Eufaula Father And Son Hike Appalachian Trail For Heroes

Thousands begin but only a few hundred are able to hike all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But that's not stopping a Eufaula father and son team that will start the journey later this month. They're making the trip, both, for themselves, and to raise awareness of suicide among veterans.

Kevin Steele and his son, Hunter, have been planning this for four years. They've hiked hundreds of practice miles and they've set up their tent and camp dozens of times to get ready. Next week, they're heading for Georgia to get started.

Steele said he and his son have read about every book on the Appalachian Trail, and believe they are physically ready to take it on, but felt a special incentive would help. He found a veterans group in Kentucky called Action Heroes.

Learn more about Hike Fore Heroes

"Their main focus is suicide prevention," Steele said. "We are losing 22 veterans a day to suicide, that's almost one per hour."

That's the incentive they were looking for. It's not all about them, they'll raise awareness about suicide among veterans as they put one foot in front of the other from Georgia to Maine.

There's a fundraising luncheon Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Methodist Church in Muskogee. It's $5 a plate until the food runs out.