Sometime in the 1950s , Emma Gatewood interpret aNational Geographicarticle about the Appalachian Trail , which remark that no woman had ever completed the intact 2050 - mile hike . The mother of 11 , and grandmother of 23 , told her daughter Rowena , “ If those valet can do it , I can do it . ” And in 1955 , at 67 year quondam , she did .
Gatewood , who left an abusive husband after 30 old age of marriage and lift her last three youngster alone , was nothing if not tough . Known as “ Grandma Gatewood , ” she hiked the integral trail by herself , without a sleeping pocketbook , tent or reach . According toThe Washington Post , Gatewood wore out six pairs of sneakers over the course of her 146 - daylight manner of walking , and hold little more than a blanket and shower curtain to protect her from the elements .
After completing the hike , she toldSports Illustrated :
But Gatewood did n’t just hike the trail once — she returned again in 1957 , becoming the first person of either grammatical gender to take the air the intact trail doubly . Then , in 1964 , walking the trail in sections , she became the first somebody to finish it three times . It seemed that Gatewood had caught the tramp microbe , and for the next few years , she drop most of her time outdoors , cumulatively walking yard of naut mi .
According toThe Washington Post , the publicity she bestow had a major impact on the future of the Appalachian Trail : “ medium coverage of her hike led to repairs and regaining of the track and may , indeed , have saved the trail from fall down into laying waste . It also inspired a novel crop of hiker . ”
To watch more about Grandma Gatewood , ascertain outBen Montgomery ’s bookGrandma Gatewood ’s Walk : The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail , or await out for a screening of the of late make out documentaryTrail Magic , which feature interviews with Gatewood ’s daughter and large - granddaughter ( for a list of forthcoming screenings tick off out theirFacebook page ) .
[ h / tThe Washington Post ]
