A chance encounter back in the spring of 2020 led to a new friendship for two women who share a love for outdoor walking.

Betty Gust of Minnetonka and Kay Reichert of Excelsior passed by each other at a local grocery store. Recognizing one another as fellow members of The Marsh health and wellness center in Minnetonka, they exchanged hellos.

“We were all masked up, but I remember thinking it was so good to see a familiar face after being isolated at home for so long,” says Reichert, 63. “I told her I thought I recognized her from The Marsh and that’s when she asked me if I walked.”

Gust’s question sparked a friendship. The pair first met for a lap around Christmas Lake in Minnetonka.  Trips to the Stone Arch Bridge and Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis soon followed, as did the Caponi Ark Park in Eagan. Daily walks in clean, fresh air became a ritual for the pair. By fall of 2020, they were setting out to complete the 28-mile Dakota Rail Trail, which runs from Wayzata to Lester Prairie, over several weeks’ time.

“There were a lot of things that we discovered about the area, and it was just fun to see what we were going to come across next,” Reichert says. “We just celebrated each day, each surprise.”

The duo logged more than 500 miles in four months during 2020 and has traversed hundreds more since, all while keeping goal setting and safety top of mind through the change of seasons.

Appreciation for the outdoors and the importance of socializing

Gust, 85, doesn’t let athletic inabilities keep her from staying active. Walking provides her the opportunity to experience nature, unwind and helps combat her osteoporosis. “I’ve always been an active person,” she says. “I’m lousy at golf and lousy at tennis, but I can walk. I have two feet.”

For Reichert, nature has a healing effect and movement reduces pain associated with her fibromyalgia. “I usually couldn’t find any friends who had time to walk or could walk as fast as I do,” Reichert says. “So I sort of smile now that I have an 85-year-old who walks much faster than me and is available.”

The mutual benefits of walking allowed the pair to become even closer as they discuss family and life happenings, exchange recipes and thoughts on books as they pass by lakes and through woods and farms.

Before they became walking partners, they were social butterflies – frequently stopping to say hello to others they met. Now, they’ve even found ways to share their passion with loved ones. Gust likes to send photos of herself in different locations to her grandchildren, who then guess where she is. When Gust and Reichert logged 217 miles in a single month, extended family surprised them with signs, cheers and bubbles along the trail – joining the duo for their final mile.

Gust explains, “My family has been very supportive of me and that’s one of the reasons why I do this. They are always telling me they’re so glad I’m staying healthy and that they want to, too.”

The big picture: health benefits

According to the Mayo Clinic, the health and wellness benefits of regular walking are as real as Reichert and Gust say. A daily walk can:

• Help a person maintain or lose weight
• Prevent and manage chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease
• Strengthen muscles and bones
• Increase balance
• Elevate your mood

Plus, the more you step up your speed, distance, and frequency, the greater those benefits become.

Gust’s advice rings true nearly three years later: get out, get active and speak up. You never know where a simple conversation could lead.

*Editor's note: a version of this article originally ran in the Spring 2021 edition of thrive. magazine.