Charles dickens captured the ecstasy of nearmadness and insomnia in the essay night walks and once said, the sum of the whole is this. Two years before, i had only the vaguest idea who emma grandma gatewood was and no ambition to do a book about her. Driven by a painful marriage, grandma gatewood not only hiked the trail alone, she was the first personman or womanto walk it twice and three times. Shepherdstown, wv shepherd universitys center for appalachian studies and communities will host a program titled grandma gatewoods walk in the woods, an appalachian story, wednesday, march 11, at 7 p. Emma rowena gatewood, known as grandma gatewood, october 25, 1887june 4, 1973, was an extreme hiker and ultralight hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the 2,168mile 3,489 km appalachian trail from springer mountain in georgia to mount katahdin in maine solo, and in one season. This is less entertaining than bill brysons a walk in the woods but she does. A walk in the woods premiers at sundance grandma emma. After this feat, she continued to forge new fronts in the hiking world and became the first person to hike the a. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read grandma gatewood s walk. Grandma gatewoods walk is a brilliant look at an americaboth good and badthat has slipped away, seen through the eyes and feet of one of americas most unlikely heroines. He wrote her off as a dippy grandma who got lost a lot.
Grandma gatewood, as she became known, was the first woman to hike the entire 2,050 miles of the appalachian trail by herself in 1955. You learn less about trail hiking than you would with cheryl strayeds book wild. Mar 04, 2014 a box of contractually promised copies of grandma gatewoods walk came by mail not long ago. Grandma gatewood s walk is a brilliant look at an americaboth good and badthat has slipped away, seen through the eyes and feet of one of americas most unlikely heroines. That seems like such a lousy gift, but they each carried my book to school the next day to show their friends what their daddy did. Anita lindsley both books are great, but grandma gatewood could do what two. Grandma gatewood s walk by othella2677 see profile 031515. Grandma gatewood s walk is a brilliant look at an americaboth good and badthat has slipped away, seen through the eyes and feet of one of america s most unlikely heroines. Emma gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two in 2011, jennifer pharr davis became the overall record holder on the appalachian trail. Community read 2016 grandma gatewoods walk by ben montgomery.
Emma gatewood is the subject of ben montgomerys engrossing new book, grandma gatewoods walk. Trail magic is the true story of emma grandma gatewood. Wild is more technical because the main character had the latest in modern equipment, grandma didnt. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity, and appeared on tv with groucho marx and art linkletter. Grandma gatewood s walk is about a 67 year old mother of 11 and grandmother of 23 who one day decides to hike the appalachian trail in 1957 i think it was 57. If you havent seen the film trail magic, the grandma gatewood story you can order as dvd on line. Grandma gatewoods walk by ben montgomery 1 she packed her things in late spring, when her flowers were in full bloom, and left gallia county, ohio, the only place shed ever really called home. Grandma gatewood s walk is a wonderful book, but largely because of the merits of its subject. Grandma gatewoods walk the inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail book. When you stumble across grandma gatewoods walk in your neighborhood bookstore, dont make the mistake of glancing away from the photo of a frumpy old woman in sensible shoes. She helped to bring attention to the trail and was instrumental in having improvements made. A walk in the woods by bill bryson awol on the appalachian trail by david. Earl swift, author of the big roads a quiet delight of a book.
The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail by ben montgomery 2014, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. The public attention she brought to the littleknown footpath was unprecedented. Grandma emma gatewood trail magic dvd now available. Emma gatewoods story is just as relevant today as it was in 1955 when she completed the appalachian trail for the first time. What makes this book a good read isnt necessarily mr.
Grandma gatewood, as the reporters called her, became the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail alone, as well as the first personman or womanto walk it twice and three times. This is ridiculous, because there is no need to fictionalize anything about the woman. Apr 01, 2014 gatewoods exploits, which would later include walking the oregon trail, not only brought national attention to the state of hikers trails across a nation obsessed with cars and newly crisscrossed with highways. What made the experience of listening to grandma gatewood s walk the most enjoyable.
