Moderator---Kathy
It's 1955 and the Appalachian Trail has caught the immagination of 67 year old grandmother Emma Gatewood. She had read about it in an old National Geographic Magazine. The trail is 2050 miles long and stretches from Georgia to Maine. Very few have hiked it from beginning to end and no woman has made the trek. But it is calling her. There is an old Helen Reddy song, I am Woman, with a verse that describes her trials and tribulations on the trail:
You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
Emma Gatewood leaves her home in Ohio without telling any of her 11 children where she is going. She left behind a life that included a long marriage to a man who routinely beat her. It was not an easy life but her determination to accomplish this one thing for herself changes her. She becomes a celebrity when news of her hike goes public. It also turns attention to the Appalachian Trail and gets more people interested in it.
The author, Ben Montgomery, (who is a friend of Kathy's daughter) presents a story full of details about not only Grandma Gatewood, but the Trail itself. He throws in lots of historical tidbits along the way. Reading along, you feel like you too are walking with Emma and are a part of her journey.
Trail Treats:
Ham and cheese sandwiches, brownies, and
a drawstring bag that included items used on hike:
trail mix, lifesavers, crackers, trail snack bar and
a bouillon cube.
"A big thank you to author Ben Montgomery
for not only introducing us to the amazing
Grandma Gatewood but for taking the time
to personally answer our questions."---Kathy
"Learned Germans were held in an internment camp
in Hot Springs N.C. during WWI. Fave history tidbit
from book."---Dee Dee
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