In 1955, a 67-year-old mother of 11 Emma “Grandma” Gatewood set out with basic supplies; she became the first woman to complete a solo thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail

At 67, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood did something few people would have expected. She walked the Appalachian Trail alone, carrying little more than an Army blanket, food and a homemade bag. In 1955, the mother of 11 became the first woman to complete the trail by herself in one season, as per a report by Axios and A Mighty Girl.

Her achievement made headlines, but the hike was only part of the story. Before becoming one of America’s best-known long-distance hikers, Gatewood had survived decades of domestic abuse, raised her children and found refuge in the outdoors.

Today, Ohio remembers her as its most famous long-distance hiker, with April 27 officially recognized as “Grandma Gatewood Day.”

How did Grandma Gatewood begin hiking?

Emma Rowena Gatewood was born in Gallia County, Ohio, on October 25, 1887, into a poor family of 15 children. Her father was a Civil War amputee and a heavy drinker. At 19, she married P. C. Gatewood, a man who regularly beat her.

The woods gradually became a refuge. Gatewood sometimes escaped into the wilderness, although she once returned because she could not bear being away from her children.


In 1939, her husband broke her teeth and cracked one of her ribs. Gatewood fought back by throwing a sack of flour at him, after which a sheriff’s deputy arrested her. The mayor of the West Virginia town where they lived intervened after seeing her battered face.

After 30 years of marriage, she finally received a divorce in 1941 and raised her last three children alone.

“She was free,” says Bette Lou Higgins, producer of Trail Magic, a documentary about Gatewood. “She didn’t have to answer to anyone.”

By 1949, her children were grown. That year, Gatewood read about the Appalachian Trail in National Geographic magazine and became intrigued by the idea that no woman had completed the entire trail alone.

Her daughter Rowena later remembered her saying, “If those men can do it, I can do it.”

What did Grandma Gatewood carry?

Gatewood became an early symbol of lightweight hiking because she travelled with remarkably little.

On her 1955 attempt, she carried a small sack and wore Keds sneakers. Her supplies included an Army blanket, a raincoat, a shower curtain, food and a change of clothes in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder.

She also foraged for wild plants and carried dried meat, cheese, nuts and dried fruit.




The simple equipment did not make the Appalachian Trail easy. On her first attempt, Gatewood started from Maine, broke her glasses and became lost before rangers rescued her.

She tried again from Georgia, this time heading north from Mt. Oglethorpe. During the hike, she went through seven pairs of canvas Keds.

The trail itself was in poor condition in places. Gatewood described the experience bluntly in an interview.

“There were terrible blow downs, burnt-over areas that were never re-marked, gravel and sand washouts, weeds and brush to your neck, and most of the shelters were blown down, burned down or so filthy I chose to sleep out of doors,” she said in an interview. “This is no trail. This is a nightmare.”

The steep terrain also tested her. “For some fool reason, they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find,” she declared. “I thought it would be a nice lark... It wasn't.”

How did she finish the Appalachian Trail?

Gatewood kept walking. She covered about 14 miles a day, often hiking from sunrise to sunset, and regularly moved faster than younger hikers.

Her journey began attracting attention as local newspapers in the Southern states reported on the grandmother attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail. The Associated Press eventually profiled her, and people around the country began following the story of “Grandma Gatewood.”

After 146 days of hiking in 1955, Gatewood completed the entire trail by herself in one season, becoming the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

The experience did not end her relationship with long-distance hiking. She returned to the Appalachian Trail in 1957 and again in 1964, when she was 76. That third journey made her the first person to hike the AT three times.

She also walked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon, averaging 22 miles a day, and played an important role in establishing Ohio’s Buckeye Trail.

Her Appalachian Trail experience also had an impact beyond her own achievements. Her descriptions of the trail’s poor condition drew attention to the need for repairs. Shelters were rebuilt, while trails were cleared and re-marked.

“Media coverage of her hike led to repairs and restoration of the trail,” wrote Diana Reese in The Washington Post. “[She] may, indeed, have saved the trail from falling into ruin.”

Gatewood became known as a pioneer of ultralight backpacking and one of the Appalachian Trail’s first high-profile ambassadors. She later joined a Columbus Boy Scout troop on the first-ever Buckeye Trail hike.

Her legacy continues to be recognized by Appalachian Trail enthusiasts. She is celebrated at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and at the AT Museum and Hall of Fame in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania.

The New York Times also featured her life in its Overlooked No More series. A historical marker near Cheshire honors her, and Madtree Brewing has celebrated her on its Legendary Lager.

Ohio made her legacy official in 2012 when the Ohio General Assembly declared April 27 “Grandma Gatewood Day.” Hocking Hills State Park also hosts an annual “Grandma Gatewood Hike” along the six-mile Grandma Gatewood Trail.

Gatewood’s own words still capture the determination behind the journey: “I would never have started this trip if I had known how tough it was,” she observed after her hike, “but I couldn’t and I wouldn’t quit.”

Her practical advice remained just as direct. “Stop at local groceries and pick up Vienna sausages... most everything else to eat you can find beside the trail,” the 83-year-old Gatewood advised those who wanted to follow her path. She also suggested keeping things simple: “make a rain cape, and an over the shoulder sling bag, and buy a sturdy pair of Keds tennis shoes.”

FAQs

Who was Grandma Gatewood?
Emma “Grandma” Gatewood was an Ohio mother of 11 who became the first woman to solo hike the Appalachian Trail in one season.

What made Grandma Gatewood famous?
Her 1955 Appalachian Trail journey, completed with very basic gear at age 67, made her a celebrated long-distance hiking pioneer.