Gatewoods accomplishments in his reference to her in a walk in the woods. Montgomery in his 2016 book, grandma gatewoods walk. For our longreads member pick, were excited to share the opening chapters of grandma gatewoods walk, the book by ben montgomery about emma gatewood, the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail aloneand who did so at the age of 67. Earl swift, author of the big roads a quiet delight of a. Montgomery intersperses gatewoods story with significant historical background about important events of the era, such as the development of the interstate highway system, the communist scare, and segregation. Just click on trail magic dvd and it will take you to the order page. Peggy bryson didnt adequately respect grandma gatewoods accomplishments in his reference to her in a walk in the woods. A journalists biography of the unassuming but gutsy 67yearold ohio grandmother who became the first person to walk all 2,050 miles of the appalachian trail three times. Her painful life is part of the story as she walks the trail, the author flashing back to those scenes that are difficult to imagine and harder to escape. Discussion questions the following questions were written by kathleen loudon, reference librarian for the haverford township free library in havertown, pennsylvania. She was 67 years old at the time, a mother of 11 and. Author ben montgomery interviewed surviving family members and hikers gatewood met along the trail, unearthed historic newspaper and magazine articles, and was given full access to gatewood s own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence.
The appalachian trail is a continuous hiking trail that extends from georgia to maine, following the appalachian mountains that lie parallel to the atlantic coast. Grandma gatewoods walk is sure to fuel not only the dreams of wouldbe hikers, but debates on the limits of endurance, the power of determination, and the nature of myth. Grandma gatewoods walk quotes showing of 35 william wordsworth was said to have walked 180,000 miles in his lifetime. Emma rowena grandma gatewood bornoctober 25, 1887 mercerville, guyan to. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Ben montgomery, told her story in grandma gatewoods walk, a. Mary snow of sports illustrated met her several times along the trail and told her story. Grandma s got sack grandma gatewoods walk by ben montgomery. Grandma gatewood s walk shines a fresh light on one of america s most celebrated pedestrians. She had always relished walks in the woods, communing with nature. At age seventyone, she hiked the 2,000mile oregon trail. Grandma gatewoods walk book chicago public library. I bought this book at the amc retreat last year, based on the recommendation of the. Emma gatewood was the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail alone, as well as the first personman or womanto walk it twice and three times and.
For every thru hiker, as well as those very familiar with the appalachian trail, grandma gatewoods walk is an inspirational book down memory lane as you trace her accomplishments northward on the trail. Winner of the 2014 national outdoor book awards for historybiography emma gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. Author ben montgomery interviewed surviving family members and hikers gatewood met along the trail, unearthed historic newspaper and magazine articles, and was given unprecedented access to gatewood s own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence. Grandma gatewood s walk shines a fresh light on one of americas most celebrated hikers. If youre looking for a free download links of grandma gatewoods walk. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail. Ben montgomery, grandma gatewoods walk because she was the first woman to hike the trail, her story soon captured media attention. The kids opened it before i got home and found their names in the acknowledgements. In 1955, at the age of 67, the greatgrandmother became the first woman to hike the entire 2,050. Jun 27, 2018 she often escaped from him by running into the woods, and she came to view the wilderness as protective and restorative.
A grandma loving to walk in nature is not foreign to memy own grandma would take us for walks on the river greenway all the time when i was youngbut always before it got much too hot, and always with a picnic. Apr 01, 2014 it s difficult sometimes to separate the quality of a book from the subject of the story. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail, by ben montgomery. Dec 14, 2017 feet hit the trail in grandma gatewoods walk, a biography by ben montgomery. It is an opportunity to see the appalachian trail in a light that has long since faded. She would return six months later a national hero whom was followed by most major newspapers, the. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail ebook written by ben montgomery. She was a woman who came from an my mother in law gave me this book to read since i enjoyed reading wild by cheryl strayed. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity and appeared on tv and in the pages of sports illustrated.
