Grandma Gatewood
| Emma Rowena "Grandma" Gatewood |
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|---|---|
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| Born |
October 25, 1887 Mercerville, Guyan Township, Gallia County, Ohio |
| Died | June 4, 1973 (aged 85) Gallipolis, Ohio |
| Cause of death | Apparent heart attack |
| Resting place | Ohio Valley Memory Gardens |
| Years active | 1955 to 1973 (hiking) |
| Known for | Hiking the Appalachian Trail and elsewhere |
| Spouse(s) | Perry Clayton Gatewood [m. 5 May 1907, divorced Sept. 1940] |
| Parent(s) | Hugh Wilson & Esther Evelyn (Trowbridge) Caldwell |
| Notes | |
Emma Rowena Gatewood, better known as Grandma Gatewood (October 25, 1887–June 4, 1973), was an extreme hiker and ultra-light hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the 2,168-mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine solo, and in one season.
Gatewood was born to a farm family of 15 children in Guyan Township, Gallia County, Ohio. At the age of 19 she married 27 year-old P. C. Gatewood, a college educated primary school teacher, and later tobacco farmer, with whom she had 11 children. She had 24 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild living at the time of her death at 85.
Gatewood's husband physically beat her on a regular basis starting from the first weeks of their marriage. She recalled being beaten nearly to death on several occasions. She suffered broken ribs, broken teeth, and other injuries during the abusive marriage. When her husband became violent, she would, on occasion, run from the house into the woods where she found peace and solitude. She eventually successfully divorced P. C. Gatewood in 1940; at a time when divorce was more difficult, and after her husband had repeatedly threatened to have her committed to an insane asylum as a means of maintaining control over her.
In 1955, at the age of 67, Gatewood told her children (who were by then adults) that she was going for a walk. They did not ask where or for how long, as they knew she was resilient and would take care of herself. About 5 years earlier, Gatewood read an article in National Geographic about the AT and thought "it would be a nice lark," though in retrospect considering the difficulty she added "It wasn't." The magazine gave her the impression of easy walks and clean cabins at the end of each day's walk. Thus she took little in the way of outdoor gear. She wore Keds sneakers and carried an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade denim bag slung over one shoulder. She would later say "For some fool reason, they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find."
Local newspapers picked up on her story in the southern states, then the Associated Press did a national profile of her while in Maryland, leading to an article in Sports Illustrated when she had reached Connecticut. After the hike she was invited on the Today Show. These appearances made her a celebrity even before the hike was over and she was often recognized and received "trail magic" (assistance from strangers) in the form of friends, food and places to sleep.
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Wikipedia