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Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Hardcover – April 1, 2014

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,774 ratings

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Winner of the 2014 National Outdoor Book Awards for History/Biography

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. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. There she sang the first verse of “America, the Beautiful” and proclaimed, “I said I’ll do it, and I’ve done it.”

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. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity and appeared on TV and in the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction.

Author Ben Montgomery was given unprecedented access to Gatewood’s own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence, and interviewed surviving family members and those she met along her hike, all to answer the question so many asked: Why did she do it? The story of Grandma Gatewood will inspire readers of all ages by illustrating the full power of human spirit and determination. Even those who know of Gatewood don’t know the full story—a story of triumph from pain, rebellion from brutality, hope from suffering.

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Editorial Reviews

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In 1955, at 67, Gatewood left her small Ohio town and her 11 children and 23 grandchildren and set off to trek the Appalachian Trail. She’d long been fascinated by the 2,050-mile trail and was particularly lured by the fact that no woman had ever hiked it alone. Knowing her family wouldn’t approve, she didn’t tell them when she set out with a little 17-pound sack of supplies and no tent or sleeping bag. Journalist Montgomery draws on interviews with Gatewood’s surviving family members and hikers she met on her five-month journey as well as news accounts and Gatewood’s diaries to offer a portrait of a determined woman, whose trek inspired other hikers and brought attention to the neglect of the Appalachian Trail. She became a hiking celebrity, appearing on television with Groucho Marx and Art Linkletter. Montgomery intertwines details of Gatewood’s hike with recollections from her early life and difficult marriage. Maps of the trail and photos from Gatewood’s early life enhance this inspiring story. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"Ben Montgomery adds his name to those famous Americans--from Henry David Thoreau to Rosa Parks to Fats Domino to Forrest Gump--who have celebrated the revolutionary power of walking." --Roy Peter Clark, author of The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Mystery and Magic of Practical English

"Grandma Gatewood's Walk is sure to fuel not only the dreams of would-be hikers, but debates on the limits of endurance, the power of determination, and the nature of myth." --Earl Swift, author of The Big Roads

"Go, Granny, Go! . . . This astonishing tale will send you looking for your hiking boots. A wonderful story, wonderfully told." -- Charles McNair, Books editor for Paste Magazine and author of Pickett's Charge

"Montgomery's compelling tale secures Grandma Gatewood's place in the American pantheon as a cousin of John Henry and Johnny Appleseed." --Andrea Pitzer, author of The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov

"Before Cheryl Strayed, there was Grandma Gatewood. Ben Montgomery lets us walk with her--tattered sneakers, swollen ankles, and not an ounce of self-pity--and with each step experience our conflicted relationship with nature, the meanness and generosity of humanity, and the imperative to keep moving. This book makes me long for my backpacking days, and grateful for writers who keep history and spirit alive." --Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair in Editing, Missouri School of Journalism

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicago Review Press; Later Printing edition (April 1, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1613747187
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613747186
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,774 ratings

About the author

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Ben Montgomery
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Ben Montgomery is author of the New York Times-bestselling 'Grandma Gatewood's Walk,' winner of a 2014 Outdoor Book Award, 'The Leper Spy,' 'The Man Who Walked Backward,' and 'A Shot in the Moonlight," coming January 2021. He spent most of his 20 year newspaper career as an enterprise reporter for the Tampa Bay Times. He founded the narrative journalism website Gangrey.com and helped launch the Auburn Chautauqua, a Southern writers collective.

In 2010, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting and won the Dart Award and Casey Medal for a series called "For Their Own Good," about abuse at Florida's oldest reform school.

Montgomery grew up in Oklahoma and studied journalism at Arkansas Tech University, where he played defensive back for the football team, the Wonder Boys. He worked for the Courier in Russellville, Ark., the Standard-Times in San Angelo, Texas, the Times Herald-Record in New York's Hudson River Valley and the Tampa Tribune before joining the Times in 2006. He lives in Tampa.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
9,774 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book inspiring and interesting. They describe it as a great read that keeps them interested throughout. Readers praise the author's writing quality as skillful and detailed. The story shows strength, determination, and perseverance as the woman survives hardships with dignity. Many appreciate the incorporation of Appalachian Trail hiking history into the narrative.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

1,037 customers mention "Inspirational story"1,037 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring and interesting. They appreciate the author's way of weaving historical events into the storyline. Readers praise the well-written narrative and mention that it recounts the remarkable true life story of Emma Gatewood, a mother of 11 children who decided to walk the Appalachian Trail from her home in North Carolina.

"This book tells the story of a mother of 11 children who decided to walk the Appalachian trail from Georgia to Maine at the age of 62...." Read more

"Read it straight through like Emma! Well researched, written and well-loved! I love who Emma is; she is now my friend!" Read more

"...I also enjoyed Grandma Gatewood. It's inspirational how as an older lady - she decided to hike the Appalachian trail. I would recommend this book." Read more

"...It is this type of narrative brilliance that allows Ben Montgomery to tether Emma Gatewood’s personal life to the trail narrative...." Read more

858 customers mention "Readability"822 positive36 negative

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They appreciate the author's research and consider it a worthwhile investment of time.

