An 81-year-old woman who has had over eight hip surgeries but vowed to ride a horse along nearly 70 miles of rough mountain terrain completed her journey recently.
Ruth Gerson completed her trek through the Santa Monica Mountains' Backbone Trail on Saturday, after embarking on the journey July 18.
The trail, which goes from Pt. Mugu State Park in Ventura County to Will Rogers State Historic Park in the Pacific Palisades, was officially designated as a National Recreation Trail by US Secretary Sally Jewell and National Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis on June 4.
She was profiled by NBC4 media partner KPCC.
