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My most basic advice for an aspiring thru-hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail is twofold: First, regardless of how strange it seems, you must buy a pair of low-cut trail running shoes that are at least one size larger than normal. The surface in the desert is so scalding that your feet will turn into kangaroo feet. And please, under no circumstances wear boots. The thought of boots in the desert (and resulting silver dollar-sized blisters) is truly...

Truth be known, asking me for advice on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is about like asking the captain of the Titanic for advice on navigation. I struggled every step of the way in my 2005 thru-hike of this great national scenic trail. Of the people who made it all the way, I was one of the worst. In fact, there were many hikers who were much better and stronger than me who did not complete the hike. So while I am much more fluent in the...

I recently received a very negative one-star review on Amazon for my narrative, Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. The reviewer mentioned that I had written the wrong name for the outfitter at Neel’s Gap, and thus my facts could not be trusted. I replied to the reviewer that I had used the wrong name on purpose. I had a traditional publisher, Indigo Publishing, that insisted that I use a pseudonym because I had...

“Nobody in particular looked like a murderer or rapist, but nobody in particular didn’t look like one either.” That line is a sample quote from Cheryl Strayed’s powerful Pacific Crest Trail narrative, ‘Wild’. You’ve got to hand it to her. She meets the Pat Conroy test. “I want it all,” Conroy has written about what she is looking for in the books he reads. “That’s all I ask for an...