Appalachian Trail Books–Bill Bryson, Skywalker, and AWOL

“What books do you recommend that I read?” I’m often asked by people contemplating a thru-hike of the famed Appalachian Trail. Objectively, it’s  a good question. But it’s a bit ironic that they ask me. For two reasons. To begin with, I wrote a narrative on the Appalachian Trail called Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. And as we all know, authors are notoriously poor judges of their own...

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Bill Bryson, Cheryl Strayed, Jon Krakauer, and Hape Kerkeling Heavily Influence Outdoors Activity–Kudos

Hikers are serious people. No, they aren’t serious in the Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, or Bill Gates way. They have a different focus. It’s a broader one–theGreat Outdoors. Hikers, pilgrims, and of course, outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen don’t like to be confined inside for too long. Their central nervous system thrums at a higher pitch when engaged deep within wilderness, scaling peaks, or perhaps even slogging dutifully...

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Time Magazine Article on Cheryl Strayed–Author of Popular Pacific Crest Trail Book

“Should I do the Pacific Crest Trail this summer?” one anxious caller asks Cheryl Strayed, author of the smashing new bestseller, ‘Wild–From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail’.  “Go,” Strayed  immediately exhorts the caller. “Do it.” Indeed, anecdotal evidence shows that many people are following her advice and headed out for sojourns on that great western trek, the 2,663 mile...

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Skywalker–Appalachian Trail Book Soars to #1 Kindle Ranking in Sports, Hiking & Camping Books

    Product Details File Size:1239 KB Print Length:246 pages Publisher:Create Space for paperback version; 2 edition (April 25, 2008) Sold by:Amazon Digital Services Language:English ASIN:B004Y6AGJ6 Text-to-Speech: Enabled Lending:Enabled Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,590 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Excursion Guides #1 in Kindle Store...

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Cheryl Strayed’s Biggest Fan

I recently received the following message from Cheryl Strayed, author of the wildly popular book, ‘Wild’. Dear Skywalker, Thanks for the sweet words! And I totally agree with you that there is room for more than one book about the PCT. Mine is just one story of many. Happy trails! Best, Cheryl It is ironic. I had the top-ranked Pacific Crest Trail book (Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail) on Amazon. Then Cheryl...

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Camino de Santiago: The Best Way–To See the Old Continent

Camino de Santiago: The Best Way–To See the Old Continent

I have just released a new book on the Camino de Santiago called, The Best Way. It is a narrative of my 2010 and 2011 hikes of the popular Camino Frances, which runs from St. Jean Pied de Port in southern France to the great Gothic Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. In the ‘Holy Year’ of 2010, I did this 500 mile trek with my 18 year-old nephew Gavin, who proved to have his own brand of Fonzie-like charm....

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