Press Release: Bringing Grandma Gatewood Back to Ohio And The Appalachian Trail
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 23, 2023
Important Media Dates
Grandma Gatewood's Birthday October 25th
National Hiking Day November 17th
Grandma Gatewood's story, spirit and influence in the hiking community are incredible. Now, a team of volunteers and an artist are trying to bring her back to her home state of Ohio and the Appalachian trail in two life-size bronzes.
Fifty years after her death, Grandma Gatewood comes home to Gallipolis, Ohio, and back to the Appalachian Trail. Many know the story of Emma Rowena Gatewood. A 1949 National Geographic article about the Appalachian trail inspired her. In 1954, at 67, and after raising 11 children, Emma Rowena Gatewood left a dysfunctional home life and “went for a walk.” She completed the Appalachian Trail in 146 days but also hiked the entire trail again two years later and section hiked after that. Loving adventure, she also walked the 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail by herself at 71. Grandma Gatewood Memorial Hiking Trail in Gallia County, Ohio, is named after this influential hiker and part of the Buckeye Trail in Hocking Hills State Park.
People endearingly call Emma "Grandma Gatewood" and credit her for being the first solo female hiker to hike the entire Appalachian Trail and the first to do it twice. It is an incredible accomplishment for a woman over 60, even more so at that time in our history. She also did this remarkable feat without all the fancy hiking gear. There were no expensive backpacks or sleeping bags. Instead, she hung a homemade bag over her shoulder, which held a shower curtain and the rest of her gear. She wore plain sneakers and carried a simple stick for balance. Newspapers clambered on the trail to interview her. The Emmy-nominated documentary "Trail Magic"—2015 and the book "Grandma Gatewood's Walk" by Ben Montgomery—2016 have brought to life the accomplishments of Grandma Gatewood and her influence in saving the Appalachian Trail. She has motivated many hikers. As one person said, "Her story is evergreen. It just keeps feeding the souls of those who find out about her."
Grandma Gatewood is coming home, home to Ohio, where she is from, and interred in Gallipolis, Ohio Valley Memory Gardens. She is also going back to the Appalachian Trail. Many people come every year to the cemetery to visit Grandma Gatewood. Paul Maxwell of Ohio Valley Memory Gardens has spearheaded a campaign for a statue that they will place at her gravesite. He chose internationally known sculptor Bridgette Mongeon. She has a heart for women and is an avid hike leader and an admin for an ever-growing hiking group – Houston Women's Hiking in Texas. She knows what encouragement Grandma Gatewood brings to the love of hiking and the support of women, as that is also at the heart of her group. Doing a sculpture of Grandma Gatewood is close to the artist's heart, and she has invited other women from her hiking group to help her bring Grandma Gatewood to life.
When brought on to the project, she asked Maxwell if they could raise money and cast two, bringing Grandma Gatewood Back to the Appalachian Trail. But where? Finding a location that will fit the sculpture and where it is permitted close to the trail but not actually on it is challenging. The Grandma Gatewood Fundraising Team is searching for a second location now and hopes to divulge that information as soon as they can secure and finalize details.
Meanwhile, Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon is creating a small maquette that she will enlarge into a life-size sculpture. "My design won't look like the 'posed' photographs that you see of Grandma Gatewood taken by well-meaning photographers as they interrupted her solitude." states the sculptor and hiker. The artist's vision is of Grandma Gatewood on a small berm, hiking uphill, pausing to marvel at the wonder of nature. "I know this feeling. Many hikers know this feeling. That is what I'm trying to capture." The bronze scene will allow hikers to pretend to hike up next to her for a perfect photo opportunity.
The artist is documenting her creative journey on the grandmagatewood.com website, offering supporters an opportunity to peer over the shoulder of the artist while she works. She appreciates hearing the stories others share on how Grandma Gatewood has inspired their lives. "These stories inspire the art," states Mongeon.
The installation date depends on the fundraising; however, life-size bronzes can take a year to create. You can plan on visiting Grandma Gatewood near the AT or in Gallipolis, Ohio, at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.There will be celebrations at each location, and Mongeon plans to bring some of her hiking ladies from Texas to hike the trails in honor and thanks to Grandma Gatewood.
Sharing about the project and the fundraiser is vital to this journey. Mongeon adds, "No donation is too small. Like the trail, it is one step at a time." To contribute to the statue project, visit the www.GrandmaGatewood.com website for the GoFundMe link and other banking information.
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Photographs available for this press release upon request.
For more information about this press release contact Bridgette Mongeon.
The YouTube video below is an interview in the artists studio about the Grandma Gatewood statue project and can be shared publicly.