"...Well researched, written and well-loved! I love who Emma is; she is now my friend!" Read more

"...I liked how honest the portrayal was as it made for a much better read. I also enjoyed Grandma Gatewood...." Read more

"So good. A wonderful story about the impact of one woman and a whole lot of nature. I can't wait to go for a hike." Read more

"May be a good book, but it is unreadable due to the pages falling out...." Read more

346 customers mention "Story quality"346 positive0 negative

Customers find the story engaging and inspiring. It provides a clear view of an incredible, strong-willed, and plucky woman. Readers appreciate the author's insights into her personal life and creativity.

"...There are many ups and downs and it also reflects on her personal life." Read more

"...I liked how honest the portrayal was as it made for a much better read. I also enjoyed Grandma Gatewood...." Read more

"...I was amazed at her creativity and her ability to approach total strangers to ask for a place to stay...." Read more

"What an amazing woman who survived at battered marriage and so many hardships. Glad for her accomplishments at her age. One tough cookie" Read more

264 customers mention "Writing quality"228 positive36 negative

Customers find the book well-written and readable. They appreciate the author's skillful storytelling and vivid descriptions of the places they visit. The book is a quick read, so slow down to savor the details and insights into physical and emotional abuse at home.

"Read it straight through like Emma! Well researched, written and well-loved! I love who Emma is; she is now my friend!" Read more

"In Ben Montgomery’s eye-opening profile, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, readers..." Read more

"...really fast. You may cry when you read this book, it is so well written and such a genuine situation. While reading present articles..." Read more

"Well written. History intwined into this true story of Emma Gatewood. Her persona comes alive through Ben Montgomery’s writing...." Read more

156 customers mention "Strength"156 positive0 negative

Customers find the story inspiring. They appreciate the author's strength, determination, and perseverance. They say she withstands suffering with dignity, and goes hiking in her 60s. The book shows her humble persistence and willingness to be vulnerable. Customers also mention her integrity throughout her life and true grit.

"...the trail and yet she overcame each obstacle with determination and fortitude, sometimes relying solely on her own strength, sometimes with the help..." Read more

"What an amazing woman who survived at battered marriage and so many hardships. Glad for her accomplishments at her age. One tough cookie" Read more

"...Including the narratives of how she endured and survived domestic violence may inspire others to leave their situations...." Read more

"This woman was intentionally strong because she didn't see any choice. And then walked an amazing journey beginn8ng at age 67...." Read more

76 customers mention "Appalachian trail"73 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's focus on the Appalachian Trail. They find it a great read that mixes biography, trail lore, and social reporting. The author is described as an amazing hiker who walked thousands of miles on many different trails.

"...of Grandma Gatewood should be on every woman's must read list, every hikers list, every wanderers list, every survivor of an abusers list, pretty..." Read more

"...Emma Gatewood, who, at the age of sixty-seven, walked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine in 1955...." Read more

"This story has interesting to learn about the Appalachian Trail but has little to understand Grandma Gatewood--her motivations, feelings, and..." Read more

"Inspiring to say the least. How did she do it? Enjoyed learning about the Appalachian Trail especially seeing the maps. Awesome book." Read more

47 customers mention "Nature value"47 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's nature value. They appreciate the author's reverence for and respect for nature. The book encourages readers to get out and enjoy nature, no matter their age. It is an inspirational read for anyone who loves the outdoors or is worried about getting older.

"...and organization of the chapter “Rhododendron and Rattlesnakes” juxtapose elegant, delicate beauty with life-threatening danger:..." Read more

"So good. A wonderful story about the impact of one woman and a whole lot of nature. I can't wait to go for a hike." Read more

"...and, like so many others, I gather strength, insight and serenity from nature...." Read more

"Ben Montgomery has woven two tales together in masterful style as he relates the bittersweet saga of Grandma Gatewood...." Read more

54 customers mention "Pacing"31 positive23 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced and packed with adventure, while others feel the final chapters drag on and the narrative jumps around in time, making it difficult to keep up with the story.

