Greetings WhiteBlaze!

I've just published a book about my own 2019 thru-hike which I completed with my soon-to-be wife who I met on day 2 of the trail. The title of the book is, "Sauntering Thru: Lessons in Ambition, Minimalism, and Love on the Appalachian Trail". Other than telling our story, the book includes a major section on preparing for a thru-hike, as well as a separate section about coming home from the trail and the struggle many thru-hikers have with post-trail depression. Here is a link to the book on Amazon.

I hope this will help our community, both the successful thru-hikers and those who are hopeful to join their ranks! Thanks for checking it out. There will be a sale on it for the first 3 days.

Here is the blurb for the book:

"Sauntering Thru follows the true story of the author, Raiden, a scientist who escaped to the mountains and found humility, simple living, and a lifelong partner (Chilly Bin) whom he met, against all odds, while hiking through the woods covered in dirt. Together, they traveled from Georgia to Maine on foot – a 2192 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. That summer, they experienced the immersive natural beauty of one of North America’s great long trails – alongside the mental lows of walking endless miles over ankle-breaking rocks; being swarmed by biting insects; and narrowly escaping numerous adventure-ending pitfalls such as dangerous hitchhikes, nearly shattering kneecaps, and barely avoiding hypothermia, twice.

These low points anchored this grand adventure, drew the couple together, and proved that together they could overcome any obstacle. It was the perfect experience, and it changed everything. This story aims to share both the euphoria and the harrowing difficulties of walking the Appalachian Trail while providing insights on minimalism and the other lessons taught by a summer living the simple life.

Join Chilly Bin and Raiden on their journey to Katahdin!"