East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Grandma Gatewood's walk, the inspiring story of the woman who saved the Appalachian Trail, Ben Montgomery

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

individual biography

index present

non fiction

Grandma Gatewood's walk

dictionariesbibliography

872115522

Ben Montgomery

the inspiring story of the woman who saved the Appalachian Trail

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. 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 appeared on TV with Groucho Marx and Art Linkletter, and on 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. He also unearthed historic newspaper and magazine articles and interviewed surviving family members and hikers Gatewood met along the trail. The inspiring story of Emma Gatewood illustrates the full power of human spirit and determination

Front Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Epigraph; Contents; 1 Pick Up Your Feet; 2 Go Home, Grandma; 3 Rhododendron and Rattlesnakes; 4 Wild Dogs; 5 How'd You Get in Here?; 6 Our Fight; 7 Lady Tramp; 8 Attention; 9 Good Hard Life; 10 Storm; 11 Shelter; 12 I'll Get There; 13 Destruction; 14 So Much Behind; 15 All by Myself; 16 Return to Rainbow Lake; 17 Aloneness More Complete than Ever; 18 Again; 19 Pioneer Woman; 20 Blazing; 21 Monuments; Epilogue; Acknowledgments; Bibliography; Index; About the Author; Back Cover