"...Very well written, moves along as fast as she hikes! Great book and greater woman." Read more

"...which doesn't apply to the story, made the book somewhat dull and slow moving." Read more

"Very different reading and fairly slow. Great perspective for hikers to read." Read more

"...It also seemed to jump around a bit, and it would sometimes take me a page or two to figure out we were not on the trail anymore, or it was someone..." Read more

Walking Through it All
5 out of 5 stars
Walking Through it All
In Ben Montgomery’s eye-opening profile, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, readers encounter the real life folk heroin Emma Gatewood.  On the trail, her story is legend; and it takes on such proportions for a plethora of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with hiking.  She gave birth to eleven children and somehow managed to find the time and energy to help her husband run a farm—several, in fact.  She found time to read the classics.  She wrote poetry and kept a detailed journal.  She hiked.  She spent lots of time in the woods.  She knew all the local flora and fauna, what was edible, what was medicine, and what to avoid.  She endured the tragedy of a violently abusive marriage to one P.C. Gatewood, a “relationship” in which he consistently physically assaulted and raped her; on at least one occasion he broke one of her ribs.  She was a fighter, a survivor, and a trailblazer in every sense of those words.  And yes, she was the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail: not once, not twice, but three times—also a first.  Emma Gatewood, perhaps because of that adversity, those tragedies and hardships, would turn her story into one of a triumph of the human spirit by doing nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other: more than five million times over the course of nearly five months.On 3 May, 1955, Emma Gatewood, sixty seven year old mother of eleven, stood on Mt. Oglethorpe in Georgia, which was at that time the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and prepared to take her first steps toward Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park in the state of Maine more than 2,000 miles away.  She would do this in a single push; she would thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  The average hiker who completes this feat takes from five to seven months.  Over this time, hikers brave the elements, cuts, scrapes, bruises, wild animals, danger to life and limb through falling or injury, hunger, disease, and any number of other dangers.  Thus, thru-hikers are also generally well prepared, even if they carry as little as possible to cut back on weight over very long hikes.  From a tent, rain gear, bug spray and sunscreen, food, water filters and cooking materials, extra-socks and clothing to perhaps even a second pair of shoes or boots, most hikers will carry everything they need in an ultra-light, well designed pack that, on average, weighs somewhere between thirty and fifty pounds.  (The recommendation is that a pack shouldn’t weigh more than 20% of a hiker’s body weight.)  On that day in 1955, Emma Gatewood had with her a shower curtain for a shelter, a tasteful dress in case she needed to look nice, some mints, and other various and sundry items in a pack she had sewn out of denim.  She carried this pack, weighing twelve pounds, slung over her shoulder.  It’s at this point in Ben Montgomery’s profile that readers come to understand that they have never done anything this hardcore in their life. At 268 pages, Montgomery’s volume is by no means slim; it is, however, a page turner.  A lot also has to do with the narrative structure Montgomery deploys.  Rather than working from birth to death and detailing the events of a life chronologically, Montgomery breaks the text up into parallel thematic elements.  Over the course of the essay he pairs the trail narrative with that of Gatewood’s personal life, or the background of social and political history.  Some reviewers have criticized this narrative structure, suggesting that some of the historical, social and political commentary distracts from Gatewood’s story.  However, such criticism fails to fully grasp Montgomery’s purpose.  By organizing the text in this manner, Montgomery achieves the feat of helping (careful) readers to understand just how rebellious, how revolutionary, Emma Gatewood’s walk really was.  In this light, hiking becomes not an activity of leisure in which one seeks health and wellness —though in some sense it is that—it instead becomes an act of defiance.  Additionally, it shows that Emma’s life, very nearly from beginning to end, was simultaneously full of both beauty and danger.Both the title and organization of the chapter “Rhododendron and Rattlesnakes” juxtapose elegant, delicate beauty with life-threatening danger:South of town, in a cabin on Sugar Creek, Emma Gatewood learned she was pregnant with her first child not long before her new husband struck her for the first time.  He smacked her with an open hand, and the sharp sting of his palm on her cheek stunned her, frightened her. (33-34)In our imaginations we are with Emma Gatewood on “Sugar Creek”, a meandering stream, perhaps hard by some lazy acreage as she caresses her swelling belly, as she thinks about the future, as she hopes, as she dreams the dreams of a life yet lived.  Then we feel the “sting” of a hand on her face as we too are “stunned” by a “strike” seemingly out of the blue.  Surely, Montgomery’s word choice is no accident; he’s painting P.C. Gatewood as a viper.  Rhododenra thrive in harsh environments, sometimes under severe conditions such as those often found on the AT, or in this case, at home. Furthermore, the use of the singular in "rhododendron" suggests the singularity of Gatewood's person, while rattlesnakes suggests the plurality of her trials. It is this type of narrative brilliance that allows Ben Montgomery to tether Emma Gatewood’s personal life to the trail narrative.  In so doing, he shows how factual events in a life become a metaphor: “She was surrounded by unfamiliar territory, alone in a foreign place, full of curiosity and also dread and fear of the unknown” (33).  Despite the fact that Montgomery, here, is talking about a specific experience of Gatewood’s journey on the trail, it applies to her personal life as well.  And that’s the point.In addition to the supplying details from Emma Gatewood’s personal life, Montgomery provides his readers with a sense of the social and political setting in the 1950s, further highlighting the uniqueness, perhaps even the rebelliousness of her decision and actions.  It was an incredibly conservative era in American history when a woman’s place was in the home.  It was the era of the “Sunday drive”.  It was a time when people were supposed to be moving to the suburbs and enjoying the peace and comfort of the good life from behind a white picket fence.  It was also a politically charged and revolutionary era.  McCarthyism was rampant, the cold war was in full swing, the U.S. had just tested an H-bomb on Bikini atoll, desegregation was at the center of social and political issues, and we must keep in mind that the mid-1950s was the nascence of the counter-cultural movement that would later explode and culminate in Woodstock.  This is the same decade (the 50s) that Kerouac published The Dharma Bums and On the Road.  This is the same decade in which climbers such as Royal Robbins, Steve Roper and Yvon Chouinard would seek an alternative to the conservatism being espoused by society in general. As young men they eschewed the norm and headed to Yosemite, living as “dirtbags”.  They would climb and define a new, alternative ethic for how to live one’s life.  It is during all this that Emma Gatewood chose to walk.  Given the backdrop of conservative America, her act was one of revolution.As to why “Grandma Gatewood” did all this?  That remains a mystery.  She achieved national celebrity during her hike.  Reporters tracked her down, followed and documented her journey on the trail; Sports Illustrated wrote a profile of the grandmother from Ohio.  All along, whatever they sought to know or whatever questions they asked, there was one that they all had in common: “Why are you doing this?”  Gatewood gave a number of responses over the years, but never seemed to provide a full, satisfactory answer.  As Montgomery has it,Emma was coy when people asked why, at her age, she had decided to strike out on the long trail.  As America’s attention turned more toward Emma in her final days on the A.T., as newspaper reporters ramped up their dispatches to update the public on her condition and whereabouts, she offered an assortment of reason about why she was hiking.  The kids were finally out of the house.  She heard that no woman had yet thru-hiked in one direction.  She liked nature.  She thought it would be a lark.I want to see what’s on the other side of the hill, then what’s beyond that. (160)Outside of some brief speculation, entertaining any number of possibilities as to why Emma Gatewood would do this, Montgomery concludes that the best answer to this question came from Emma herself, and not from those attempting to interpret the various answers she provided over the years.  Montgomery believes that the simple reason, in Emma’s own words was, “Because I wanted to” (259).  Outside of the epilogue and acknowledgements, here the book ends.  It is most fitting that Montgomery ends it with Emma’s words, and not his.In my experience a good many members of the outdoors community find their outlet in out of doors activities such as climbing, hiking, kayaking, camping, fishing, etc.  It is also my experience, or at least my perception, that the percentage of people in this community who are victims of trauma, battle mental illness, or experience moderate to severe anxiety or stress exceeds that of the national average.  (I may have to write an essay on this.)  Emma Gatewood seems to be no exception.  Given her experience it may be easy for audiences to think that she was running from something, or perhaps running toward something.  Perhaps that’s true.  And while Montgomery is satisfied with Emma Gatewood’s “Because I wanted to”, he also admits that her numerous answers seem “as though she wanted people to seek out their own conclusions” (160).  I like to think that she was walking through it.  No one can run that long or that far.  Whatever we run from will eventually catch us.  We can, however, out-endure it.  Whatever “it” is.  When we walk, we walk with our problems, not away from them; we acknowledge their existence.  In acknowledging their existence we provide ourselves the opportunity for a solution.  Walking provides the focus and perspective necessary to discover the solution.  The road may be long, with many a-winding turn, but only by setting out and putting one foot in front of the other, again, and again, and again, will we get there. 
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2024
    This book tells the story of a mother of 11 children who decided to walk the Appalachian trail from Georgia to Maine at the age of 62. It is very interesting. There are many ups and downs and it also reflects on her personal life.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2025
    Read it straight through like Emma!

