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Join Ben Montgomery, author of Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, for a lively discussion befitting the tenacious and literal trailblazer. A panel discussion on the topic of saving nature will be followed by a book signing. Copies of his book will be available for sale.
Visit the AJC Decatur Book Festival website for more information.
Cloth
Published Apr 2014
Emma Gatewood was the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person—man or woman—to walk it twice and three times and she did it all after the age of 65. This is the first and only biography of Grandma Gatewood, as the reporters called her, who became a hiking celebrity in the 1950s and ’60s. She appeared on TV with Groucho Marx and Art Linkletter, and on the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction. Author Ben Montgomery was given unprecedented access to Gatewood’s own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence. He also unearthed historic newspaper and magazine articles and interviewed surviving family members and hikers Gatewood met along the trail. The inspiring story of Emma Gatewood illustrates the full power of human spirit and determination.