My favorite female lengendary hikers are?
My favorite female lengendary hikers are?
Hammock Hanger of course. Even though she calls me names and beats on me she's still my favorite.
I'm sorry, HH.
While I do respect your achievement I still have to go with the first person to hike the trail, end to end, the S E C O N D time, male or female. And she did her first thru-hike of the AT at the tender age age of 67, after having had and raised quite a few (11??) children and wore out 5 pairs of cheap Keds tennis shoes doing it. [the hiking, not birthing].She slept in a wool GI blanket, shelter was a plastic shower curtain, and her pack was a homemade denim laundry bag carried over one shoulder. Damn! Now that is one tough thru-hiker! Her total AT achievement was 3 hikes of the AT-two thru-hikes and one section hike of it all. That isn't bad when you consider she started it at 67, is it? And it does not consider her other, non AT, hiking achievements. The woman was certainly a giant of diminutive stature!
She is a thru-hiker for us all to emulate, especially lightweight ones as she is the patron saint of the light weight hikers. She showed the way long before Jardine, but we chose not to listen at the time, probably because there were so few who even new what AT or even backpacking stood for then.
So, HH, I am sorry; but you certainly are in illustrious company!
Mine was the Topless female hiker going Southbound in the Shennandoahs in 1999.
Singletrack
I too voted for Grandma Gatewood. She was an inspiration. HH
Hammock Hanger -- Life is my journey and I'm surely not rushing to the "summit"...:D
http://www.gcast.com/u/hammockhanger/main
I voted for grandma, she is true grit.
But if I could meet the topless female hiker, well maybe I would hike with her for a while...
SGT Rock
http://hikinghq.net
My 2008 Trail Journal of the BMT/AT
BMT Thru-Hikers' Guide
-----------------------------------------
NO SNIVELING
And, did you also know that she was the first female thru-hiker of the AT?
I honestly don't think she has garnered all the recognition due her in the AT & backpacking community. Could the reason be because of her gender...or of her age...?
Case in point, even on this forum, the male legends are most often mentioned, while she remains almost forgotten, or pushed to the background. She was a giant, ahead of her time, and if you take a careful look at her achievements, I suspect they would overshadow some others more often mentioned.
Amen to that!
Hammock Hanger -- Life is my journey and I'm surely not rushing to the "summit"...:D
http://www.gcast.com/u/hammockhanger/main
Just wondering, did Granny Gatewood publish anything about her hikes?
Not to my knowledge
Could we include the BAREFOOT SISTERS ???
Sweetlips!
According to the late Earl Shaffer, who was absolutely in a position to know, Ms. Gatewood's accomplishments, especially in so far as actually hiking all the miles she claimed, are actually open to debate. In the presence of a roomful of witnesses at the Ruck hiker Gathering in January of 2002, when overhearing a discussion of her travels and subsequent fame, Earl had this to say: "Grandma Gatewood was a fraud!"
I am credibly informed that while his listeners were shocked, no one dared dispute this at the time, and Earl provided several examples to corroborate his remark. Apparently, on more than one occasion, even tho he was far ahead of her on the Trail, she magically managed to beat him to camp or town, and there was no question in Earl's mind how she managed to do so.
I include this not to slam Ms. Gatewood, but merely to provide another perspective. According to Earl, at any rate, the phenomena of blue-blazing, trail-skipping, and mileage padding is not limited to recent times.
I witnessed Earl's remarks concerning Grandma Gatewood, and let me tell you, the room fell so silent you could hear the paint drying on the chairs you're not allowed to sit on. Of course, it's entirely possible that he just hadn't had his daily vinegar yet and was cranky. He sure wasn't joking, though.
### Ummmm, and especially as you're from F-L-A, may I suggest you research RamBunny's fav, Dorothy Laker, who's still alive, kicking, and living in the sunshine state?Originally Posted by highway
(Of course, RamBunny had a crush on Earl Shaffer, and Earl had a crush on Dorothy Laker, so there may be some sorta triangular thing going on there...)
sorry, HH...........Grandma Gatewood....my hero....one of the 1st legendary hikers of the A.T.!
anyone that hikes in Keds....has GOT TO BE TUFF!
i'd like to nominate another female hiker: Suva "DragonFly" Bastin, 73 years young & hiking every weekend & section hikes the A.T. twice a year!
in fact...i'll be section hiking with her in May!
see ya'll UP the trail
Love The One Your With!
"I'd rather kill a man than a snake. Not because I love snakes or hate men. It is a question, rather, of proportion." Edward Abbey
It's gotta be Miss Janet, who doesn't get out on the Trail anywhere near as often as she'd like to.....but I did get to take a short stroll with her in Baxter this year. She's also at the top of the list for "Honorary Thru-Hiker", a title that some of us already awarded her with last October.
Wow I'm honored to be included. Actually Peace Pilgram Mildred Lamb was the first to complete ,Grama was the first to solo.Dorthy Laker first to yo-yo,and myself the first to complete 3 in a row. It's all about technicality.Also it's all B>S> compared to the actual journey. even the Bible says last shall be first and first shall be last. Going SOBO July.
Since I had the honor of staying with Ram Bunny for two nights in the Shenandoahs in 02', and she seemed to be truely happy on the trail, my vote goes to her.