In 1953, Emma tried hiking the Appalachian Trail, got lost and was rescued; two years later…

I
1953,
Emma
Gatewood
t ied
hiki g
the
Appalachia
T ail,
got
lost
a d
was
escued

Whe
pa k
a ge s
fou d
65-yea -old
Emma
Gatewood
lost
a d
co fused
i
Mai e
i
1953
afte
she
b oke
he
glasses
o
the
Appalachia
T ail,
they
advised
he
to
give
up
a d
etu
home.
Two
yea s
late ,
at
age
67,
Gatewood
etu ed
to
the
t ail.
She
sta ted
at
Mou t
Ogletho pe
i
Geo gia,
kept
he
pla s
sec et
f om
he
adult
child e
a d
walked
all
2,190
miles
alo e.
I
1955,
she
became
the
fi st
woma
to
complete
a
solo
th u-hike
of
the
Appalachia
T ail
i
a
si gle
seaso .
K ow
to
millio s
as
G a dma
Gatewood,
she
completed
the
jou ey
i
146
days
a d
cha ged
the
way
people
viewed
lo g-dista ce
hiki g
a d
physical
e du a ce.
He
sto y,
p ese ved
i
histo ical
a chives
i cludi g
the
Appalachia
Mou tai
Club
(AMC)
Lib a y
&
A chives
a d
desc ibed
i
Be
Mo tgome y’s
2014
book

G a dma
Gatewood’s
Walk,
is
a
sto y
of
su vival,
st e gth
a d
i depe de ce.

Ove comi g
a
difficult
ea ly
life

Emma
Rowe a
Caldwell
was
bo
o
25
Octobe
1887
o
a
fa m
i
Gallia
Cou ty,
Ohio.
She
g ew
up
doi g
ha d
physical
wo k
with
he
14
sibli gs
i
a
small
log
cabi .
He
fathe ,
Hugh
Caldwell,
was
a
Civil
Wa
vete a
who
had
lost
a
leg.
He
also
st uggled
with
alcoholism
a d
gambli g.
At
19,
Emma
ma ied
26-yea -old
fa me
Pe y
Clayto
Gatewood.
The
ma iage
bega
decades
of
seve e
ha dship.
I

G a dma
Gatewood’s
Walk,
Mo tgome y,
who
is
Gatewood’s
g eat-g eat-g a d ephew,
used
family
jou als
a d
legal
eco ds
to
docume t
mo e
tha
30
yea s
of
domestic
viole ce.

The
abuse
became
i c easi gly
seve e.
I
1939,
a
viole t
attack
left
Gatewood
with
c acked
ibs,
b oke
teeth
a d
head
i ju ies.
Whe
police
a ived,
they
i itially
a ested
Gatewood
afte
she
th ew
a
sack
of
flou
while
defe di g
he self.
Afte
seei g
he
i ju ies,
the
mayo
of
he
tow
i
West
Vi gi ia
took
he
i to
his
home
fo
p otectio .
I
1940,
Gatewood
obtai ed
a
a e
legal
divo ce.
She
eceived
custody
of
he
th ee
you gest
child e
a d
suppo ted
he
family
th ough
he
ow
wo k.

A
simple
app oach
to
a
huge
jou ey

Gatewood
became
i te ested
i
the
Appalachia
T ail
i
the
ea ly
1950s
afte
eadi g
a

Natio al
Geog aphic
a ticle
about
Ea l
Shaffe ,
who
completed
the
fi st
epo ted
A.T.
th u-hike
i
1948.
She
oticed
that
o
woma
had
completed
the
e ti e
t ail
alo e
a d
decided
to
t y
it
he self.
He
fi st
attempt
i
1953
e ded
i
Mai e
afte
she
became
lost
a d
b oke
he
glasses.
Fo
he
seco d
attempt
i
1955,
she
cha ged
he
st ategy.
She
bega
i
Geo gia
a d
avoided
the
pa k
a ge s
who
had
advised
he
to
stop
two
yea s
ea lie .
She
told
he
adult
child e
o ly
that
she
was
“goi g
fo
a
hike
i
the
woods.”
She
did
ot
tell
them
that
she
pla ed
to
walk
the
e ti e
Appalachia
T ail
because
she
fea ed
they
would
t y
to
stop
he .
Gatewood
also
avoided
the
expe sive
a d
heavy
equipme t
used
by
ma y
mode
hike s.
She
ca ied
he
belo gi gs
i
a
ha dmade
de im
sack
ove
he
shoulde .

He
equipme t
i cluded:

She
did
ot
ca y
a
sleepi g
bag,
te t,
compass
o
detailed
map.
I stead,
she
elied
o
he
k owledge
of
wild
pla ts
a d
fou d
places
to
sleep
whe eve
she
could,
i cludi g
po ch
swi gs,
pa k
be ches
a d
beds
of
d ied
leaves.
She
walked
about
14
miles
a
day,
ofte
sta ti g
at
daw
a d
co ti ui g
u til
she
was
completely
exhausted.
At
times,
she
eve
walked
faste
tha
Boy
Scout
g oups
that
t ied
to
accompa y
he .

Reachi g
Mou t
Katahdi

O
25
Septembe
1955,
146
days
afte
leavi g
Geo gia,
Gatewood
eached
Mou t
Katahdi
i
Mai e,
the
o the
e d
of
the
t ail.
The
fi al
stage
was
difficult.
She
had
falle
the
p evious
day,
b oke
he
glasses,
sp ai ed
he
a kle
a d
b uised
he
face.
Despite
these
i ju ies,
she
co ti ued
to
the
summit,
whe e
she
sa g
“Ame ica
the
Beautiful.”Whe
epo te s
asked
why
she
had
take
o
such
a
difficult
jou ey
at
age
67,
he
a swe
was
simple:

“Because
I
wa ted
to.”He
achieveme t
eceived
atio al
atte tio .
Photog aphs
a d
t ail
eco ds
p ese ved
by
the
AMC
Lib a y
&
A chives
docume t
he
jou ey
a d
late
visits
to
locatio s
such
as
Lo esome
Lake
Hut
a d
Ca te
Notch
Hut.
Gatewood
did
ot
stop
afte
completi g
the
t ail
o ce.
I
1957,
she
walked
the
Appalachia
T ail
a
seco d
time,
becomi g
the
fi st
pe so
to
complete
the
e ti e
oute
twice.
I
1964,
at
age
76,
she
completed
the
t ail
fo
a
thi d
time,
this
time
hiki g
it
i
sectio s.He
achieveme t
also
became
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
the
histo y
of
wome
o
the
Appalachia
T ail.
Histo ical
figu es
f om
the
Appalachia
T ail
Co se va cy
show
that
wome
made
up
about
15
pe ce t
of
successful
th u-hike s
du i g
the
t ail’s
ea ly
decades.
By
2018,
wome
accou ted
fo
mo e
tha
33
pe ce t
of
successful
th u-hike s.
Gatewood’s
ema kable
1955
jou ey
helped
establish
a
e du i g
example
of
what
wome
could
accomplish
o
o e
of
Ame ica’s
most
dema di g
lo g-dista ce
t ails.

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