Hike It Forward: Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Strong, Safe, and in the Spirit
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Hike It Forward: Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Strong, Safe, and in the Spirit
The pages of Hike It Forward: Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Strong, Safe, and in the Spirit retell the experiences and adventures during a thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. The 2,186 mile hike encompassed fourteen states and involved over a hundred and fifty days of foot travel over the hills and mountains of the eastern part of the United States. From Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine, this book records the author’s daily adventures and insights. The views from the top of fire towers in Tennessee, the peaceful ponds of the Maine wilderness, the extraordinary personalities of fellow hikers, and the wildlife of the trail combine to weave a story of victory and faith.
There are several travel-logs recounting the journeys of thru-hikers, but this volume focuses on specific aspects of the hike with chapters on trail names, animals, hostels, trail angels, and hiking gear. This book records the adversities, blessings, and disappointments that the trail presented during the spring, summer, and fall of 2014. Laughter is a large part of a successful hike so smiles are laced throughout the chapters including humorous trail lessons on the rocks of Pennsylvania, the weight-loss program of the trail, and the high-speed winds of New Hampshire.
From the birth of the idea to hike the trail to the months of pre-hike training to the fording of streams to the climb up Mount Washington, this book captures a sixty-four year old man’s attempt to conquer one of the great long trails in America. From the waves of blue mountain ranges stretching for miles in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, to the beautiful starkness above tree line in the Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire, the sights and sounds of the AT fill the pages of the text. Bonus features of the book offer an abbreviated record of the hiker’s journal providing a day-to-day peek into the five month adventure, as well as a quick state-by-state walk-through of the Appalachian Trail detailing some of the unique sights and places to see along the path.