Grandma Gatewood. In 1953, at the age of 67, Emma Rowena "Grandma" Gatewood
became the first woman to hike the 2,050 mile Appalachian Trail
alone and in one season. The Gallia County, Ohio resident hiked
the Appalachian Trail again in 1957 and 1964, becoming the first
to walk its length three times. In 1959, she hiked the Oregon
Trail, from Independence, Missouri to Portland, Oregon. She was
a founder of the Buckeye Trail and life member of the Buckeye
Trail Association, which named a part of the trail after her.
Grandma Gatewood was born in 1887 on a farm near Mercerville,
one of 15 children, and died in 1973 at the age of 85, the mother
of 11 and "grandma" to many more. She was inducted into the
Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Reward of Nature
by Emma "Grandma" Gatewood
If you will go with me to the mountains
And sleep on the leaf carpeted floors
And enjoy the bigness of nature
And the beauty of all out of doors,
You'll find your troubles all fading
And feel the Creator was not man
That made lovely mountains and forests
Which only a Supreme Power can.
When we
trust in the power above
And with the realm of nature hold fast,
We will have a jewel of great price
To brighten our lives till the last.
For the love of nature is healing,
If we will only give it a try
And the reward will be forthcoming,
If we go deeper than what meets the eye.
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