Friends of Peace Pilgrim Events

Our Friends in New Jersey continue to host periodic events to celebrate the life and legacy of Peace Pilgrim and her late sister, Helene Young. Here are some of our most recent.

2023 APPALACHIAN TRAIL RETREAT

A rainy weekend did not stop the group from enjoying the annual Friends of Peace Pilgrim Appalachian Trail (AT) retreat held among the changing leaves of October. Peace Pilgrim, with a “trail name” of Hiker Mil, was the first woman to complete the famous 2,200+ mile trail in one season in 1952 – the year before she kicked off her historic pilgrimage. Friends of Peace Pilgrim commemorates this accomplishment with a yearly get-away to the AT in Peace Pilgrim’s home state of New Jersey. Among this year’s attendees was Andy Zupko, one of the compilers of our book, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words. Andy, who spent cherished time with Peace Pilgrim during the last years of her pilgrimage, is shown in the group photo in the orange hat. Board Member Bruce Nichols ventured up the wet trails for the traditional sunrise over the AT on New Jersey’s Kittatinny Ridge.

2023 CELEBRATION

See our 2023 Celebration page for more details.

2022 APPALACHIAN TRAIL RETREAT

Attendees at the Friends of Peace Pilgrim Appalachian Trail (AT) Retreat enjoyed a section of the AT in New Jersey that Peace Pilgrim walked in 1952. Known then as “Hiker Mil,” she was the first woman to complete the famous 2,200+ mile trail in one season, then started her pilgrimage the following January. Her beloved sister Helene Young was a regular attendee at the retreat for many years. Held annually in the fall, the weekend features hikes, silent contemplation, and shared meal preparations in a rustic cabin. The retreat offers an opportunity for rejuvenation, connection, and inner peace.

The Fiends of Peace Pilgrim at the 2022 AT Retreat.

Attendees pose in front of the lovely cabin at Mohican Outdoor Center in Blairstown, NJ.

Friends enjoy a peace on the New Jersey AT.

During a mountaintop vision on her AT journey, Hiker Mil saw herself as a “Peace Pilgrim wandering the country.” The following New Year’s day in 1953, she kicked off her pilgrimage for peace.

Sixty years after Peace Pilgrim completed the AT, her “baby” sister Helene Young, (at age 100!), joined Friends of Peace Pilgrim Board Member Bruce Nichols and others at the annual AT retreat.

2022 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Friends old and new came together at Peace Pilgrim Park in her Egg Harbor City, NJ, birth town on July 17, 2022 for a joyful celebration of her birthday! See photos on our 2022 Birthday Celebration page.

2021 CELEBRATION OF PEACE PILGRIM & HER SISTER, HELENE YOUNG

Sunshine, joy, and words of peace filled Peace Pilgrim Park on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, as dozens of friends, new and old, gathered to celebrate the lives of Peace Pilgrim and her sister, Helene Young.
Click here for photos and more details.

We were also thrilled to host the following events for many years:

PEACE PILGRIM BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: For many years, Friends of Peace Pilgrim joined her “baby” sister, Helene Young, to celebrate Peace Pilgrim’s July 18 birthday in Peace Pilgrim Park, Egg Harbor City, NJ. Photos of the latest celebration are on page 4 of our Newsletter #65.

POTLUCK for PEACE: The annual summer event was hosted for 10 years by Peace Pilgrim's sister, Helene Young. See page 4 of our Newsletter #64 for photos.

PEACE PILGRIM CELEBRATION WEEKEND: See page 4 of our Newsletter #64 for photos from the last celebration weekend held in Peace Pilgrim's namesake park in her birth town of Egg Harbor City, NJ. The event was held from 2008-2018 in conjunction with the International Day of Peace. The event featured an intergenerational peace walk, morning yoga, a drumming circle, music, peace-related vendors, an interfaith spiritual service and more.