Famous Female Hikers

Famous female hikers: I've been on a quest to find some. And I've uncovered a few, whom I'd like to share with you here.

The first place I turned to on my quest for famous female hikers was to the National Park Service. I didn't find any famous hikers, but I was treated to a mini-lesson in feminism - check it out for yourself here. I don't know whether you'll chuckle or cry when you see the "fast food workers" uniforms the pioneering female rangers were forced to endure.

Next, I stumbled onto an article (full disclosure: it arrived in my mailbox and I stumbled on the way back to the house) in the Washington Trails Association (WTA) entitled "The First Ladies". That sounded hopeful, albeit confined to Washington State.

The article began with Fay Fuller, who was 22 years old when she summitted Mount Rainier on August 10, 1890. The photo of her was eye-opening: a perky hat, multiple layers of long skirts, and a very determined expression. Way to go, Fay!

The article also chronicles the adventures of Dr. Cora Eaton Smith, Anna Louise Strong, Alma Wagen, Martha Hardy, Pamela Bobroff - which brings us up to the 1950's. Each women took one more step toward earning the title of woman mountaineer: climbing, organizing, leading, serving as fire lookouts....

But if you notice, no "hikers" show up on this list.

Even Google could find no famous female hikers, only mountain climbers.

Which got me to thinking... what exactly would the criteria be to make someone a famous female hiker?

I suppose thru hikers who make it from one end to the other of famous trails would qualify: Pacific Crest, Appalachian.... Emma "Grandma" Gatewood definitely qualifies because she completed the AT journey - twice!! The first time was at age 67.

Here's another scenario: what if a celebrity suddenly took up the sport of hiking? (Any nominations?) Her reflected fame would put her solidly into the category of famous hiker...but not because of the hiking. Drats.

Then I got lucky. I stumbled upon the story of Lillian Alling. Read the brief version here. But she wasn't exactly "hiking" - she had a mission.

Now what?

I got creative (at least in my own tiny mind) and Googled "famous male hikers". No luck there, either.

So I removed the gender from my search, and simply looked for famous hikers. I found lots and lots AND LOTS of male names.... and their fame revolved around thru-hiking records: fastest, for example. Pardon my naivete, but why would you want to blast through all of the gorgeous terrain, simply to get the title of "fastest hiker"? To me, that's an oxymoron. {But I digress... a potentially fatal error in a hiker.}

Which leaves me with one conclusion: female hikers are humble. No media attention, no boasting, no sequins and glitter (well, okay, maybe on your hiking hat, if you really have to).

But I'm willing to be wrong. Do you know of a famous female hiker that I've missed? Send me her name, and I'll dig up the details and post them here, for all of us fabulous but humble female hikers to enjoy!

Go HOME for more hiking info! Just don't expect any famous female hikers to be waiting for you....