Happy Grandma Gatewood Day!

Today is Emma "Grandma" Gatewood Day! In 2012, the Ohio General Assembly officially declared April 27th as Emma "Grandma" Gatewood Day to honor the Ohio native.

So, who exactly is Grandma Gatewood? In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67! In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. Upon completion, she reportedly sang the first verse of "America the Beautiful," and then exclaimed, "I did it. I said I'd do it and I've done it."

Then, in 1957, she hiked the trail again, becoming the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1964 - at the age of 76! After the third excursion Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

This video below provides a few insights into Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements:



You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Who was Grandma Gatewood?

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!  In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again, becoming the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

So who exactly was Grandma Gatewood? This short video, a trailer from a documentary film project called "Trail Magic", gives a few insights into Emma Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements:





Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

The Grandma Gatewood Project

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the trail three times.

Some claim Gatewood was a pioneer of ultralight backpacking. She never carried more than 20 pounds of gear or food. She wore Keds sneakers, and carried an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder. According to Appalachianhistory.net, she simply didn't believe in expensive state of the art paraphernalia. “Most people today are pantywaist,” she once stated. Wow, what would she think of today's generation?!?!

To celebrate this hiking pioneer, Eden Valley Enterprises is working on a project to produce a documentary about her life. The documentary will be produced by Peter Huston of FilmAffects. WGTE (PBS Toledo, Ohio) has agreed to be their broadcast sponsor and production partner for the film. However, the project will cost money to get off the ground. Eden Valley Enterprises is spearheading a Kickstarter campaign to raise $3,500 in seed money before approaching larger corporations and foundations for help with the lion's share of the production costs.

For more information on the project, and to donate, you can visit the Kickstarter campaign website. You can also find additional information on the Eden Valley Enterprises website as well.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com