Walking in the Rain on the Appalachian Trail

Me giving advice on walking in the rain on the Appalachian Trail is like the captain of the Titanic giving advice on navigation. Well, not quite that bad. I made it, while the Titanic’s skipper didn’t have any such luck. But those of you who have read my Appalachian Trail book, Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail, know that I was an unapologetic fair weathered hiker. However, the stark truth is that even...

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Hiking in the Rain is An Existential Part of Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiking Challenge

I just saw a post of a friend from Amicalola Falls, where the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail begins. “Starting in the rain,” he wrote. “Hey,” I wrote back, “we fair-weathered hikers time our entry onto the trail.” I was being half-droll and half-serious. To be sure, given how early it still is in the hiking season, I would wait until good weather was forecast for a few days before beginning. As tough...

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Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail Receives 100th Amazon Review

Are book reviews important? You’re darn right they are–in their entirety. Yes, individual reviews can be overrated, to be sure. For example, I recently received a review that said my Appalachian Trail narrative, Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail was, “Better than Bryson”. Of course, the reviewer was referring to the international bestseller, A Walk in the Woods, by renowned travel writer, Bill...

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Reader Calls Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail “Better Than Bryson”

  “Better than Bryson” was the Title of a Review I got for Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. My first reaction was I’m glad it was somebody that said that! But secondly, I am glad he did say it, just because of the relevant discussion it brings about. What this reader-reviewer was referring to, of course, was the iconic Appalachian Trail book, A Walk in the Woods, by renowned travel writer, Bill...

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Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail Garners Four 5-Star Reviews on Amazon in One Day!

Immediately butteflies wafted through my stomach. Why? Because when I turned on the computer this morning, I saw that I had 88 reviews on the Amazon page for Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. This compared to 84 the previous day. The obvious question was whether the four new reviews would be good or bad. Lo and behold, all four were five-star reviews. Ultra-cool. Now I don’t want to get cocky. This book isn’t...

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Book Reviews for Skywalker’s Appalachian Trail Book Show Readers ‘Get It’

Thank you ‘K-Mart’ for the below book review of Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2CVXLS6Q6G5SX/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1460999428&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=   The reason I wrote this Appalachian Trail narrative was twofold. First, the AT—like with so many mortals–was my lifetime’s journey. But secondly, I had noticed a pattern that I...

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