Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Can Be Life-Changing Journey
Let me assure you of two things. First, if you have gotten the idea of attempting an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hike lodged in your head, the great odds are that sooner or later you will find yourself–backpack bravely strapped on–facing north at Springer Mountain in north Georgia. That is the good news. The bad news–and I am even more sure of this–is that you will never find a perfect time to attempt your thru-hike. The simple fact is that there will always be other commitments, people, hobbies, tasks, jobs,...
read moreLow Snow Levels Give Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hiking Class of 2013 a Big Advantage
“Have you heard any snow reports?’ PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) thru-hikers are accustomed to spending the winter before their thru-hikes obsessing over snow levels in the so-called ‘High Sierra’. For good reason. The High Sierra is the most daunting and beautiful part of the PCT. Hands down. This section both haunts and beckons. It’s all about the snow. In 2006, the year after my AT (Appalachian Trail) thru-hike, I wanted to then attempt a thru-hike of the PCT. However, all winter I followed a website showing the...
read moreAmazon Travel Books Recommends ‘Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail’.
The Amazon Travel Books Department has recommended the outdoor adventure narrative, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), by Bill Walker (‘Skywalker’). This is the story of 6’11” Bill Walker’s turbulent thru-hike of the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2009. Walker lost 43 pounds, but came away enthralled by the extraordinary variety of terrain on the PCT, as well as the colorful cast of characters that make up its trail community. This narrative has sold well from its...
read moreSkywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
Why would a middle-aged businesman who had never even spent a night outdoors attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one year? Bill Walker, a former commodities trader in Chicago and London, and an avid walker, had developed a virtual obsession to hike this 2,175 mile trail in one hiking season. So in the spring of 2005 he set off, determined to hike this Georgia-to-Maine wilderness trail before the arrival of winter. Immediately, he realized he had plunged into a whole new world. For starters, the Appalachian Trail has some...
read moreTrail Days in Damascus Shows the Hiking Community at its Best
The annual Trail Days Festival in Damascus, Virginia is one of the outdoor world’s marquee events. For good reason. It was started in 1987 with the idea of bringing together hikers from previous years. It has succeeded signally in that regard; but it is also a lot more than that. The whole outdoor community seems to be on display. For starters, Damascus is the perfect place to have the event; it is widely known as the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail. Instead of having to hitch into town, hikers follow the blazes right down the...
read moreWhat Reader Should Look For In Outdoor Adventure Narratives (Bill Bryson, Cheryl Strayed, Jon Krakauer)
Outdoor adventure narratives are a cottage industry. And for good reason. A cursory look at history shows that the deepest yearning of humans is to move. “The great affair is to move,” wrote Pascal in his Pensees’s. “Complete calm is death.”Indeed, from our earliest time as a species, humans have sought to better their plight by perpetual motion, the Bedouins, Kurds, Aborigenes, to name but a few with this history. What’s more, we feel a compelling need to write about our lifetime journeys. Just consider...
read moreSkywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail
The PCT’s calling card is its stunning beauty. It has a diversity of geography unequaled by any footpath in the world. Haunting and beckoning the PCT hiker are the implacable desert, the towering majesty of the so-called High Sierra, and the ruggedly bleak, northern Cascade range. Indeed, the PCT hiker faces much greater extremes of terrain and climate than on the famed Appalachian Trail. Completing this demanding challenge calls for overwhelming clarity of purpose. Walker’s signature characteristic as a writer is his real talent...
read moreFree Amazon Kindle Upload of ‘Getting High–the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal’ by Skywalker
Skywalker’s new narrative, Getting High–the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, is available for free upload on Amazon Kindle through the weekend. This is a one-time offer; indeed early interest has been terrific. Hopefully, anyone with interest in the Himalayas will consider reading this adventure narrative. The Annapurna Circuit attracts trekkers from around the world, similar to the Camino de Santiago in...
read moreFree Upload of ‘Getting High–the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal’ by Skywalker
Bill Walker (‘Skywalker’) will be having a two-day free upload (April 27 and 28) of his newly released outdoor adventure narrative, Getting High–The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal (2013). This is the story of his trek on Europe’s most popular footpath, the Annapurna Circuit. Walker ardently makes the case that the Annapurna Circuit is the best way for an average person like himself to experience the world’s greatest mountain range, the Himalayas. Ten of the world’s highest 14 peaks are in Nepal. The Annapurna...
read morePacific Crest Trail Kickoff Party Is a Great Way to Start
“I would definitely go to the Kickoff.” Time after time, when I asked ex PCT-hikers for advice, that was the first thing they suggested. They were referring to the annual Pacific Crest Trail Kickoff Party held every year on the last weekend in April in Lake Morena County State Park in the southern California desert. The PCTactually begins at the Mexican border; Lake Morena State Park is 21 miles north of the border. Thru-hikers traditionally hike to the park, and arrive on a Friday. This year the Kickoff will be April 26-28....
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