Gwen Loose was hiking with a friend on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) when a question crossed her mind.

While Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery are considered the founders and fathers of the A.T., “Who was holding down the fort at conference headquarters?” she wondered.

Someone must have been keeping track of all the details that went into the planning of the 2,192-mile-long trail stretching from Maine to Georgia during its formative years, reaching back to 1925.

“It was like the old adage—‘Behind every successful man is a successful woman,’” Loose said.

“Trailblazers: York County woman’s book explores untold stories of women who helped establish the Appalachian Trail,” TheBurg, March 2020.