In Beauty May She Walk: Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60

I enjoyed a paperback copy of this book several years ago. It was "adopted" by someone who loved it, too. I have often wished I hadn't parted with it, and was thrilled to find an affordable gently used hardback copy! This is an inspiring story about a woman's personal quest while hiking the Appalachian Trail at age 60. In the process she finds new and emotionally surprising ways to reconnect with her family as well as herself. Inspiring, humorous, dramatic - you'll experience wide-ranging emotions as you read this book. You can bet that this time, this copy has found its "forever home" with me!

Overall, the book was well-written, poetic, descriptive, inspirational...and I especially enjoyed reading about a woman just several years older than myself learning to conquer her fears and become one with nature on this huge AT thru-hike undertaking. However, at times she seemed a bit judgey and preachy, such as when she ran into a group of teen campers and their leaders and lectured them about leave no trace, instead of just being happy that young people were being exposed to the great outdoors. So overall, a good read but somewhat opinionated.

Leslie Mass hiked the Appalachian Trail at 60. Her book is one of my favorite accounts of hiking the Appalachian Trail. She is a college administrator, wife and mother who managed to fit a flip-flop hike into her work schedule. Since childhood, Mass had been told to speak softly and accomodate herself to others. On her hike she learned to value her own opinion and one of life's biggest lessons: sometimes it is not so bad to be alone and hike your own hike. She made elaborate plans to hike parts of the trail with friends and family. You can tell that she was very accustomed to being close to other people, part of a very social world. In spite of this, she writes that she always knew she was an introvert. Her biggest lesson from the trail was to trust in herself, rather than going along with someone else who forced her into the role of "follower". On the trail, she made friends with several other hikers, one of whom took way too much interest in Mass' daughter, Amy, before even meeting her. He basically took over Mass' hike, and made her miserable. When Amy joined her mother on the trail, he attached himself to her. He didn't seem to be the most stable character, even making remarks about which man hiking the trail Mass had selected for her daughter. Creepy. I hope nothing bad came of this. Dog lovers might get some negative vibes: Mass obviously HATES dogs!

This is another AT book, one of the few written by a female. Leslie Mass is completing a life dream at the age of 60. She hikes it alone and with community she meets as she goes,mostly men. Her hike is one shared often with family meeting up for a few days. How she is able to function in and out of the responsibilities of hiking with the outside world people and handling her own individual hike is the real message of the book. We women know that we have to juggle nearly every day, so her final understanding is something we can all embrace.

This turned out to be a really good read. I got it originally as I was interested in the problems faced by the older hiker. It was a while before I picked it up to read because, well to be honest, the title put me off a bit. Once I got started I could not put it down! The book is loaded with good insights and helpful information, all wrapped in an interesting narrative. It is well written, thoughtful and well worth the time whether an armchair hiker, thru-hike dreamer, reliving the past or planning a thru-hike/section trek. It was time well spent, even for this old guy.

I found this book very inspiring in that the author took on a major hike at 60 and alone. I enjoyed her recounting her friendships, successes and struggles. What I found frustrating is that she had ample financial and family reserves to be able to get off the trail, stay at bed an breakfasts, have gourmet meals and chauffeur service before returning to her hike.With that in mind, some of her complaints, dare I say whining, frustrated and irritated me. While I don't diminish her accomplishment, age, level of fitness and all, I think she might have missed the point someone else who did this without the luxuries and funds would have understood. Despite all of this, I recommend this book to anyone thinking of planning a long distance hike.

A good friend is getting ready to hike this trail so I thought it'd be fun to read about it from the perspective of woman who had done it.I really enjoyed the book. I have been worried about my neighbor going by herself. After reading this I realized that after the hikers get acquainted with fellow hikers they actually look out for one another. Each individual walks at a different pace but once they get to know you they do helpful things like save places at the shelters, share food, or, once in awhile, the cost of a motel room in town.This woman loved being out in nature and was a very determined hiker. Her description of the various trails made you feel like you were right there with her. It is a very informative book. I would certainly recommend it for anyone ever thinking about hiking The Appalachian Trail.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am hoping to hike the AT myself after I retire and was interested to see how it went for someone older. It was interesting and informative.

A 'fun & informative' read, with a quick pace. My only complaint is that the format doesn't allow for updates on some of the interesting characters encountered on the way. I would like to have read read an epilogue that explained what happened to them.