    Well researched, written and well-loved! I love who Emma is; she is now my friend!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2025
    This was a book selected for my book club that was recommended by an independent bookstore and it was a great read. I liked how honest the portrayal was as it made for a much better read. I also enjoyed Grandma Gatewood. It's inspirational how as an older lady - she decided to hike the Appalachian trail. I would recommend this book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2018
    In Ben Montgomery’s eye-opening profile, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, readers encounter the real life folk heroin Emma Gatewood.  On the trail, her story is legend; and it takes on such proportions for a plethora of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with hiking.  She gave birth to eleven children and somehow managed to find the time and energy to help her husband run a farm—several, in fact.  She found time to read the classics.  She wrote poetry and kept a detailed journal.  She hiked.  She spent lots of time in the woods.  She knew all the local flora and fauna, what was edible, what was medicine, and what to avoid.  She endured the tragedy of a violently abusive marriage to one P.C. Gatewood, a “relationship” in which he consistently physically assaulted and raped her; on at least one occasion he broke one of her ribs.  She was a fighter, a survivor, and a trailblazer in every sense of those words.  And yes, she was the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail: not once, not twice, but three times—also a first.  Emma Gatewood, perhaps because of that adversity, those tragedies and hardships, would turn her story into one of a triumph of the human spirit by doing nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other: more than five million times over the course of nearly five months.



