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Grandma Gatewood's Walk
The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
By (author)
Ben Montgomery
Genres:
Biography: general, History of the Americas, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Biography: historical, political & military, Walking, hiking, trekking
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Synopsis
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. New & Used
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What Reviewers Are Saying
"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 "A quiet delight of a book." -- Kirkus Reviews "With rich reporting and often poetic prose, Ben Montgomery takes readers on an intimate, backwoods adventure with a resolute old lady. Along the way, he explores the history of hikers and highways, the solace of nature and solitude--and the urge to escape." --Lane DeGregory, journalist, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing " Grandma Gatewood's Walk is a brilliant look at an America-both good and bad-that has slipped away seen through the eyes and feet of one of America's most unlikely heroines. Gatewood's story suggests anything possible; no matter your age, gender, or quality of your walking shoes." --Stephen Rodrick, author of The Magical Stranger "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 "Inspiring story." -- Booklist "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 "Just as Emma Gatewood helped save the Appalachian Trail from years of neglect and preserve it for generations of hikers, Ben Montgomery has kept her unbelievable story alive for anyone who loves the outdoors, underdogs, heroic women, and amazing tales. I wish I'd read it while standing on top of a mountain, but I almost felt as if I was." --Thomas Mullen, author of The Last Town on Earth "The whole saga of Grandma Gatewood, from her years in an abusive marriage to her triumph as a hiking superstar, is a great story, beautifully told." --Tampa Bay Times " 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 "In a perfect world, Grandma Gatewood's Walk will hit the shelves with high praise and great acclaim. Readers deserve to have gems like this presented with fanfare." -- Paste Magazine "Details on Emma's hike, health, and reflections on the times make this book a compelling, fast read." -- National Parks Traveler "In Grandma Gatewood's Walk , a storyteller's storyteller digs deep into the long-forgotten tale of an inspiring journey, bringing forth a transcendent story of dignity, independence, and the dynamic human spirit." --Michael Brick, author of Saving the School "With rich reporting and often poetic prose, Ben Montgomery takes readers on an intimate, backwoods adventure with a resolute old lady. Along the way, he explores the history of hikers and highways, the solace of nature and solitude--and the urge to escape." --Lane DeGregory, journalist, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing