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Mary E Davison

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Old Lady on the Trail: Triple Crown at 76 Kindle Edition

by Mary E Davison (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 1,265 ratings

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Adventure on National Scenic Trails does not need to end when one is old.
Not beginning long-distance hiking until age 60, Mary takes us with her on her trail journeys to experience encounters with the beauty of wilderness from the Eastern ranges of the Appalachian Trail, the challenges of desert, snow, granite and thick forests of the Pacific Crest Trail, and the rugged and the remote grandeur of the Continental Divide Trail.
Along the way, she introduces the Trail Community. Hikers of many ages and walks of life labeled with colorful monikers called trail names, and trail angels, planned and total surprises, grace her journey. Bears, moose, deer, coyotes, turkey vultures, hawks, eagles, owls, pronghorn, and endless supplies of squirrels and chipmunks share the world through which she walked.
Everyday challenges of completing seemingly endless miles, encountering new adventures, sometimes with friends and much of the time solo, brought Mary to the first pages of this book on a glorious day sighting two grizzly bears and completing long-distance hiking's Triple Crown at age 76.
Throughout this inspirational journey, Mary shares the perspective of an aging adult. Challenges of failing body parts add drama and obstacles to be overcome like rocks in the trail or adapted to like the trails that wind slowly up steep mountains.
Come along and experience long trails with the Old Lady on The Trail.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07JGDMJF8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (October 22, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 22, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 803 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 488 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #147,078 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #114 in Travel Biographies & Memoirs
- #118 in Adventurer & Explorer Biographies
- #530 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies

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4.4 1,265 ratings

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Mary E Davison

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In 2017 Mary E Davison completed the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail at age 76, the oldest person to do so. She received the Triple Crown Award from the American Long Distance Hiker Association. In the winter of 2017-2018 she wrote a book: Old Lady on the Trail.

Mary has been a lot of places and done a lot of things. After all, she is 77 years old. Besides turning her hand to writing of her hiking adventures, Mary has been in the Peace Corps, a Physical Therapist with a specialty in Pediatrics, an Army wife, a Pastor of a church for 16 years, a gardener and retired. She has lived and/or hiked in many States, Turkey, Spain and France. Proudly, Mary is the mother of two and grandmother of 10. (the outdoor grandma) In her spare time she preaches and plays the cornet. She lives in Washington State when she is not hiking or visiting her grandchildren.

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CCCRockyMountainMamma

Both Interesting and Inspiring

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024

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What a great book! Medicare Pastor (Mary) is truly an inspiration to me. I love to hike and I love to do long backpacking trips. The account of her long distance hikes to complete the PCT, AT and CDT at her age, makes me wish to continue to backpack, despite my knees and shoulders that hurt.

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Rusty

A most enjoyable book....

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2018

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I am an outdoor enthusiast in my sixties who loves being outdoors more than indoors. I've developed a passion for reading non fiction books about those who have hiked on long distance trails such as the AT and, PCT trail since I know I'll never be able to do the same and marvel at how others are able to accomplish such a feat. I've read books written mainly by hikers in the prime of their lives, 20 & 30 years old so when I saw "Old Lady on the Trail" and the subtitle : Triple Crown at 76...I was genuinely intrigued. I ordered the book online and when it arrived I was surprised by how thick it was and hoped it was well written or else I probably wouldn't read it all. Mary did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and was sad when I reached the end. I was in awe of her tenacity and lack of fear on the trails. I admire her strength to push thru the pain from her knees and from carrying such a heavy pack. Being an outdoor photographer and lover of all things in nature, I appreciated her observations and chronicle of plants/ flowers and the scenery on the various trails. I wish her book would have included some of her photography since I am such a visual person. I have a healthy respect for wildlife and must admit that I could never solo hike even if there were other hikers on the trail from time to time. Last summer a woman hiking alone in my neck of the woods was killed by a cougar. Reading Mary's accounts of encountering bears [esp grizzly bears] made me amazed and a bit dubious of her lack of fear for her safety. I know that most animals mean no harm to humans but they can be unpredictable and sometimes being at the wrong place at the wrong time can put yourself in danger. Mary seemed to trust all humans she encountered.....solo hiking and coming across hunters or other men would have made me nervous ...even if I had no reason to be. The book was concise and so detailed. I am bad about remembering people's names so was surprised by how well Mary documented all of the other hikers [ trail names] she passed on the trails. Remarkable. It's an enjoyable read. She is an amazing hiker and superb writer. Thank you for writing such a fun, inspiring and educational book.

