Overlooked No More: Emma Gatewood, First Woman to Conquer the Appalachian Trail Alone

Too bad it’s not safe for women to walk AT on their own anymore. Too many criminally insane folks abandoned by society and looking for prey out there. Hats off, in any case, to this outstanding woman. Thank you for giving her the honor she is due, but also bringing out of the shadows the awful things she experienced at the hands if her husband. Domestic violence is far more pervasive than many people recognize, and it deserves to be in the national spotlight as a priority problem to solve.

Read the book. It is excellent.

I'm sorry to hear about the back story. still one of my heroes- a most of the way hiker class of 2012

I had the pleasure of photographing Grandma Gatewood on the Buckeye Trail in SE Ohio in 1969. It was a day that mixed fog, sleet, snow and rain, and the trail was a combination of mud and ice. It was all worth it because I captured one of my favorite photos in a 50-year span as a newspaper photographer. (Photo ©Ken Steinhoff) http://www.capecentralhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Grandma-Gatewo...

I love her story. What an amazing woman. Thanks for this reminder

I picked up the book 'Grandma Gatewood's Walk' in 2014 while looking for something to read that would distract me from writing my thesis. I am from Michigan and our oldest daughter was an undergraduate at a small Ohio college at the time. We would often drive from Virginia through Hocking Hills, Ohio to visit family back home in Michigan. The book did indeed distract me! The details of the Midwest countryside and description of this ahead-of-her-time woman, mother, and quiet environmental activist was exactly what I needed then, and I think what many might find they need now. Thank-you for giving Emma Gatewood a proper obituary.

And to think I was minus 2 years old at the time… My gosh, what was she thinking, going on a little hike or something!? Talk about a progressive person, she was really ahead of everything else in her midst.

As a long-distance hiker, inspired by Grandma Gatewood, and as an Ohioan, I can only appreciate this piece. But please: No one "conquers" the Appalachian Trail or any other trail. Hikes are not wars. As this essay makes clear, Grandma Gatewood saw the trail and the woods as a friendly, welcoming presence, not as an enemy to be subdued and conquered. I see it the same way Grandma did.

Inspirational account of a remarkably resilient woman. My oldest friend hiked the AT solo. He claimed the main reason was that he could not afford rent that year. I recently met Niki Rellon, a former extreme athlete. Niki soloed the AT after losing her leg below the knee. She is currently cycling across the USA -a first for a woman with a prosthetic leg. You can follow her on FB -and buy her book.

Grandma Gatewood is hardly overlooked if you operate in the right circles. I've heard her story verbatim at least a hundred times. She's more or less an essential folk hero of the Appalachian Trail. Depending on who's telling the story, she sometimes reaches darn right epic proportions. Few remember Earl Shaffer when discussing the origins of thru-hiking (a.k.a long distance backpacking) You mention Grandma Gatewood though and everyone knows immediately who you're talking about. If you read a book or watch a documentary on the AT, her presence is almost unavoidable. Why the Times never wrote an obit before now, I can't say. She was certainly not forgotten though. Ask the roughly 3,000 people who attempt a thru-hike each year. Fewer than 20,000 have ever completed the entire trail. Gatewood was among the first handful. As far as I know, she was definitely the first person smart enough to bring along an umbrella. Her example remains sound advice nearly three-quarters of a century later. If you're going to hike the AT, bring an umbrella.

Thank you NYT for such an inspirational story. Please do more.

Congratulations to Ms. Gatewood for living a life of courage, perseverance, endurance and achievement. My own quest to conquer the Appalachian Trail pales somewhat in comparison to hers. I try to walk 1.5 miles every day on a hiking path near my home. Assuming I don’t catch a cold or am summoned by the IRS for an interview, I will walk the equivalent of the Appalachian Trail in roughly 1366 days. (I have already completed 45 days of this.) I am clipping this article and pasting it on my wall as a reminder of someone brave who blazed a trail for me. I would prefer not be honored with an obituary when my task is completed, but a nice article about me and my dog would be O.K.

