Many things can break a family – divorce, death.
But sometimes, those pieces can be put back together again with time, patience and most of all, love.
And maybe a bit of traveling.
When Brad Ryan was 21, his parents got divorced. It wasn’t an easy time, and during that he said he grew apart from his grandmother, Joy Ryan.
It wasn’t 2008, when he was at his sister’s wedding, that he saw Joy again. He was shocked.
“She came into the church and she was gaunt,” Brad recalled. “Very unsteady. It was hard to see this woman that was so important to me in my formative years on the cusp of dying, knowing that there was so much anger and distance between us.”
Over time, Joy slowly got better. Brad, in the meantime, had kept thinking about his grandma. After hiking on the Appalachian Trail, he knew he wanted to reach out. So he called, suggesting they get together and make cookies like they used to when he was a little boy.
Joy Ryan holds her grandson, Brad. Photo courtesy of the Ryans
But he said, “there was a little too much awkwardness for my liking.”
You can’t pick up where you left off, I learned that quickly.”
The two stayed in touch. Brad went on to veterinary school, but found himself struggling. “It’s so hyper-competitive … and then this young man committed suicide,” he said “I knew where he had been and it scared me how close I had come to that.”
So he turned to Joy. He “wanted to know if I wanted to go down to the Smoky Mountains and stay in a tent,” she said. “And I said, ‘Yes, I’ll try it.’ I’d never been in one before.”
She was 85 and had never even seen a mountain before. The two tackled the mountains on Alum Cave Trail, which was more than two miles to the peak.
“She was very, very wobbly,” Brad said. “Her balance and coordination were very poor.” But Joy finally reached the top, much to her delight. “There was this big group of college kids and they all gave me a rousing cheer!”
Now, more than eight years later, they have managed to visit every national park, setting a world record. As Joy said, “I’m the oldest old lady to ever visit every national park.” Each walk, Joy has grown stronger and healthier. Along the way, she has gained muscle and more stamina that Brad ever expected.
Joy Ryan poses during one of her trips. Photo courtesy of the Ryans
The two have used Instagram to document their adventures. They have traveled all over, with their final stop at the National Park of American Samoa, located in the South Pacific. The park is more than 6,700 miles from their home in Ohio.
When they reached the park, they received certificates to celebrate their world record.
For Brad, the trip had been a chance to find peace. “There are a lot of things I’ve gotten wrong in my life,” he says. “The best thing I ever did was to call her that day.”
It hasn’t always been easy over the past 8 years, they said. Moments where the past reared its head. But, through all of the trips, they have said, their relationship has been made stronger.
You can’t hold grudges forever,” Joy said.
Among the trees, and the mountains, they said they found healing. Joy said that when she was in Redwood National Park in California, standing among the massive trees. She said they made her feel two inches tall. But she saw something at the top that gave her a realization.
“They’ve been struck by lightning,” Joy said. “And you think: that takes courage, after you’ve been struck by lightning to say, ‘I’m gonna keep on growing.'”
To follow along on their adventure you can watch the interview below.
