2006 Section Hiker Headed for Romania

The 'Twin Cities Daily Planet' news site for Minnesotans has a piece titled "Complete Freedom" by Michele St. Martin posted on 16 December 2007. It profiles 63-year-old Ann Richards who is heading off for a 2 year stint in the Peace Corps, assigned to Romania. She is, apparently, an independent-minded woman.

"That independent streak served Richards well last summer, when she spent eight weeks by herself, hiking 587 miles of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. 'It was incredibly physically taxing, but my body was up to it,' she said. 'I carried a journal and had a lot of time to read and think,' Richards said. 'I had made the decision to enter the Peace Corps, but I wanted to really think it through.'

"Richards described her Appalachian Trail trek as a 'wonderful experience … I’ve had big blocks of solitude. That precious time when you reflect, resolve, and then completely empty your mind and just flow with the current. I’ve met the nicest bunch of hikers of all ages and backgrounds.' One disappointment, Richards said, was 'there were so few women my age hiking.'"