There was silence at the other end of the telephone. I was talking to Warren Doyle, a legendary name on the Appalachian Trail (AT). He has hiked the entire trail 16 times, which puts him at around 35,000 trail miles and counting. In fact, he has spent more miles on the trail than any other human. It was February, 2005. I was planning to attend his Appalachian Trail Institute class, in which he coaches aspiring thru-hikers on how to make it all...

  The annual Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Kickoff will be held at Lake Morena County State Park, California on April 26-28, 2013. We know you’re anxious to register! In 2012, registration opened on March 17, and we were essentially full by March 21. They expect to be on a similar schedule this year. Yes, full in four days. And there’s a good reason why. This is one heckuva party. Any outdoorsperson would love soaking up all the...

As most AT (Appalachian Trail) hikers know, Amicalola Falls is one of the names that resonates deep within the psyches of AT hikers. This is where the Appalachian Trail begins. To be perfectly concise, the AT begins at Springer Mountain, which is several miles further up on an approach trail (If you ask me, the AT should begin at Amicalola Falls). In any event, Amicalola Falls is the logical place to have a seasonal kickoff event for the great...

 “His writing style is very good,” wrote Deborah. “But he seems a little sketchy. I would go out of my way to avoid hiking with a fool like him.” This was a a recent Amazon review for my trail narrative, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. First, let me say that I appreciate Deborah buying the book, as well as writing the review. And I certainly am happy that she described the writing style...

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...

  “To be or not to be. That is the question.” Of course, those words are famous to all of us with just a morsel of knowledge of the Bard. And it’s all in the realm of fantasy, except for a few select people around the globe. Especially us Americans, for whom suspicion of royalty runs through and through our very DNA. But several years ago, I faced a question of direct relevance. Upon reading Bill Bryson’s...