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College students who want to thru-hike face a particular dilemna, because they usually can't start hiking until mid-May, while the bubble of thru-hikers usually begins around April 1st. What I...

Forever Young,

Just by chance I ran across your post. Glad to see you have integrated yourself into the vibrant AT community (next step is to hoist a backpack!). Yes, Justin was my very first...

A long-forgotten book is a Journey Northward by Adrienne Hall (2003). She has a unique perspective and a writing background that make for an entertaining, informative tale. It helped me before my...

Yes, I've done the Camino Frances the last two summers, beginning in St. Jean Pied de Port and ending in Santiago. It took 34 days both times at a gentlemanly pace. Great fun and the best way to see...

They're all Shakespearean characters--greater than average strengths and weakenesses. But they do help give the Appalachian Trail its famous culture, and make it more than just a path in the woods.
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Fiction. "The Winds of War" by Herman Wouk. Heck it took him 13 years to write; it oughta be pretty well-developed.

Non-fiction--"April 1865" by Jay Winik. Shows just how ugly the Civil War...

I sympathize with you. I got neurotic in a way I never thought I would, while finishing the final edits on my AT book. But that book is part of who you are, so it's worth making it exactly what you...

I looked for hiking partners before beginning, and was spurned by everyone. And I couldn't have been luckier. You will run into people all along the way. Most likely, your hiking partners will be...

Heck yes!

Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail

Honestly, I was a Johnny-come-lately as to the virtues of e-books. But now you can see the "whites of their eyes." Personally, my sales on Kindle outnumber sales of physical copies by 3:1, and that...

The amazing thing is that in a trail as isolated as the PCT, there are still two very viable options. Either Yogi's pages, matched up with the Wilderness Press maps and the data book. Or Erik the...

There is nothing worse than a humorless zealot. Apparently, that's what Bill Bryson has become. Actually, to be fair, Bryson just doesn't do advocacy well. His appeals on behalf of the British...

Remember, my book is as much about what NOT to do, as what to do. I fancy myself as a bit more determined (and certainly taller!) version of Stephen Katz.
Thanks for the compliment on the book.
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A truly talented writer. In fact, I wish he would hike the PCT, although Katz would probably perish in the desert.

Skywalker--Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail

It's a crime if the estimable Stephen Katz is not inducted to the AT Hall of Fame immediatley, if not sooner. I have quite the affinity for such an amiable screwup. He fits neatly in the Bell Curve...

I've met Model T at various trail and writer events--one of the most authentically nice guys in the Trail community. Better yet, he is truly knowledgeable about a vast array of topics (a polymath)....

I wholeheartedly agree. It's debatable just how good of a guy Bryson is. But his writing talent is without parallel in the hiking community. I've not only read his books; I've studied them. And just...

Just remember--my books are often about what NOT to do out there. But that's important too. Right?

Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
--Highs and Lows on the...

Eric Ryback's account of attempting to hike the PCT southbound in 1970 is a classic. Yes, he may have skipped some sections of the desert. But his vivid description of the snow he faced in the...

Honestly, it wasn't that low of a snow year. Remeber the "late snow" we got around June 10th that chased early entrants into the High Sierras back to Kennedy Meadows. Nor was it as warm as expected,...

PCT Nostalgia

Yes, indeed. Every time I spot photos of the stucco landscapes and wide open vistas of the PCT, I get sentimental and romantic. I want to go back. It gives you the best chance of...

Yes, indeed. Let me add my voice to those touting Three Hundred Zeroes. I know the author well and he is as authentic as the day is long. He missed his calling as a stand-up comedian. Instead, he...

I'm just over 6'11" and have some sobering news for you. There is no name brand out there that I'm aware of (after extensive searching) that has a tent that I will fit in. Maybe not you either. The...

Spoke with the PCT this week. It's a sellout. Gotta' be a thru-hiker, if you're not registered. The good news is the PCT has completely evaded the recession!

Skywalker--Highs and Lows on the...

He's brimming with confidence, which is necessary. But I don't think it's a foregone conclusion at all. He looks tough, but not like a sprinter. And he's gonna' try to do it in what? 49 days? Maybe....