In Beauty May She Walk; Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60 - Hardcover

Leslie Mass

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0976568608 ISBN 13: 9780976568605

Publisher: Rock Spring Press, 2005

Synopsis

In 2000, inspired by her father, Leslie Mass decided she would turn a lifelong fantasy into reality. At the age of 59 she began to train for a grueling journey, a thru-hike of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. 'In Beauty May She Walk' chronicles Leslie's struggles and triumphs during her hike. On the trail, Leslie struggles with how to balance the needs of her family and friends while making the trail a priority; how to shed years of social conditioning that dictate how a woman should act; and how to know when to ask for help, while understanding that sometimes, help has to come from within. As the terrain toughens, she struggles to physically keep up with the trail community she depends on socially to keep going and realizes the difficulty of maintaining her obligations to family and friends. After Sept. 11, 2001, it all changes for a hiker even more alone on the A.T.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Reading Leslie's manuscript was what made me truly decide that publishing books was the right thing to do. Her journey, both physically and emotionally, gripped my heart, and at the end of the book I felt like Leslie was someone I'd known for years.

From the Inside Flap:

In 2001, Leslie Mass turns a lifelong fantasy into reality. She began a grueling journey – a thru-hike of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail.

While on the trail, Leslie struggles to maintain her obligations to family and friends while making the trail a priority; sheds years of social conditioning that dictate how a woman should act; and figures out when to ask for help, while understanding that sometimes, help has to come from within.

For the first few weeks, Leslie learns how to pitch a tent in the rain, make her food bag animal-proof, and keep her socks dry. When the terrain toughens, she struggles physically to keep up with the trail community she socially depends on to keep going, and focuses on putting one foot in front of the other, every day, to reach her destination. After September 11, 2001, she copes with being seemingly the only hiker on the trail for miles, eventually forcing her to change her definition of "hiking her own hike."

A wife, mother, and suburban college administrator, Leslie is just like any other woman you might pass on a grocery aisle. Her story is an inspiring physical and mental journey to reach the goal of a lifetime.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rock Spring Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0976568608
• ISBN 13: 9780976568605
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416