Blogger Book Club | March 2015 | Grandma Gatewood’s Walk

grandma gatewood's walkThis month for my blogger book club we were asked to read a biography and I actually had a really hard time deciding on one to read. At the very last minute I came across this book, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk*, and I decided to give it a chance because it just sound so good. 

This book tells the story of 67-year-old grandma Emma Gatewood and her decision to through hike the Appalachian Trail (AT). She didn’t tell her family where she was going and as you will learn from the book this wasn’t an uncommon thing for her. She headed to Georgia with just a small sack that she had made and the clothes on her back and started on her journey. 

The author, journalist Ben Montgomery, not only tells the story of Emma Gatewood’s hike but also about her life and really allows you to get to know the woman behind the hike. You start to understand that this hike is far from the hardest thing she has been through/done. Once Emma completes the AT her story doesn’t end there because she goes back and does it twice more along with walking the Oregon trail and hiking the Long Trail among other things. 

top of cannon mountain hiking tennis shoes

I absolutely loved this book and just couldn’t put it down, Being from the New England and having hiked some of the spots she did I could just picture where she was and what she was going through. There is one point at the top of Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire and the hike down that I remember hiking so vividly 6+ years ago. As I read this book and her description of the tram and the the rough terrain I was back there again. The funny thing Emma Gatewood hiked the entire trail in tennis shoes and this section of the trail I too (made the stupid move) of hiking in tennis shoes. As you’ll understand when you read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk*  we should have been a little more concerned when the tram guy asked if we knew what we were getting into when we asked for a one way tram ticket.

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What book did you read this month? 

9 Comments

  1. H. O'Malley

    Not only was she tough, but she persevered and never gave up.
    I wonder if it could be done today alone as a woman.
    H O’Malley

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