4/5/2023 0 Comments The magic trail![]() ![]() Even something as simple as paying for the next beer or soda will never go unappreciated.įor instance, legendary AT trail angel, Bloodhound, is one person that sticks out the most to me. This gesture is a very generous way of showing your appreciation for hikers, even if you wish to remain anonymous. It isn’t too uncommon to be enjoying a meal with your fellow hikers at a restaurant and having the waiter tell you “your tab has been paid by the nice folks sitting right over there”. The food, shower, and bed couldn’t have come at a better time I couldn’t have been more thankful. I was blown away by the generosity of my trail friend Fenway’s parents, who offered me and my buddy, Jackrabbit, a place to crash in their home in Massachusetts, right in the midst of a heatwave. Rogers, my parents were more than willing to allow him to spend the night at our home and feed him until he couldn’t eat anymore. When I hiked past my home in New York with my trail friend, Mr. The screening of TRAIL MAGIC will be preceded by a film about the history of the Appalachian Trail.You might be thinking “why would someone allow a stinky, raggedy hiker to stay in their home for a night?” I thought this same thing, but you would be amazed by the generosity of complete strangers there are certainly those out there who are willing to open up their homes for an afternoon, or even a night or two, to allow hikers to eat, rest and recuperate. This first screening of this film in western Washington is co-sponsored by the Foothills branch of The Mountaineers and the City of Bellevue, Department of Parks & Community Services. Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story was nominated for an Emmy Award from the Regional National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) in the “Best Documentary, Historical” category in April, 2017. The film is augmented by key interviews with family, historians, and experts commenting about the amazing events that led up to that journey and her ability to overcome nearly insurmountable. Her story raised the veil on cultural barriers including age and sex discrimination. In 2018 The New York Times published a belated obituary for her as part of its Overlooked series about "remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in The Times". Gatewood is credited with being the oldest female thru-hiker by the Appalachian Trail Conference. She traveled to every state of the continental United States. She hiked the AT again in 1960, and then again at age 75 in 1963, making her the first person to hike the trail three times (though her final hike was completed in sections). In addition, she walked 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri to Portland, Oregon averaging 22 miles (35 km) a day. When she read about the Appalachian Trail she learned no woman had ever hiked the entire trail alone. After 32 years of spouse abuse and raising eleven children, she divorced Perry and decided she needed another challenge. At 19 she married Perry Clayton Gatewood, a teacher. Born in 1887 at Raccoon Creek, Gallia County Ohio, Gateway was one of 15 children. Gatewood's story speaks to the courageous, undaunted spirit of Appalachian people everywhere. She would later say of the AT: "For some fool reason, they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find." In a sense she was truly a visionary of the ultra-light hiking movement. Thus she took little in the way of outdoor gear. The magazine gave her the impression of easy walks and clean cabins at the end of each day's walk. Katahdin in 1955, mostly told through Gatewood's own words.Ībout 5 years before her historic hike, Gatewood read an article in National Geographic about the AT and thought "It would be a nice lark." Though in retrospect, considering the difficulty, she added "It wasn't." Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story follows the twists and turns of Emma "Grandma" Gatewood's historic walk from Mt. She wore Keds and carried an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade denim bag slung over one shoulder. She returned home as the first woman to solo thru-hike the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Gatewood told her 11 children (who were by then adults) that she was going for a walk. ![]()
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