My Hero

[GlazeDog]

I can't help but be amazed by her.

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=202663

Looking at this photo really makes me realize that spending to much time thinking about and awuiring gear is not what gets you to katadhin. It's what is in your SOUL!!!

GlazeDog

[Quoddy]

I'll bet that the thought of not making it all the way never entered her mind. I wish that all those in the present generation had the mindset of earlier generations and times.

[rafe]

I'll bet that the thought of not making it all the way never entered her mind. I wish that all those in the present generation had the mindset of earlier generations and times.

If I recall properly, on her first sobo attempt, Granny got totally lost in the first day or two and ended up needing rescue. Others have hinted that she was the ultimate yogi'er.

[Lone Wolf]

If I recall properly, on her first sobo attempt, Granny got totally lost in the first day or two and ended up needing rescue. Others have hinted that she was the ultimate yogi'er.

earl shaffer called her a fraud at a ruck one year.

[rafe]

earl shaffer called her a fraud at a ruck one year.

I dunno about that part -- I wasn't there -- but the part about her getting lost in the Maine woods was in a written journal -- I think the one in the Rodale Press anthology.

[Mags]

I dunno about that part -- I wasn't there

It's true. Happened at the PA Ruck in 2002. Quite a few people on this BBS (myself included) were there. Shaffer indeed said "She's a fraud".

Is she a fraud? Is she an inspiration? That's another discussion...

[dust never sleeps]

usually bum and tramp are two words often used to descibe her..

earl shaffer called her a fraud at a ruck one year.

You're both right. She spent most of her time in the back of a '57 Chevy. That sack on her back isn't the only humping she did to get down the trail a little faster and easier.

[icemanat95]

You're both right. She spent most of her time in the back of a '57 Chevy. That sack on her back isn't the only humping she did to get down the trail a little faster and easier.

OK, where the heck did that bit of slander come from?

[Lone Wolf]

You're both right. She spent most of her time in the back of a '57 Chevy. That sack on her back isn't the only humping she did to get down the trail a little faster and easier.

that's funny right there, i don't care who ya are!

[eventidecu]

That pic is what Baltimore Jack's gonna look like in a few years.

The commint about the back of a chevy,,,thats just nasty,,Ewww!!

[The General]

Originally Posted by dust never sleeps
You're both right. She spent most of her time in the back of a '57 Chevy. That sack on her back isn't the only humping she did to get down the trail a little faster and easier.

So are we saying here that Ms Gatewood was the first "Pink Blazer" on the AT. Just a thought.

[tallfran]

I really hate to see this slander on here... Grandma Gatewood was my inspiration for attempting to hike the Trail. I met her when I was a kid and hiked with her a little and heard some of her stories. I don't think she was a fraud. She was the seventh person to thru-hike the trail, and the first woman. Don't you think all of those macho Earl Schaffers were taken aback at the idea that a woman, and OLD woman for that matter, could do the same thing they did? No wonder, in that sexist age, they bad-mouthed her and tried to disparage her hike. As far as getting lost, the trail was not as clearly marked in those days, and there weren't thousands of hikers out there. You mighta got lost too!