THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN TRAIL*
People like to walk in forests or in mountain areas. In these places there are no roads. People can walk only on trails. These walks are usually long and very hard. In the United States, many people walk along the Appalachian Mountain Trail. People also call it the AT. This trail is very popular. It is the longest walking trail in the world. Some people say it is also the hardest.(lines 1–6)
Many people didn't think older people could walk the whole Appalachian Trail. But in 1955, Emma Gatewood did it. She was 67 years old. She was the first woman who walked the whole AT alone. She walked it again when she was 69 years old and a third time when she was 76.(lines 7–11)
Today, the AT is very different from when Emma walked it in 1955. First of all, now there are always a lot of people walking on this trail. Also, there are many stores along the way. When Emma walked it almost 70 years ago, there weren't many people on the AT. In addition, there were very few stores along the AT. Because of this, people usually could not buy food and other things they needed when they were walking along the AT.(lines 12–16)
Emma carried a bag on her back. In it she took things she needed. For example, she took some clothes, a fork and a notebook. When she could not buy food, she ate fruit that she found in the forests. The walk was very long and difficult, but Emma finished it because she was very strong.(lines 17–19)
Emma Gatewood became famous in America. She made the Appalachian Trail very popular. Many people heard about Emma. They also decided to walk the AT because they thought that if a woman her age could walk the whole AT, they could do it too.(lines 20–22)