Setting out on an Appalachian Trail hike can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. Presumably, you’ve done your preparation, gathered a group together, and laid out your route. That moment – with nothing but the excitement of the trail and beautiful wilderness ahead of you – can be uniquely exhilarating. Because of this, it’s fair to say that just about every voluntary...

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking series on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails has received a strong critical review for his new novel, Chicago Pits (2018). The review was from the respected Midwest Book Review which is selective about books it reviews for independent authors. The book is written in the vein of The Bonfire of the Vanities, the Wall Street satire authored by the late Tom Wolfe. Critique: A saga of a...

“Was it really like that? I can’t believe such large financial transactions are conducted like that,” people keep asking me. They are referring to the daily savagery I write about in Chicago Pits (2018)? My answer-and I was a floor broker for many years– is “Not always. But when the chips were down, all too often it was exactly like that. And that is why they now trade electronically. The customer was the stooge...

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking series, has completed a comprehensive novel on the Chicago commodities business. It is believed to be the only such work of fiction to incorporate extensive trading scenes. The book is titled Chicago Pits and follows the story of Chris Parker, a lanky Alabaman who arrives in Chicago hoping to pile up massive wealth, only to be met with fierce resistance from the powers-that-be. This includes...

I just returned from doing a three-week section on the famed Appalachian Trail. The news is all good. The trail is well maintained and blazed, as well as teeming with hikers. According to ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) figures, the number of thru-hikers for the Class of 2018 may reach 4,000–the most ever, and double the number of my Class of 20005. Interestingly, the number of foreigners has surged with Germans (always game travelers)...