Gracie and the Mountain

Emilie Ervin Powell
Grace McNicol’s lifelong delight in walking and hiking helped her achieve feats considered impossible by many. At the age of 62, when most persons are probably thinking of retirement, she resigned a nursing position in Alaska and set out to find a new job. Gracie found not only work, but a pastime that lured her into eagerly awaiting every sunrise during the remaining 37 years of her life. That pastime was climbing Mount Le Conte, a 6,593-foot mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She overcame a broken back, two strokes, and other personal hardships to climb the mountain a record 244 times.
Interwoven with this biography is a history of the old lodge on the mountain’s summit that may be reached only on foot or by llama. Gracie was the most frequent lodge guest for many years. Those who knew her best say that she “grew young” climbing Mount Le Conte. This revised and expanded volume includes photos, diary entries, and Gracie’s Wildflower Notebook which contains entries compiled during the year she made her 200th climb. This inspirational biography chronicles the uplifting life and achievements of a remarkable woman.

First Published 1981 / This Edition 1996 / 128 pages / 6” x 9”
ISBN: 1-57072-053-3 / Trade Paper / $9.95