to make sure no matter what that it was imperative I finish,” said Ryan.
Ryan not only finished, he just kept on going, hiking one state after another.
“Rim to rim of the Grand Canyon, then followed next year by Mount Whitney, which is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, and then 100 miles in the Everglades, so it just kept kind of building and building,” said Ryan.
Most recently, he returned from the 486-mile Colorado Trail.
“Each one is more beautiful than the next and has its own uniqueness and majesticness to it. They have their own individual critters you have to watch out for,” said Ryan.
One of Ryan’s most memorable encounters was with a 500-pound black bear.
“Well, I first took out my camera, but I was far enough away, and then as soon as I made my presence known, it disappeared,” said Ryan.
Ryan said the most rewarding part was hiking under the name Rock Steady, representing all those people back in Tampa Bay living with Parkinson’s.
“As a family member, as a caregiver, it just really made sense to get out there and bring this community, even if it was just emotionally, along with me,” said Ryan.