    On 3 May, 1955, Emma Gatewood, sixty seven year old mother of eleven, stood on Mt. Oglethorpe in Georgia, which was at that time the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and prepared to take her first steps toward Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park in the state of Maine more than 2,000 miles away.  She would do this in a single push; she would thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  The average hiker who completes this feat takes from five to seven months.  Over this time, hikers brave the elements, cuts, scrapes, bruises, wild animals, danger to life and limb through falling or injury, hunger, disease, and any number of other dangers.  Thus, thru-hikers are also generally well prepared, even if they carry as little as possible to cut back on weight over very long hikes.  From a tent, rain gear, bug spray and sunscreen, food, water filters and cooking materials, extra-socks and clothing to perhaps even a second pair of shoes or boots, most hikers will carry everything they need in an ultra-light, well designed pack that, on average, weighs somewhere between thirty and fifty pounds.  (The recommendation is that a pack shouldn’t weigh more than 20% of a hiker’s body weight.)  On that day in 1955, Emma Gatewood had with her a shower curtain for a shelter, a tasteful dress in case she needed to look nice, some mints, and other various and sundry items in a pack she had sewn out of denim.  She carried this pack, weighing twelve pounds, slung over her shoulder.  It’s at this point in Ben Montgomery’s profile that readers come to understand that they have never done anything this hardcore in their life.



     

    At 268 pages, Montgomery’s volume is by no means slim; it is, however, a page turner.  A lot also has to do with the narrative structure Montgomery deploys.  Rather than working from birth to death and detailing the events of a life chronologically, Montgomery breaks the text up into parallel thematic elements.  Over the course of the essay he pairs the trail narrative with that of Gatewood’s personal life, or the background of social and political history.  Some reviewers have criticized this narrative structure, suggesting that some of the historical, social and political commentary distracts from Gatewood’s story.  However, such criticism fails to fully grasp Montgomery’s purpose.  By organizing the text in this manner, Montgomery achieves the feat of helping (careful) readers to understand just how rebellious, how revolutionary, Emma Gatewood’s walk really was.  In this light, hiking becomes not an activity of leisure in which one seeks health and wellness —though in some sense it is that—it instead becomes an act of defiance.  Additionally, it shows that Emma’s life, very nearly from beginning to end, was simultaneously full of both beauty and danger.

    Both the title and organization of the chapter “Rhododendron and Rattlesnakes” juxtapose elegant, delicate beauty with life-threatening danger:
    South of town, in a cabin on Sugar Creek, Emma Gatewood learned she was pregnant with her first child not long before her new husband struck her for the first time.  He smacked her with an open hand, and the sharp sting of his palm on her cheek stunned her, frightened her. (33-34)

    In our imaginations we are with Emma Gatewood on “Sugar Creek”, a meandering stream, perhaps hard by some lazy acreage as she caresses her swelling belly, as she thinks about the future, as she hopes, as she dreams the dreams of a life yet lived.  Then we feel the “sting” of a hand on her face as we too are “stunned” by a “strike” seemingly out of the blue.  Surely, Montgomery’s word choice is no accident; he’s painting P.C. Gatewood as a viper.  Rhododenra thrive in harsh environments, sometimes under severe conditions such as those often found on the AT, or in this case, at home. Furthermore, the use of the singular in "rhododendron" suggests the singularity of Gatewood's person, while rattlesnakes suggests the plurality of her trials. It is this type of narrative brilliance that allows Ben Montgomery to tether Emma Gatewood’s personal life to the trail narrative.  In so doing, he shows how factual events in a life become a metaphor: “She was surrounded by unfamiliar territory, alone in a foreign place, full of curiosity and also dread and fear of the unknown” (33).  Despite the fact that Montgomery, here, is talking about a specific experience of Gatewood’s journey on the trail, it applies to her personal life as well.  And that’s the point.

    In addition to the supplying details from Emma Gatewood’s personal life, Montgomery provides his readers with a sense of the social and political setting in the 1950s, further highlighting the uniqueness, perhaps even the rebelliousness of her decision and actions.  It was an incredibly conservative era in American history when a woman’s place was in the home.  It was the era of the “Sunday drive”.  It was a time when people were supposed to be moving to the suburbs and enjoying the peace and comfort of the good life from behind a white picket fence.  It was also a politically charged and revolutionary era.  McCarthyism was rampant, the cold war was in full swing, the U.S. had just tested an H-bomb on Bikini atoll, desegregation was at the center of social and political issues, and we must keep in mind that the mid-1950s was the nascence of the counter-cultural movement that would later explode and culminate in Woodstock.  This is the same decade (the 50s) that Kerouac published The Dharma Bums and On the Road.  This is the same decade in which climbers such as Royal Robbins, Steve Roper and Yvon Chouinard would seek an alternative to the conservatism being espoused by society in general. As young men they eschewed the norm and headed to Yosemite, living as “dirtbags”.  They would climb and define a new, alternative ethic for how to live one’s life.  It is during all this that Emma Gatewood chose to walk.  Given the backdrop of conservative America, her act was one of revolution.



