Painted Blazes


Book Description

We needed some adventure - in our adventure! Only vaguely aware long distance hiking trails crisscrossed the country, a chance meeting led to Jeff's discovery of the Appalachian Trail. Who could have ever guessed that during his journey, "Loner," as he's become known in hiker circles, would be bitten by a dog (and a lobster), happen upon a plane crash, chat with a wanted fugitive, come face-to-face with a black bear, see a ghost, be in a car accident, run completely out of money (twice), spend the night under a jail, lose 80 pounds, and find the girl of his dreams? And all to have the time of his life, feel the kindness of others and ultimately learn, he's not a loner after all. Documenting, for friends and family, his trip on YouTube, thousands more also followed along, vicariously. This story captures the excitement, fun, sadness and danger of a thru-hike with many added details, photos, funny characters and dozens of incidents never before revealed. More than just a memoir, Hiker Tips will inspire future hikers to begin their own ultralight backpacking adventure! (Loner's total pack weight was 13 pounds.) Also, Fun Facts will help readers gain rare insight into a subculture with its own ethics, trail names, history, hostel system, language and folklore. Happy hiking! And don't forget... Find some adventure - in your adventure!




Walks of a Lifetime


Book Description

Walk the World’s Greatest Trails To walk is to discover, from those first halting steps as a child to walking the world’s greatest long-distance trails. Experience breathtaking coastlines, mountain ranges, historic landscapes, wilderness areas, religious pilgrimages, great cities, and iconic rivers. Walk to learn more about our beautiful and curious world, to be healthy and happy, to add adventure and authenticity to life, and to learn something about yourself in the process. Walking is simple, but it can also be profound. Veteran outdoor enthusiasts Robert and Martha Manning invite readers to experience the joy of walking in Walks of a Lifetime. They offer firsthand descriptions of thirty of the world’s great long-distance trails and multiday walks, including personal anecdotes, natural and cultural history, practical tips, and full-color photographs and maps. Walks range from inn-to-inn routes to backpacking treks and are found across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. Trail descriptions are accompanied by a series of short, engaging essays on the many dimensions of walking.




Captain Blue on the Blue Blazes


Book Description

Imagine walking 1,444 miles with a backpack carrying the bare necessities of life, 26 maps, and a whole lot of grit. When three-time Appalachian Trail Hiker, Andy "Captain Blue" Niekamp decided to hike Ohio's Buckeye Trail, he took on the challenge of his life. On this 88-day adventure, Captain Blue found things he didn't know he had: a Buckeye Trail family who assisted and encouraged him; a home state rich with scenic beauty and history; the physical, mental, and emotional stamina to travel Ohio alone and on foot. Readers will enjoy the trail tales of Captain Blue, past and present, and his knack for bringing humor and good-natured reflection to a hiker's experiences in the elements: the cold, snow, wind, rain, heat, and humidity of springtime in Ohio; the physical test of walking for miles every day on a variety of treadways; the unpredictability of nature; and the sincere generosity of strangers.













Highland Trails


Book Description

Explores the hiking and riding trails in the highlands of Western North Carolina, Northeast Tennessee, and Southwest Virginia. This work includes instructions to the 90 trails, regional maps, a ratings index, photographs and observations.




Follow the Blue Blazes


Book Description

Many changes have taken place in the decade since Follow the Blue Blazes was first published, changes in the trails themselves and in the way we hike them. The Buckeye Trail still wends its way around the state of Ohio, following the course marked out by the characteristic blue blazes on trees and signposts along the way. In the intervening years, however, sections of the trail have changed their route, added amenities, or just grown more interesting. From the startling rock formations and graceful waterfalls of Old Man’s Cave, to Native American mounds, battlefields, and scenic rivers, Connie and Robert J. Pond provide a captivating guide to often-overlooked treasures around the state. Each chapter features an overview of a 100-mile section of the trail and three self-guided featured hikes. The overviews and the accompanying maps may be read consecutively to acquaint the reader with the entire course of the trail. But most readers will best enjoy the trail by taking the guide along on one of the featured hikes. Each route is outlined on an easy-to-read map with GPS coordinates and waypoints to guide the hiker, as well as explicit directions from parking lot to trailhead. The Buckeye Trail is readily accessible from Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland, and Akron. Even a short trip can lead to an adventure near your own backyard.




Almost There


Book Description

"Do you want to hike the Appalachian Trail again?" he asked. Although DP Turner had hiked 1,500 miles of that trail during his adolescent years, that question from an unlikable classmate in high school led to a return forty years later. Thinking he was a hiking expert, Turner would find that a return would be quite different. Turner presents a trek fraught with hardships, beginning with a fall that breaks his ankle nearly two miles from help. And yet a glimmer of hope and wisdom shines through. The trail's culture and path had changed. Backpacking technology had passed by him. But along the way, that unlikable person would become a close friend and hiking partner. Come on a journey on a path full of danger, wonders, and remarkable people with stories needing to be told. Discover how hiking philosophies and generations had changed in four decades. Go on a quest as he tries to finish a forty-mile gap in Virginia that had haunted him all during his adult life. Along the way, he rediscovers personal growth that had lain dormant since his teenage years and what it really means to be ‘Almost There.'"




Walking the Land


Book Description

Israel has one of the most extensive and highly developed hiking trail systems of any country in the world. Millions of hikers use the trails every year during holiday breaks, on mandatory school trips, and for recreational hikes. Walking the Land offers the first scholarly exploration of this unique trail system. Featuring more than ten thousand kilometers of trails, marked with hundreds of thousands of colored blazes, the trail system crisscrosses Israeli-controlled territory, from the country's farthest borders to its densest metropolitan areas. The thousand-kilometer Israel National Trail crosses the country from north to south. Hiking, trails, and the ubiquitous three-striped trail blazes appear everywhere in Israeli popular culture; they are the subjects of news articles, radio programs, television shows, best-selling novels, government debates, and even national security speeches. Yet the trail system is almost completely unknown to the millions of foreign tourists who visit every year and has been largely unstudied by scholars of Israel. Walking the Land explores the many ways that Israel's hiking trails are significant to its history, national identity, and conservation efforts.