The Wikipedia article was a bit light on her personality and life outside of hiking, how was she like? It sounded like she had a strong personality and didn't take no for an answer, but I'm also curious about the poetry she wrote and what was her general outlook in life. She seemed like she was very smart.
She was incredibly intelligent and had a very strong, decisive personality. Her school only went up to eight grade, but she repeated that grade until she turned 18. She was constantly reading anything she could get her hands on (which is how she found out about the AT in National Geographic), and she was also writing on anything resembling paper. My cousin has preserved her poems, and some are written on the strangest materials like envelopes, receipts, and even a PanAm Calendar.
Her poetry focused mostly on nature and daily life. Quite a few of my cousins are certified naturalists in their respective states.
Grandma Gatewood is a legend on the A.T. She is a great example for female long-distance hikers who wonder if the A.T. is safe. At the time she completed her thru-hike, the A.T. was a lot wilder and more dangerous than it is now. And her backstory makes the achievement all the more impressive and folkloric.
Why be credulous? The commenter stands to gain respect and influence in this community by spreading plausible fictions.
That's not harmless. They could use that unwarranted cachet to influence discussions here in ways that would negatively impact our community. I'm a little surprised I have to argue here in favor of people having integrity.
I don’t know what I can do to prove I’m related to her besides give you my actual identity. It’s Caitlin Gatewood Edwards. I have some pretty public profiles on social media that have other family members linked that are also direct descendants. We’re a pretty large family.
You’ve basically nailed it. A friend who’s on the site sent me this, I saw the comment asking if any direct descendants were on, and thought I’d help answer some questions.
My friend is on the site, saw this article, and he sent it to me. I made an account when I noticed one of the comments was asking if any descendants were on here and thought I could help answer questions.
Wow, that's cool. I've admired her for a long time (I'm a long distance hiker). One of the things I like about her is that she proves that you don't need to be in top physical condition or have a lot of expensive gear to complete the journey.
The Wikipedia article was a bit light on her personality and life outside of hiking, how was she like? It sounded like she had a strong personality and didn't take no for an answer, but I'm also curious about the poetry she wrote and what was her general outlook in life. She seemed like she was very smart.