Avid hiker Margaret Stevenson was remembered by the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers with a celebration of what would have been her 103rd birthday.
About 80 hikers gathered at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area on July 15 to celebrate Margaret and the joy of hiking. Many had hiked in the Metcalf Bottoms area or completed another Smokies hike that day before arriving for the picnic.
Margaret was the first woman to hike all 900 miles of trails in the Smokies. She hiked to Mt. LeConte 718 times. If you’ve been in the LeConte Lodge office, you may have seen her bronzed hiking boots.
Margaret is one of the three Friends of the Smokies Pathfinders, whose hiking legacy continues through contributions to the Trails Forever program.
Thanks to Kathy Nash for providing photos of the celebration event. (You can see more photos of the picnic celebration on Kathy’s Facebook page.)
You can read blog posts about Margaret’s 101st and 102nd birthday celebrations.
To make a donation in Margaret’s honor, click here.