This is a very good obituary to an extraordinary woman. As an FYI, there is a documentary about her called “Trail Magic, the Grandma Gatewood Story” that is very good.

Emma Gatewood's story is remarkable as others will comment about. What isn't written is why the Times wrote mostly about white men. Even the note, " (He received a New York Times obituary)" sounds so elitist. If Overlooked is an apology for past practices, let's get that out there and educate readers rather than moving on like gender and color were never part of past decisions.

When I started a southbound solo hike of the Appalachian Trail 18 years ago, Grandma Gatewood's legend was still alive on the trail, and I knew of her (though not of her life before the A.T.; thanks, New York Times and Ms. Seelye, for telling us so much more). Being a woman at the beginning of her own long-distance hiking career, I was duly impressed. I didn't regard solo hiking as challenging, nor was I daunted by the physical requirements of walking great distances and living outdoors for months--but Gatewood's gear minimalism certainly got me thinking. Over the years (and 12,000+ miles of trail), I have tried to streamline my pack. Now, as I strive to eliminate plastics in my life, it is good to be reminded of Grandma Gatewood's example again. Yes, the shower curtain and umbrella she carried were probably made of nylon or PVC, but she wore cotton and hoisted (what appears to be) a cotton sack. Nowadays, people are brainwashed into believing they need expensive, high-tech, synthetic gear in order to go outdoors (or even get on a bike: witness the spandex), and the outdoor gear industry is subsequently thriving. But it's bad for this planet. So much of that gear, and all of its unnecessary packaging, is contributing to the destruction of the outdoors it was designed for. It's time to make like Gatewood (so to speak) and go back to basics--away from human artifice, toward nature. To make do (with what's at hand), or do without.

Wonderful piece. I’m guessing that rather than carrying “bullion cubes”, though, Mrs. Gate wood carried bouillon cubes. Easier to eat soup than gold.

Perseverance and Keds. Remarkable. How I hate that she suffered so much with the monster spouse. Emma was the #MeAlone movement.

This is utterly fascinating. What a woman! These trails still defeat many people far younger, better trained, and far more equipped with the most modern of light-weight gear. I love these kinds of stories - keep 'em coming!

I've admired Gatewood for many years for her hiking accomplishments but never knew what she endured at the hands of her husband. Much of that, the unwanted sex (what we now call marital rape), the beatings and the lack of any control over her own body have only become illegal in the intervening years. I really hope that her suffering and that of many thousands of unnamed women remain a relict of the past.

Thank you for this wonderful story. Emma Gatewood has finally received her NY Times obituary. Today I learned about a strong, determind woman who overcame the odds and achieved her very personal triumph.

I read about Grandma Gatewood years ago in a book on the AT and liked to tell the story to friends of how she made the trek several times and in tennis shoes to boot. A remarkable story! Thanks for the reminder.

Grandma Gatewood is a legend in our neck of the woods for all the reasons you mention here, but also because she helped found our official State Trail, The Buckeye Trail, a 1400-mile long loop around Ohio. Her resilience and integrity continue to inspire me and my family every time we hit the trails. Thank you for recognizing her!

I am in tears, both for the suffering and bravery of Emma Gatewood and for all of the forgotten women heroes. Thank you for these belated obituaries.

I knew of Grandma Gatewood, but not of her tragic personal story. I hope she found solace in the woods. Thank you, NYT, for acknowledging -- however belatedly -- the remarkable people history overlooked.

This is an amazing story about the fortitude of a woman who lived through abuse and adversity and coped with an incredible and courageous achievement! I am sure many times she wished she could have taken a one way hike and not returned home.

Thank you for sharing Emma's life story. Disturbing. Inspiring. Deeply moving. But not surprising. I just wish that the full story had been told back in the day. So much suffering at the hands of a man, and yet, a beacon of light and perseverance. These stories matter.

I wish the news had more of these stories. What a brave and strong woman. Good for the times to give her a well deserved write up.