Imagine getting a knock on your door after dusk. It’s a woman in her 80s holding two hiking poles and carrying a backpack. She asks if she can pitch her tent in your garden for the night. She explains that she is a long-distance hiker and she’s known as ‘the Old Lady on the Trail’. And yes, she is alone and no, she is not afraid.
Today’s guest is 82-year-old, Mary E Davison. She is a grandmother of 10, an author, a pastor & trekker with an impressive resume. Mary took up long-distance hiking at 60 and has since achieved The Triple Crown, walking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail (totalling 12,520km). All in all, Mary has traversed the most scenic, demanding & diverse trails in North America.
In this conversation, we talk to Mary about what it’s like to defy the stereotype of what an old lady can achieve. She shares stories from 60 years ago, when she was in the Peace Corps & found herself travelling alone in her 20s in Egypt - an experience that taught her to be courageous all throughout her life.
This conversation is so much more than an elderly woman doing an extraordinary thing. It is also about how you can learn to leave fear behind in pursuit of your own adventure.
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