Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
This is the cover for the paperback and Kindle versions of Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. The book was orginally printed in hardback form. Two runs of 1,500 were done by Indigo Publishing. Last year I had sold out of all 3,000 copies. That was the good news. The bad news is the publisher went broke.
Thus, I have created this new version (exact same text) with what some consider a whimsical cover, panning my height. It has sold briskly on www.amazon.com, often in the top 1% of Amazon Kindle rankings. Fortunately, I have been able to drop the price from the old hardback version. The paperback sells for $9.95 and the Kindle goes for $4.95.
Some have joked this book is as much about what NOT to do, as what to do. Indeed, I had never even spent a single night outdoors when I headed out alone to attempt a thru-hike of this 2,175 mountain wilderness trail. Fortunately, the AT has such a rich culture that I was able to rely on a network of hastily-formed friendships to get me through. The one mistake that I did not make was waiting for someone to give me a trail name.
Because of my near 7-foot height, along with a surname of Walker, I chose the trail name of Skywalker. It stuck. So consider reading this narrative to not only learn what not to do, but see how I finally redeemed myself after an inauspicious beginning.
Bill Walker is also the author of Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail (2010) and The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago (2012).
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