Muir Trail Magic


Book Description

Last year, Bob Riley backed out of hiking the 211-mile John Muir Trail with his wife because he was too busy at work. She attempted to finish alone, but didn’t return! Filled with guilt and regret, he vows to show her the remainder of the trail through his own eyes, ears, and thoughts. But did he bite off more than he can chew? Can he finish the hike without her? Without some trail magic? Follow Bob and his trail family as they strive to make the most of second chances along one of the most beautiful mountain trails in the world. How will they handle the daunting physical challenges of thin mountain air, unpredictable weather, wildlife encounters, and climbing thousands of feet a day? Will their emotional baggage outweigh the backpacks digging into their shoulders and containing everything they need for three weeks? Will Thousand Island Lake, the Muir Hut, and Mt. Whitney reward and inspire them as much as the heavily edited vlogs proclaim? Join the adventure from the comfort of your home as you relive your own hike or plan your next adventure. This is a work of fiction.




John Muir Trail


Book Description

The new edition of this Sierra classic has been completely updated, and meticulously describes the entire trail. The book includes GPS coordinates for every junction, has separate descriptions for northbound and southbound hikers, and shows elevations and distance.




Journeys North


Book Description

2020 Banff Mountain Book Competition Finalist in Adventure Travel In Journeys North, legendary trail angel, thru hiker, and former PCTA board member Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy--trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish. As the group approaches Canada, a storm rages. How will these very different hikers, ranging in age, gender, and background, respond to the hardship and suffering ahead of them? Can they all make the final 60-mile push through freezing temperatures, sleet, and snow, or will some reach their breaking point? Journeys North is a story of grit, compassion, and the relationships people forge when they strive toward a common goal.




The Unlikely Thru-Hiker


Book Description

Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He didn't even know if he liked being outside all that much. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job overseas cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the greater New York comedy circuit began to think about what he might do with months of free time and no commitments. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail and knew of its potential for danger and adventure, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,192 miles of it. Then again, what could go wrong for a young black man from the city trekking solo through the East Coast backwoods? The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of how an unknowing ambassador of one of the AT's least common demographics, unfamiliar with both the outdoors and thru-hiking culture, sets off with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude to conquer the infamous trail. What follows are eye-opening lessons on preparation, humility, race relations, and nature's wild unpredictability. But this isn't a hard-nosed memoir of discouragement or intolerance. What sets Lugo apart from the typical walk in the woods is his refusal to let any challenge squash his inner Pollyanna. Through it all, he perseveres with humor, tenacity, and an unshakeable commitment to grooming--earning him the trail name "Mr. Fabulous"--that sees him from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.




Thirst


Book Description

By age 25, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the "Triple Crown" of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT)—a combined distance of 7,900 miles with a vertical gain of more than one million feet. A few years later, she left her job, her marriage, and a dissatisfied life and walked back into those mountains. In her new memoir, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, Heather, whose trail name is "Anish," conveys not only her athleticism and wilderness adventures, but also shares her distinct message of courage--her willingness to turn away from the predictability of a more traditional life in an effort to seek out what most fulfills her. Amid the rigors of the trail--pain, fear, loneliness, and dangers--she discovers the greater rewards of community and of self, conquering her doubts and building confidence. Ultimately, she realizes that records are merely a catalyst, giving her purpose, focus, and a goal to strive toward. Heather is the second woman to complete the “Double Triple Crown of Backpacking,” completing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails twice each. She holds overall self-supported Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on the Pacific Crest Trail (2013)—hiking it in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes, breaking the previous men’s record by four days and becoming the first women to hold the overall record—and the Arizona Trail (2016), which she completed in 19 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes. She also holds the women’s self-supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail (2015) with a time of 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes. Heather has hiked more than twenty thousand miles since 2003, including ten thru-hikes. An ultramarathon runner, she has completed six 100-mile races since August 2011 as well as dozens of 50 km and 50-mile events. She has attempted the infamous Barkley Marathons four times, starting a third loop once. Heather is also an avid mountaineer working on several ascent lists in the US and abroad.




Guide to the John Muir Trail


Book Description

On the legendary John Muir Trail you pass through a land of 14,000-foot peaks, deep canyons, massive granite walls, and sparking lakes. Here's the best guide to this 211-mile hiking wonderland, written by two of WP's most venerable authors.




Free Outside


Book Description

Jeff Garmire was living the fast paced life of a successful young professional when he gave it all up to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. He set out to become only the fifth person to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail in a single calendar year. Finishing the 8,000 mile Calendar Year Triple Crown would be an adventure of a lifetime. The journey was riddled with inclement weather, shady characters, wildlife attacks, and injuries. Along the way Jeff swam frozen rivers, encountered wildfires and battled his own mind. He offers a captivating story of strength and courage. Hiking through some of the most remote areas in America, Jeff is continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of strangers. Free Outside is the fascinating story of Jeff Garmire's journey along the national historic trails that define wild America. Finishing would take everything he had, and he was willing to give it all.




Thru


Book Description

A diverse group of hikers--by age, ethnicity, and background--set out separately to hike the whole Appalachian Trail from Gerogia to Maine. They all bonded, as thru-hikers tend to do. Some fell in love. (Published by the Appalachian Trail Museum Society; distributed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.)




Grandma Gatewood's Walk


Book Description

Winner of the 2014 National Outdoor Book Awards for History/Biography Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. There she sang the first verse of "America, the Beautiful" and proclaimed, "I said I'll do it, and I've done it." Grandma Gatewood, as the reporters called her, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person—man or woman—to walk it twice and three times. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity and appeared on TV and in the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction. Author Ben Montgomery was given unprecedented access to Gatewood's own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence, and interviewed surviving family members and those she met along her hike, all to answer the question so many asked: Why did she do it? The story of Grandma Gatewood will inspire readers of all ages by illustrating the full power of human spirit and determination. Even those who know of Gatewood don't know the full story—a story of triumph from pain, rebellion from brutality, hope from suffering.




Hike Your Own Hike


Book Description