    As to why “Grandma Gatewood” did all this?  That remains a mystery.  She achieved national celebrity during her hike.  Reporters tracked her down, followed and documented her journey on the trail; Sports Illustrated wrote a profile of the grandmother from Ohio.  All along, whatever they sought to know or whatever questions they asked, there was one that they all had in common: “Why are you doing this?”  Gatewood gave a number of responses over the years, but never seemed to provide a full, satisfactory answer.  As Montgomery has it,
    Emma was coy when people asked why, at her age, she had decided to strike out on the long trail.  As America’s attention turned more toward Emma in her final days on the A.T., as newspaper reporters ramped up their dispatches to update the public on her condition and whereabouts, she offered an assortment of reason about why she was hiking.  The kids were finally out of the house.  She heard that no woman had yet thru-hiked in one direction.  She liked nature.  She thought it would be a lark.

    I want to see what’s on the other side of the hill, then what’s beyond that. (160)

    Outside of some brief speculation, entertaining any number of possibilities as to why Emma Gatewood would do this, Montgomery concludes that the best answer to this question came from Emma herself, and not from those attempting to interpret the various answers she provided over the years.  Montgomery believes that the simple reason, in Emma’s own words was, “Because I wanted to” (259).  Outside of the epilogue and acknowledgements, here the book ends.  It is most fitting that Montgomery ends it with Emma’s words, and not his.

    In my experience a good many members of the outdoors community find their outlet in out of doors activities such as climbing, hiking, kayaking, camping, fishing, etc.  It is also my experience, or at least my perception, that the percentage of people in this community who are victims of trauma, battle mental illness, or experience moderate to severe anxiety or stress exceeds that of the national average.  (I may have to write an essay on this.)  Emma Gatewood seems to be no exception.  Given her experience it may be easy for audiences to think that she was running from something, or perhaps running toward something.  Perhaps that’s true.  And while Montgomery is satisfied with Emma Gatewood’s “Because I wanted to”, he also admits that her numerous answers seem “as though she wanted people to seek out their own conclusions” (160).  I like to think that she was walking through it.  No one can run that long or that far.  Whatever we run from will eventually catch us.  We can, however, out-endure it.  Whatever “it” is.  When we walk, we walk with our problems, not away from them; we acknowledge their existence.  In acknowledging their existence we provide ourselves the opportunity for a solution.  Walking provides the focus and perspective necessary to discover the solution.  The road may be long, with many a-winding turn, but only by setting out and putting one foot in front of the other, again, and again, and again, will we get there.

     
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    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Walking Through it All

    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2018
    In Ben Montgomery’s eye-opening profile, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, readers encounter the real life folk heroin Emma Gatewood.  On the trail, her story is legend; and it takes on such proportions for a plethora of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with hiking.  She gave birth to eleven children and somehow managed to find the time and energy to help her husband run a farm—several, in fact.  She found time to read the classics.  She wrote poetry and kept a detailed journal.  She hiked.  She spent lots of time in the woods.  She knew all the local flora and fauna, what was edible, what was medicine, and what to avoid.  She endured the tragedy of a violently abusive marriage to one P.C. Gatewood, a “relationship” in which he consistently physically assaulted and raped her; on at least one occasion he broke one of her ribs.  She was a fighter, a survivor, and a trailblazer in every sense of those words.  And yes, she was the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail: not once, not twice, but three times—also a first.  Emma Gatewood, perhaps because of that adversity, those tragedies and hardships, would turn her story into one of a triumph of the human spirit by doing nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other: more than five million times over the course of nearly five months.



    On 3 May, 1955, Emma Gatewood, sixty seven year old mother of eleven, stood on Mt. Oglethorpe in Georgia, which was at that time the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and prepared to take her first steps toward Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park in the state of Maine more than 2,000 miles away.  She would do this in a single push; she would thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  The average hiker who completes this feat takes from five to seven months.  Over this time, hikers brave the elements, cuts, scrapes, bruises, wild animals, danger to life and limb through falling or injury, hunger, disease, and any number of other dangers.  Thus, thru-hikers are also generally well prepared, even if they carry as little as possible to cut back on weight over very long hikes.  From a tent, rain gear, bug spray and sunscreen, food, water filters and cooking materials, extra-socks and clothing to perhaps even a second pair of shoes or boots, most hikers will carry everything they need in an ultra-light, well designed pack that, on average, weighs somewhere between thirty and fifty pounds.  (The recommendation is that a pack shouldn’t weigh more than 20% of a hiker’s body weight.)  On that day in 1955, Emma Gatewood had with her a shower curtain for a shelter, a tasteful dress in case she needed to look nice, some mints, and other various and sundry items in a pack she had sewn out of denim.  She carried this pack, weighing twelve pounds, slung over her shoulder.  It’s at this point in Ben Montgomery’s profile that readers come to understand that they have never done anything this hardcore in their life.



