78: Grandma Gatewood Takes One Hell of a Walk (Part 1)

When Emma Gatewood set off on the Appalachian Trail, she didn’t look like much of a hiker. She was 67 years old. She wore a pair of Keds. She had no training. But she figured that wouldn’t matter. An article in National Geographic magazine claimed that anyone in “normal good health” could hike the 2,169-mile trail. The article was misleading, but Emma persevered. In 1955, “Grandma Gatewood” became the first woman to complete a solo hike of the Appalachian Trail.

In this episode, we learn what Emma overcame, including domestic violence and sexual abuse, before she set foot on the trail.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from:

Brown, Andrew. “Skyline Trail from Maine to Georgia.” National Geographic, August 1949.
Huston, Peter, dir. Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story. 2015. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/237744.
Montgomery, Ben. Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago Review Press, 2016.
New York Times. “Overlooked No More: Emma Gatewood, First Woman to Conquer the Appalachian Trail Alone.” October 7, 2021. https://archive.is/kp2au.

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