Book Review: Grandma Gatewood's Walk

 

Photo Credit: Chicago Review Press

A 2014 book by Ben Montgomery, Grandma Gatewood's Walk starts in 1955 when Emma "Grandma" Gatewood went from Ohio to Jasper, Georgia via train, plane, and bus with basically the supplies one would take on a day hike. Or even less than what many people would take on a day hike. At the time, she was a mother of 11, grandmother of 23, and 67 years old. 

Grandma Gatewood then proceeded to walk the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, becoming the first woman and one of the first people overall to hike the entire trail as a through hike. She had a different kind of approach and different kind of experience than the modern through hikes I have read about. And definitely only read about. While I find the stories inspiring, does not invoke a sense of "let me try that!" I enjoy observing others' adventures from afar, in the Adventurish spirit.

 

Born in the late 1800s in Ohio, Gatewood's story shows not only her personal journey, but the shift in America across these decades as the automobile goes from non-existent to ubiquitous.  She starts to see the shift where people somewhat still understood why a person would be walking, but many didn't understand why she wouldn't just drive. She depended a lot of the kindness of strangers, often staying in homes along the way and sharing meals. Met kindness more often than not, but did have some rough times too. Rough times having been something she frequently encountered during her life, which is detailed in the book. 

Photo Credit: Author

As the book progresses, she starts to receive media attention, with reporters seeking her out on the trail for interviews. This adds a surreal element, where she is walking through wilderness alone, but reporters and photographers start appearing randomly. And she leans into this, becoming good at the interviews. At one point she says "I get faster as I get older".

One odd twist was when she revealed a heroin addiction led her to the trail, and shared about a threeway behind a dumpster. Whoops - never mind, that was the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Getting mixed up here.  

Back to Grandma Gatewood, in her later years she became an advocate for conservation, hiking trails, and an all-around inspiration to others. She helped advocate for new trails and systems, and even started making some of her own trails when she felt the system moved too slowly.  

 Overall, this book is a positive outlook on human nature. That there is so much kindness and support out there if one just opens themselves up to it.