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Ruth V

Exciting Fun Read

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2018

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Cathy and I enjoyed the adventures together by reading the book out loud until completed. We looked forward to each daily adventure with anticipation.
Cathy’s Review
What an adventure! Your descriptions of the flowers and the terrain you traveled made it easy for me to visualize in my mind. What a wonderful thing to share with readers who may not get to the beautiful places you have. I could hear your voice, recall your humor, and your concern for nature. “Bra”va!! Looking forward to your next book!
Ruth’s Review
What an amazing accomplishment to not only attain the coveted Triple Crown in hiking at the age of 76; but to also author a book of your adventures!
Mary I only wish years ago after our day hike up to Rampart Ridge that I had taken hiking seriously and gone on some of your adventures. Being Montana born and raised I felt as though I was right on the Montana/Yellowstone portion of the CDT with you . The wildflowers, wildlife, and trails you mentioned came to life in my memories and made me homesick.
Mary’s ability to write in such vivid form and with such humor; makes each hike an amazing journey. This book makes the reader feel as though they are right there hiking with her through the good times and the struggles.
Some other readers have mentioned they wish there had been some pictures. Although pictures are wonderful we must let our own minds eye and vivid imagination capture the beauty Mary was able to partake in; as I know pictures are cost prohibitive.
Mary’s joy and happiness in hiking and enjoying God’s beauty in nature is truly evident in this book!
Thank you for these Awesome Journeys! Looking forward to more exciting journeys with you!

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Reading Brian

This book delivers on its promise

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2019

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The title, Old Lady on the Trail, is a great description of the book. We get to experience both the joys and difficulties of Mary's extended hikes from the viewpoint of now a septagenarian! Her aches and injuries (yes, constituting an "organ recital"), her quips, her joys at traveling companions, her difficulties, her wisdom, they are all honest and revealing expressions about her systematic conquering of the three major American trails.

Typos? I must have been gliding past them. Grammatical sins? This is a travel journal, that was stitched together to give impressions in real time. That's why it can be read out loud. The narrative arc is not contrived or planned out from the beginning or imposed at the conclusion. I've done the same things during my travels -- sat down at the end of a day and chronicled what happened. So repetition is part of the game, just like real life is.

I enjoyed reading the book, because it shows an intrepid spirit who doesn't need to gloss things over. She's both humble and proud at the same moments. If you like her spirit and interpretation, you'll enjoy the book. If you want something tighter, more literary, a book for the ages, I'm sure you can find it somewhere else.

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy following in Mary's footsteps, as I can easily imagine from the front cover.

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Pamela

What an inspiration

Reviewed in Canada on July 30, 2021

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Congratulations to Ms. Davison for perseverance in the face of adversity! I'm 76 with an arthritic knee and couldn't imagine hiking up and down steep trails. I really admire her determination especially when there are so many biting flies....that I simply couldn't bear. I'm happy to be an armchair hiker.

BSL

Sorry, a bit disappointed ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2021

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Ok, I soon understood that this lady was not a through walker. No problem. This makes sense. However, I had expected a bit more in-depth. Sorry, but after a while I gave up. Repetition after repetition. Describing the paths, the scenery, the flowers, the nice and helpful people --- on and on and on. Possibly, a map about the respective section she was walking and some pictures of the respective sceneries in each chapter would have helped. The same accounts for some personal reflections and meetings instead of mentioning names after names of other hikers. ...

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Kate

Highly recommended.

Reviewed in Australia on April 14, 2019

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While I found the book a little too detailed in some chapters, I was fascinated by this account and full of admiration for the author.

Marge_57

Inspirational

Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2020

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I am turning 60 this year. Mary's book showed me that my hiking days are not over and many more adventures are possible. Age alone does not determine what you are capable of.

terry

A big read

Reviewed in Australia on July 20, 2019

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Wow, I hope to display a half of the drive and dogedness that Medicare Pastor does hiking the US's big three trails. Being a non-US person, I really needed a map, or maps because after a while the place names meant nothing to me. Some photos would have been good too. But still, it's a good solid read about amazing hiking by a senior person. :)

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