60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday: Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail – What Beckons You?

Hello to you listening in Millinocket, Maine!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday.

In 1955 she sewed a sack out of old denim and stuffed it with “a blanket, a plastic shower sheet, a cup, a canteen and baby bottle for water, a small pot, a spoon, a Swiss Army knife, a first-aid kit, pins, flashlight, a piece of rope, a raincoat, a warm coat, a change of clothes and Keds sneakers.”  She set out from her home in Ohio telling her children she was going for a walk. And walk she did. 2,050 miles. Alone. On the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Her diet for the most part was raisins, nuts, chicken bouillon cubes, berries and leaves she found along the way. Her bed was often a pile of leaves, a picnic table, maybe a stranger’s barn or porch. After 5 months in the wilderness Grandma Emma Gatewood reached Mount Katahdin, Maine. She was 67 years old.

Not one to retire, Gatewood returned to thru-hike the AT again; she was 69 years old. Several years later she hiked the trail for a third time, in sections. This wasn’t the end of her walking; more like the beginning.

Question: What wonderful longing beckons you to begin?

60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories – stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 – Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts