Grandma Gatewood Trail

The Akron Beacon Journal's Bob Downing has a 30 December 2007 article titled "Hocking Hills - Ohio's wonderland; Hocking Hills is year-round getaway with waterfalls, gorges, caves and 24 miles of spectacular hiking trails". It's about the southeast Ohio state park named Hocking Hills. It sounds like a pretty neat place.

Talking about the hiking there in the park, Downing writes:

"If you are ambitious, you can hike from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls and back. It is a six-mile round-trip on the popular Grandma Gatewood Trail. Add six more miles and you can hike from Cedar Falls to Ash Cave and back.

"Ohioan Emma Gatewood was born in 1887 and died in 1973 and began hiking at the age of 67. She had 11 children and 23 grandchildren. She hiked the Oregon Trail once and the Appalachian Trail three times. She was the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail alone in 1955.

"This section of the Buckeye Trail was one of her favorites. It was designated a National Recreation Trail and named after her in 1979. It is also part of the federal North Country Trail and the American Discovery Trail."

Remembering our forebears is a good way to end one year and start the next.