Grandma Gatewood's Walk

Montgomery, Ben. Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago: Chicago Review, 2014. 288. Print.

Emma Gatewood was the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail solo.  She did it in 1955 at the age of 67.  Grandma Gatewood became a celebrity after hiking the trail because of how she did it.  She didn't prepare or have special equipment.  She just decided to go for a walk.  She started the trail with tennis shoes and a homemade backpack.  She met many people on her trip and make it from Georgia to Maine that helped her on the way.  She was also met by many reporters that helped make her trip famous.  She would hike the AT two more times after her first solo hike with nothing more than her homemade backpack and a few other supplies.

My Feelings:
I found this book through the New York Public Library (NYPL) and their online ebooks.  I was originally looking for A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson but it wasn't available (I'm still waiting to borrow it).  I just needed a book about the AT and this was the only one I could get immediately.

I enjoyed this book.  It was interesting to hear Grandma Gatewood's backstory in addition to the story of her hiking the AT.  It wasn't an amazing book because a lot of what the author was saying was speculation.  He wrote the book by talking with Emma Gatewood's children and looking at her journals.  There were some direct quotes, but he made it seem like he knew exactly what she was thinking and the reason why she decided to go for a hike.  I find it hard to believe that she felt exactly like Ben Montgomery stated.  I feel like Emma Gatewood would not have let the world know exactly what she was thinking.

Another problem I had with this book is that it is "The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail."  The book hardly talks about that and that was not Emma's goal in hiking the AT.  She did comment on some of the poor spots of the trail that needed to be better maintained, but she did not wake up and say "I'm going to advocate for the AT."  I think that the book didn't do a good job living up to its title.  She may have had some influence but I don't the trail would have disappeared without her.

Overall, it was a good read about one woman's hike on the AT.