Press

PRESS

Business Courier
Cincinnati, May 30, 2008 (Jon Newberry)

... book on the joys of hiking...
...spent six months hiking across the Alps fromNice on the French Riviera to Vienna.....in stages during annual month-long vacations...
...they got...an adventure of a lifetime and a self-described "love affair" with the Alps - its people, food, history and scenery - and also renewed one with each other. They highly recommend it to other people ... who want to get more out of retirement. .....
...lived in the United States for four decades....now head back across the Atlantic every summer to visi their families and spend a monthhiking over an intricate, well mapped      network of trails. They began 1998 after Peter, then 62, semiretired...Ten years later, they say they are happier and healthier than when they began

The Cincinnati Enquirer
September 22, 2007, part B3 (Allan H.)

 

Alpine Hikers at Museum Center
    "You can view the beauty of the Alps at the Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater,     which is showing "The Alps", or you can get a glimpse from a Middletown couple through their book "Hike for Your Life".
    Gudrun and Peter Seifert, who recounted      their  journey across the mountain range in the book will appear from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Museum Center at Union Terminal. The book will be available for purchase.
    They hiked from Nice to Vienna, covering the length of the Alps, through parts of France,       Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, 1300 miles in 170 days. The Seiferts walked by Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn and the Eiger North Face. They visited St. Moritz, Innsbruck and Salzburg.
    They said their book speaks to future retirees and will motivate them to take up hiking for the health of body, mind, and soul...."

TAPPI Frontline Focus Magazine,
Atlanta, Feb/Mar 2007 (Excerpts)

Tried Hiking?
    “Yes, hiking – for several hours a day, and several days in a row. Perhaps you better not read this, because if you have a desk job and you like TV, we’re talking about a major change.”
“On the other hand, maybe retirement is on your horizon, or a long vacation? No matter what your job, hiking is one of the best activities. Generally it has no bad side effects. Except addiction…”
“How would we know? Well, we tried it and liked it. Now we’re addicted!”
“… It’s hard to believe how good the daily walking is for your body, your health, your weight, back, hips, knees, heart and mind. And you don’t have to force yourself. The long distance goal makes you want to walk, day after day.”

Journal on Active Aging,
Vancouver, Canada
May/June 2007 p. 48…
(Excerpts, by Jenifer M.)
Hiking for their Lives
“…After taking early semi-retirement, Gudrun, an English teacher, and Peter, an engineer, traveled to Europe in 1998 for a hiking holiday in the French Alps. While on this trek, they hit on a bold plan, …[to] hike the Alpine Mountains from Nice, on the French Riviera, to Vienna, the capital of Austria. This journey would eventually extend over eight summers, becoming one of the greatest experiences of their lives….”
“…Gudrun and Peter are…[now] publishing a book, Hike for Your Life, to encourage … retirees to take up hiking for the benefit of body, mind and soul. ….[and to] share the story of the Alpine trails, accommodations, food, culture, history and anecdotes with future and fellow retirees. They also explain their feeling that such a hike is an achievable dream for a reasonably fit person…”

The Middletown Journal
Dec 3,  2008 (Excerpts, Rick McCrabb)
Front Page

'Hike of their lives' takes local couple six years

... enjoying retirement -- one step at a time, one city at a time. .... the Seiferts began their adventure... in 1998, and completed it in 2004.... Finishing the hike wasn't their initial goal, but after the first year ...  they became obsessed with the trek.

 In fact, in 2002, Peter had triple bypass surgery, the doctors did "their miracles" and after a one-year rehabilitation, they continued their hike.

 [Peter] called the physical challenges the "small part" of the hike. Picking the right trail and navigating in [avoiding] inclement weather were tougher. "We were most concerned about safety," he said. "But somebody was watching over us. Nothing bad happened".

 ... and on page 5: ...Now the Seiferts are hoping their book encourages others - and not just senior citizens - to take up hiking. "It's our push right now," [Gudrun] said.

 The Seiferts are living their lessons.They have fivegranddaughters, and when the girls turn 13, each is taken on a four-week European hiking trip. ... Gudrun: "For us, those weeks are the greatest gifts their parents [i.e. Gudrun and Peter's children] could give us.