Here's An Idea!

So, who wants to do this with me in a few years?



In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Rowena Gatewood became the first woman to hike the entire 2,168 mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail -- wearing sneakers and carrying an army blanket, a raincoat, a shower curtain, and a change of clothes in a homemade bag which she slung over one shoulder. For food, she foraged for wild plants, as well as carried dried meat, cheese, nuts, and dried fruit. The mother of 11 and grandmother of 23, Gatewood is now considered a pioneer of ultra-light hiking and one of the first high-profile ambassadors of the Appalachian Trail.

When asked why she decided to hike the trail, which she learned about from a National Geographic Magazine article, Gatewood -- who was widely known as Grandma Gatewood -- said, "I thought it would be a nice lark... It wasn't." She later added, "For some fool reason, they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find."
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