In the summer of 1952 Mildred Norman Ryder, traveling alone, became the first woman to hike the entire length of the 2050 mile-long Appalachian Trail. Adopting the moniker Peace Pilgrim, she continued walking throughout the United States for 29 more years, logging an additional 25,000 miles and touching others with the simplest of messages: overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, hatred with love.