As I watched the Olympics this past week, the question of what does it take to break barriers kept creeping up in my mind. What drives people to become the first? The best? Where do you get the courage and resilience to keep going even in the face of defeat? And what gives you the strength to put your health first in a competition as Simone Biles did.
Here is a story about a woman you may not know: Grandma Gatewood.
In 1955, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood told her children that she was “going for a hike in the woods”– which turned out to be the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the longest hiking-only footpath in the world.
At the time she was 67 years old, a mother of 11, a grandmother of 23, and a survivor of more than 30 years of domestic abuse. For Emma, the woods were a source of comfort and an escape from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband.
Wearing Kids sneakers and carrying a few items like a poncho, a blanket, some food, and a knife, she walked with her home-made duffel over her shoulder. Without a tent or sleeping bag (she used a shower curtain for shelter), she chose to spend the night on nearby farms or off the trail, eating whatever she could find or relying on the kindness of strangers.
On September 25, 1955, she became the first woman ever to complete the entire A.T. alone in one season. And, by the way, she did it twice! A portrait of resilience, Gatewood broke barriers in the outdoors, sending the message that “If those men can do it, I can do it.”
For Gatewood, the decision to hike the A.T. was rather simple – she ignored any barriers and anyone who told her she wouldn’t be able to do it. When one reporter asked why she wanted to hike the A.T., Gatewood stated: “Because I wanted to.“
To find out more, read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery.
Until next time,
Barbara