
Grandma Gatewood's Walk
The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
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Narrated by:
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Patrick Lawlor
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By:
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Ben Montgomery
About this listen
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 $200. 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, atop Maine's Mount Katahdin, 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. 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.
©2014 Ben Montgomery (P)2014 TantorCritic reviews
Featured Article: The Best Hiking Audiobooks
Hiking is a time-honored way to appreciate and learn about nature while improving your physical and mental health. But even if you can't get out on the trail yourself at the moment, these hiking audiobooks will give you a greater appreciation for the sport. Hiking's broad appeal and long history have formed the basis of many compelling works of nonfiction. They run the gamut from intense stories of survival and perseverance to gentle explorations of the healing power of nature. Each of these hiking audiobooks is perfect whether you are out on a hike or sitting behind the wheel of a car.
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Remarkable book on many dimensions
- By Greg Fisher on 03-14-20
By: Emily Chappell
The story only gets four stars because I felt like Montgomery didn't completely do her justice. I felt like this story just scratched the surface of her and what she experienced. There was too much "filler" in the story about the politics of the time, and other topics that didn't belong in this story. I wished there was a lot more detail about her.
The narrator was perfect. Lawlor gives a lightness to the story that highlights the quirkiness of Grandma Gatewood and of the situations she gets herself in.
I've already recommended this book to several of my friends.
Inspiring story about a strong amazing woman
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An interesting story.
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Inspiring woman, book could have used some editing
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inspiring,intriguing and captavating.
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Inspiration for all
Brave and spiritual. Good for her
Gentle Giant
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LOVE!
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INSPIRATIONAL!
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I'm inspired!
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Simple story of a woman who wanted to go for a walk
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Overall worth the read
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