Wild went much more into the mnd of the main character i cant remember her name. Jan 07, 2019 after reading grandma gatewoods walk, i realized that the cave we hiked to is the same cave that she hiked to during the annual winter hike that she started. Grandma gatewood s walk shines a fresh light on one of americas most celebrated pedestrians. A box of contractually promised copies of grandma gatewoods walk came by mail not long ago. How a tough granny saved the appalachian trail macleans. Gail martin is joined by evie kirkwood for a conversation about grandma gatewoods walk. Would you be willing to try another book from ben montgomery. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. The greatgrandma who changed the at forever outside online.
Grandma gatewood s walk emma gatewood was the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail alone, as well as the first personman or womanto walk it twice and three times and she did it all after the age of 65. By hiking 2,181 miles in 46 days an average of 47 miles per day she became the first female to ever set. Its like a brush with celebrity and it also brings the book even more to life knowing that i have walked through some of the same woods hiked by grandma gatewood. Jan 05, 2015 grandma gatewood, as she became known, was the first woman to hike the entire 2,050 miles of the appalachian trail by herself in 1955. In ben montgomerys eyeopening profile, grandma gatewoods walk. More than anything i found myself reevaluating the need for. This is a very inspiring book about emma gatewood who walked the appalachian trail when she was 67 years old. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail, readers encounter the real life folk heroin emma gatewood. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail is a story that inspires you to get outside, to push the limits of your comfort zone, and realize that there is so much more to life than the everyday struggles that dominate our attention. Grandma gatewood survived domestic violence to walk the. Grandma gatewoods walk won the 2014 national outdoor book award for historybiography. In other words, he wrote for easy laughs, and his book will not interest the future. Byrd center for congressional history and education auditorium.
Book overview emma gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. Peggy bryson didnt adequately respect grandma gatewood s accomplishments in his reference to her in a walk in the woods. Emma rowena gatewood, known as grandma gatewood, was an extreme hiker and ultralight hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the 2,168mile appalachian trail from springer mountain in georgia to mount katahdin in maine solo, and in one season. Emma gatewood was the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail alone, as well as the first personman or womanto walk it twice and three times and she did it all after the age of 65. She caught a ride to charleston, west virginia, then boarded a bus to the airport, then a. In 1955, only a few people had hiked the entire trail alone. This is the first and only biography of grandma gatewood, as the reporters called her, who became a hiking celebrity in the 1950s and 60s.
She packed her things in late spring, when her flowers were in full bloom, and left gallia county, ohio, the only place shed ever really called home. The first and only biography devoted to this literal trailblazer, grandma gatewoods walk is based on montgomery s interviews with surviving family members and hikers gatewood met along the trail, historic newspaper and magazine articles and unprecedented access to gatewoods own diaries, trail journals and correspondence. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farmreared, 67yearold greatgrandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050mile appalachian trail. She knew all the local flora and fauna, what was edible, what was medicine, and what to avoid. I thought grandma s book was more of a travelogue than a study in gatewood s motivation. Every appalachian trail thruhiker knows of emma grandma gatewood. How does this compare to bill brysons a walk in the woods.
The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail audiobook by ben montgomery. Community read 2016 grandma gatewoods walk by ben montgomery the longwood gardens library and archives staff invites you to use the following guide to discuss the topics of our 2016 community read book. Grandma gatewood, as the reporters called her, became the first woman to hike the entire appalachian trail alone, as well as the first person man or woman to walk it twice and three times. Grandma gatewoods walk audiobook by ben montgomery. Montgomerys writing ability, but that emma gatewood. When emma gatewood 18871983 first decided she would hike the a. Apr 20, 2017 the greatgrandma who changed the at forever. I bought the book to hear the story of grandma gatewood, but the book had very few of her words and a large amount of history. The book offers insight into a woman who left an indelible mark on long distance trail hiking, without ever planning to do so. The inspiring story of the woman who saved the appalachian trail ebook.