As an avid hiker, Brooke Artesi has been testing limits for years –amputee, wife, mother, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist and owner of Sunshine Prosthetics and Orthotics in Wayne NJ. Always ready for a new challenge, Artesi has designed a Hiking Meetup for amputees, those with assistive walking devices and their friends and family who have not hiked before.

After completing the 20 mile Appalachian Trail trek, she decided there are benefits from this activity which O and P patients could reap. The first test of this was the recent Amputee/Adaptive Hike which she led on the Beginner's Trail of Pyramid Mountain in Montville NJ. With a group of 13 which included amputees, assistive device wearers, their friends and family members, Brooke led the hikers on a trail she selected which would initiate them to the sport of hiking and share with them the beauty of the landscape.

"I love the challenge and the exhilaration at the finish and I also love seeing people who never thought they could do it find that they are stronger than they thought. That's most exciting to me," said Artesi when asked why she developed this hike meetup.

The hike was met with so much enthusiasm that more meetups have been set monthly through October. The Sunshine Prosthetics and Orthotics website now has an Amputee/Adaptive Hike page which gives beginning hikers tips on how to prepare for the hike and resources for finding out about Accessible Trails in the US as well as upcoming Sunshine Amputee/Adaptive Hike dates. (http://sunshinepando.com/adaptive-hikes/)

Hiking trails have designations of easy, moderate, and difficult. Artesi's meetup is the easy trail – short and relatively level, (however, not suitable for wheelchairs). She intends to modify it based on the needs and accomplishments of the group. Hikers not only get to stretch their limits and discover their abilities along with others meeting similar challenges, they get to experience the ever-changing landscape.

Sunshine Prosthetics and Orthotics is located at 1700 Route 23 North, Suite 180, in Wayne New Jersey, providing a full range of services for amputees and other physically challenged adults and children. Call 973-696-8100 to learn more about their custom services or visit their website at www.SunshinePandO.com.

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