A production of 
Grandma Gatewood's Walk
December 19, 2014
Photo: Stratness Wikimedia Commons
Emma Gatewood had 11 children and 23 grandchildren when she became the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail, at age 67. She became a folk hero and helped save the Trail. Ben Montgomery brings us her story.
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Comments
Good Feature; One Error
Greetings: I enjoyed this feature. Grandma Gatewood was a true legend of the Appalachian Trail, and she is a member of our Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame. However, despite popular opinion to the contrary, GG was NOT the first woman to thru-hike the A.T. The first woman thru-hiker was Peace Pilgrim, who hiked it in 1952, three years before GG. GG was the first woman to thru-hike by herself. FYI, Peace Pilgrim's story is an equally compelling one. Here is a link to an NPR story on PP, which ran several years ago: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168346591/peace-pilgrims-28-year-walk-for-...
Best Wishes,
Jim Foster
Chair A.T. Hall of Fame Selection Committee
www.atmuseum.org
atmbanquet@gmail.com