     

    At 268 pages, Montgomery’s volume is by no means slim; it is, however, a page turner.  A lot also has to do with the narrative structure Montgomery deploys.  Rather than working from birth to death and detailing the events of a life chronologically, Montgomery breaks the text up into parallel thematic elements.  Over the course of the essay he pairs the trail narrative with that of Gatewood’s personal life, or the background of social and political history.  Some reviewers have criticized this narrative structure, suggesting that some of the historical, social and political commentary distracts from Gatewood’s story.  However, such criticism fails to fully grasp Montgomery’s purpose.  By organizing the text in this manner, Montgomery achieves the feat of helping (careful) readers to understand just how rebellious, how revolutionary, Emma Gatewood’s walk really was.  In this light, hiking becomes not an activity of leisure in which one seeks health and wellness —though in some sense it is that—it instead becomes an act of defiance.  Additionally, it shows that Emma’s life, very nearly from beginning to end, was simultaneously full of both beauty and danger.

    Both the title and organization of the chapter “Rhododendron and Rattlesnakes” juxtapose elegant, delicate beauty with life-threatening danger:
    South of town, in a cabin on Sugar Creek, Emma Gatewood learned she was pregnant with her first child not long before her new husband struck her for the first time.  He smacked her with an open hand, and the sharp sting of his palm on her cheek stunned her, frightened her. (33-34)

    In our imaginations we are with Emma Gatewood on “Sugar Creek”, a meandering stream, perhaps hard by some lazy acreage as she caresses her swelling belly, as she thinks about the future, as she hopes, as she dreams the dreams of a life yet lived.  Then we feel the “sting” of a hand on her face as we too are “stunned” by a “strike” seemingly out of the blue.  Surely, Montgomery’s word choice is no accident; he’s painting P.C. Gatewood as a viper.  Rhododenra thrive in harsh environments, sometimes under severe conditions such as those often found on the AT, or in this case, at home. Furthermore, the use of the singular in "rhododendron" suggests the singularity of Gatewood's person, while rattlesnakes suggests the plurality of her trials. It is this type of narrative brilliance that allows Ben Montgomery to tether Emma Gatewood’s personal life to the trail narrative.  In so doing, he shows how factual events in a life become a metaphor: “She was surrounded by unfamiliar territory, alone in a foreign place, full of curiosity and also dread and fear of the unknown” (33).  Despite the fact that Montgomery, here, is talking about a specific experience of Gatewood’s journey on the trail, it applies to her personal life as well.  And that’s the point.

    In addition to the supplying details from Emma Gatewood’s personal life, Montgomery provides his readers with a sense of the social and political setting in the 1950s, further highlighting the uniqueness, perhaps even the rebelliousness of her decision and actions.  It was an incredibly conservative era in American history when a woman’s place was in the home.  It was the era of the “Sunday drive”.  It was a time when people were supposed to be moving to the suburbs and enjoying the peace and comfort of the good life from behind a white picket fence.  It was also a politically charged and revolutionary era.  McCarthyism was rampant, the cold war was in full swing, the U.S. had just tested an H-bomb on Bikini atoll, desegregation was at the center of social and political issues, and we must keep in mind that the mid-1950s was the nascence of the counter-cultural movement that would later explode and culminate in Woodstock.  This is the same decade (the 50s) that Kerouac published The Dharma Bums and On the Road.  This is the same decade in which climbers such as Royal Robbins, Steve Roper and Yvon Chouinard would seek an alternative to the conservatism being espoused by society in general. As young men they eschewed the norm and headed to Yosemite, living as “dirtbags”.  They would climb and define a new, alternative ethic for how to live one’s life.  It is during all this that Emma Gatewood chose to walk.  Given the backdrop of conservative America, her act was one of revolution.



    As to why “Grandma Gatewood” did all this?  That remains a mystery.  She achieved national celebrity during her hike.  Reporters tracked her down, followed and documented her journey on the trail; Sports Illustrated wrote a profile of the grandmother from Ohio.  All along, whatever they sought to know or whatever questions they asked, there was one that they all had in common: “Why are you doing this?”  Gatewood gave a number of responses over the years, but never seemed to provide a full, satisfactory answer.  As Montgomery has it,
    Emma was coy when people asked why, at her age, she had decided to strike out on the long trail.  As America’s attention turned more toward Emma in her final days on the A.T., as newspaper reporters ramped up their dispatches to update the public on her condition and whereabouts, she offered an assortment of reason about why she was hiking.  The kids were finally out of the house.  She heard that no woman had yet thru-hiked in one direction.  She liked nature.  She thought it would be a lark.

