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Come on, Birthday Girl! Local hiker close to finishing the Appalachian Trail as oldest woman

Pamela Clark has 30 days to finish about 300 more miles out of the 2,200-mile-long trail.

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An update on the journey of Pinellas County's Pamela Clark, who at 76, is on a mission to become the oldest female to hike the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail within a year. 

She has 30 days left to accomplish that. She started her hike last year on her birthday, March 30. Her timely start earned her the trail name "Birthday Girl." She's also easy to spot on the trail with her signature purple hair and purple coat. 

Clark had to come off the trail in October after suffering an injury. She had completed 1,300 miles in just over six months. 

We first met Clark back in December right before she went back out to the trail in January for the final 800 miles. We checked back in last month, and Birthday Girl had hiked 300 miles through two states. 

She's become quite the celebrity along the trail, with fellow hikers from all over hoping to meet up with her along the way. 

"People have come out. They've given trail magic and walked with me. That's been really, really great. It's been very nice," Clark told us back in February. 

The last few days through Massachusetts have been tough, as she has been hiking in extreme cold, ice and snow, but she marches on using ice cleats when she needs to. 

She does have some help. Several people make sure she has hiking partners and warm places to stay on nights when temperatures are falling below zero.

She still has about 300 miles to go. That means she needs to hike about 10 miles a day to meet her goal!  You can follow her journey on her Facebook page here.

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