    I want to see what’s on the other side of the hill, then what’s beyond that. (160)

    Outside of some brief speculation, entertaining any number of possibilities as to why Emma Gatewood would do this, Montgomery concludes that the best answer to this question came from Emma herself, and not from those attempting to interpret the various answers she provided over the years.  Montgomery believes that the simple reason, in Emma’s own words was, “Because I wanted to” (259).  Outside of the epilogue and acknowledgements, here the book ends.  It is most fitting that Montgomery ends it with Emma’s words, and not his.

    In my experience a good many members of the outdoors community find their outlet in out of doors activities such as climbing, hiking, kayaking, camping, fishing, etc.  It is also my experience, or at least my perception, that the percentage of people in this community who are victims of trauma, battle mental illness, or experience moderate to severe anxiety or stress exceeds that of the national average.  (I may have to write an essay on this.)  Emma Gatewood seems to be no exception.  Given her experience it may be easy for audiences to think that she was running from something, or perhaps running toward something.  Perhaps that’s true.  And while Montgomery is satisfied with Emma Gatewood’s “Because I wanted to”, he also admits that her numerous answers seem “as though she wanted people to seek out their own conclusions” (160).  I like to think that she was walking through it.  No one can run that long or that far.  Whatever we run from will eventually catch us.  We can, however, out-endure it.  Whatever “it” is.  When we walk, we walk with our problems, not away from them; we acknowledge their existence.  In acknowledging their existence we provide ourselves the opportunity for a solution.  Walking provides the focus and perspective necessary to discover the solution.  The road may be long, with many a-winding turn, but only by setting out and putting one foot in front of the other, again, and again, and again, will we get there.

     
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2025
    So good. A wonderful story about the impact of one woman and a whole lot of nature. I can't wait to go for a hike.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2025
    Had a copy and lost it so I bought another copy. Great if you like adventure, history, and the outdoors.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2025
    May be a good book, but it is unreadable due to the pages falling out. Unfortunately, I did not get it returned by the final return date, so we are stuck with it. :(
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    3.0 out of 5 stars
    pages falling out

    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2025
    May be a good book, but it is unreadable due to the pages falling out. Unfortunately, I did not get it returned by the final return date, so we are stuck with it. :(
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2019
    This was an inspiring book about Emma Gatewood, the first woman to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. You can get a sense of what kind of person she was and the strength she possessed to not only hike the trail, but to live the life she did. Some who read the book have complained that there wasn't enough about the hike or trail itself. I have read another book about hiking the Appalachian Trail - "Ten Million Steps" by M. J. Eberhart. And, there wasn't a lot in his book about the actual trail either. But, then, what can you actually say about the trail itself to make an entire book interesting? And, when you think about it, isn't hiking the trail a different story for each person based on their own reasons for hiking it and enduring the necessary hardships to finish it. To me, it seemed that M. J. Eberhart's book was not only about the challenges he met and overcame on the trail but about his relationships with other like-minded people on the trail, his wish to find the good in people, and his relationship to his religion. Emma Gatewood was asked repeatedly why she was hiking the trail and gave various, similar answers along the lines of "it was there, so I did it." But, it seems to me, or maybe it was just the way the author presented it, that her story on and off the trail was about believing in herself, overcoming adversity, and not being controlled by her circumstances. She was not very prepared to hike the trail and yet she overcame each obstacle with determination and fortitude, sometimes relying solely on her own strength, sometimes with the help of others. I was amazed at her creativity and her ability to approach total strangers to ask for a place to stay. About the author's writing: I was disappointed that he brought himself and his wife into the book near the end. It was a little jarring and seemed gratuitous. But, overall, I liked the book and thought he did a good job. I got the impression that Emma Gatewood's speech was sparse, concise and factual and I doubt her diary had lengthy passages upon which he could base the story. I thought he did a good job of bringing in her past history and the history of times she lived in to make the book more relevant and interesting.
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  • Sherri Davis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Read, especially for “Mature” Walkers and Hikers
    Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2024
    If you are a walker or a hiker, and particularly if you are a woman of a certain age, you will love this book. It is the story of Ohio woman Emma Gatewood hiking the 2000 plus mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 1955 at the age of 67. She became the first woman ever to do so. It is well researched and well written. She was stunningly ill prepared (no tent, proper knapsack or even a sleeping bag) and inexperienced but fired by grit, guts and incredible inner strength. Quite a story. And she did it twice more after her first successful sojourn.
  • Teresa Termini
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring
    Reviewed in Italy on November 18, 2023
    Storia che stimola e fa riflettere, lettura consigliata
  • Angela C Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feisty, inspirational, adventurous & brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2019
    One of the best reads in a while. Could not put the book down. Truly inspirational and such an amazing lady. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Cliente Amazon
    3.0 out of 5 stars Old lady goes for a walk
    Reviewed in Spain on May 28, 2017
    I have a major cavil with this book entertaining though it was: I would really have liked to heard the story more from the protagonist and not in the novelized version.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great adventure
    Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2024
    reading on my kindle and enjoying her adventurous spirit.