May, 2009

eArThworm will be crawling around the National Parks of the western United States for a while, so the next Featured Book entry will be delayed a bit.  Please keep checking back…

March, 2009

Espy, Gene. The Trail of My Life: The Gene Espy Story. Macon, Ga.: Indigo, 2008.

My review originally appeared in the Spring 2009 ALDHA newsletter, The Long Distance Hiker.

As a 12-year-old, Gene Espy picked up a chinaberry stick in the woods and felt an inexplicable urge to keep it. Twelve years later he was back in the woods on his thru-hike, carrying that same stick. In this simple straightforward book is the life story of the man who, in 1951, was the second to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail–a much more difficult and solitary journey than it is today.

He writes of the years leading up to his hike, of developing the skills and inner resources that would enable him to complete his hike. He tells, with his wry sense of humor, how his early experiences–such as selling Coca-Cola and distributing flyers so he could save pennies to buy a bicycle–taught him ingenuity, self-motivation, discipline, perseverance and, most of all, determination.

As Larry Luxenberg writes in the book’s foreword, Gene “was always in motion, a champion hitchhiker, boat builder, spelunker, motorcyclist and bicyclist…continually on the lookout for new adventures.” Clearly born with wanderlust and a craving for the outdoors, Gene writes, “…my lack of fear and yearning to explore the world drove me to conquer new things.” Gene went into his A.T. hike thinking of it “purely as a fun vacation” but found it to be “the greatest test of spirit and endurance of my life.”

And what about that chinaberry stick? It finished the hike with Gene, but finished a foot shorter due to an incident with a timber rattler. The stick now resides in a place of honor on the wall of Gene’s den–safely away from snakes. Much of the rest of his hiking gear is on display in the Visitors Center at Amicalola Falls State Park. Several photographs of the display are among the many color illustrations in this beautifully crafted book.

Gene grew up in Cordele, Georgia and now resides in nearby Macon with his wife Eugenia.
He is a graduate of Georgia Tech and a retired U. S. Air Force aerospace engineer.

162 pages  $26.95 hardcover, $19.95 softcover.
Purchase at: http://www.geneespyhiker.com

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January, 2009

Letcher, Elizabeth L., and Susan G. Letcher. The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters: Book 1: Southbounders. [Warner, N.H.]: Flower Press, 2006.

Letcher, Elizabeth L., and Susan G. Letcher. The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters: Book 2: Northbounders. [Warner, N.H.]: Flower Press, 2006.

These books were originally self-published by the authors.  Now they are being published by Stackpole Books.   Book 1, “Southbound,” has already been released and Book 2 will be coming out next year.

A buyer at Campmor liked their books so much that he acted as their agent and shopped them around to publishers.  Since he was central to the effort that made the publication of their books at Stackpole a reality, the authors are asking that people who wish to purchase the books do so at Campmor. Here’s the link to the first volume: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___99779

And here’s my review–which appeared originally in “Footprint,” the magazine of the Florida Trail Association, and “The Long Distance Hiker,” the newsletter of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Assoc. (ALDHA):

Once upon a time, in a mountain kingdom not so far away, there were two charming and talented sisters who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from North to South, then turned around and thru-hiked it South to North. And they did it barefoot, mostly. This a true story, not a fairy tale. Or maybe a true story with some fairy-tale elements. It’s a story full of adventure, true grit, true wit, friendship, and even a little romance. There’s something for everyone in these A. T. memoirs, beautifully written by “The Barefoot Sisters.”

Lucy (trailnamed “Isis” for her amazing ‘reincarnation’/recovery on day two, after her ‘death’-from-exhaustion at the end of her first day hiking the Incan Trail) and Susan (“jackrabbit”–named for her Tae Kwon Do jumping kicks) grew up on the coast of Maine and went barefoot much of their childhood. They wanted to continue this experience on their 2000-2001 thru-hikes. “We had decided to try hiking barefoot because it was the way we had always walked, since we were kids, in the mountains near our home…We loved the sense of connection to the ground…You can feel the trail with all your senses.” They would go barefoot on their hike, they decided, as long as it was comfortable and fun--which turned out to be most of the time. Before long, their feet became such celebrities that Lucy named hers Dusty and Lefty, while Susan’s were named Lethal Weapon I and II.

They became well-known to many not only for their barefoot backpacking, but also for their composition of the ditty “Dig a Hole,” about the lack of suitable privy spots on the trail. But their talents didn’t begin and end there. They were the inventors of Extreme Hiking Maneuvers such as the Slugundy Slide and the Piscataquis Pirouette. They were accomplished story-tellers, singers of sea chanties, and reciters-and-writers of poetry–especially of the Anglo-Saxon variety: “Stormward we strode, strong sisters / barefoot in the brook’s bright flowage, / on forest floor, light leaf-filtered; / barefoot on the broad granite backs / of mickle mountains, mist-manacled…” They were welcomed as gifted contributors to the entertainment around evening campfires at shelters up and down the Trail. When Susan completes her doctorate in ecology and Lucy her masters in printmaking, I’m sure they’ll become gifted contributors to the off-trail world as well.

These memoirs contain honest, realistic and spell-binding accounts of the “pleasures and perils” of a thru-hike — from the pleasures of nature and kindness of trail angels to the perils of being lost when trail blazes become hidden deep below the snowdrifts of a blinding mountain blizzard.

Reading these books is, as it says on the back cover of one volume, “as close as you can get to hiking the Appalachian Trail without strapping on a pack.” Highly recommended.

November, 2008

Otis, Stephen and Colin Roberts/aka/“Futureman” and “Applejack”. A Road More or Less Traveled: Madcap Adventures Along the Appalachian Trail. Knoxville, Tenn.: Sunnygold Books, 2008.

Back in October, I purchased a copy of this book while at the Gathering and told the authors I’d possibly make it the featured book in November. Well, it’s taken longer than I thought to read — and digest — it, and November is nearly gone. Here’s why it took a while to read it: there are a lot of pages (nearly 400) in this book. And a lot of words. And the words are quite, um…, dense in spots.

The dense passages are very poetic and evocative — full of visual images — but the number and length of them slowed down the narrative somewhat. Whichever author was doing the writing of these passages was having a lot of fun with the language, but I sometimes had to back up and re-read them to get the picture. A short example:

“…they heard a whistle coming, a’comin down from the north. A felicitous tune regaled the trees. They clapped their hands in reply sending down a light shower of sweet needles and bereft leaves — the ovation of summer’s weary orphans. A pre-cursor, that herald. Ochre, burnt umber, sienna , the sallowest of golds stitched premature seams of autumn along the frayed tendrils of the highgrass hill. The melody was surely hopeful as it came to them, sounding of experience not naiveté, yet…yes — hopeful, the earthy potion of a life lived in full, eyes wide open to the grieves of the world, not running, not fleeing but calling them on, extending the invitations of freedom, not freedom from these cares but freedom for them, abiding in patience, patiently forging ahead, gaining strength as it came.”

I found I had to let such prose slowly sink in and make sense before I could move on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful writing — but slow reading. Which is actually good, I suppose. Like having a good big meal instead of a dinky snack. And in what other A. T. book can you find the words “melungeon,” aureate,” “meniscus,” “aiguille” and “cordillera” within the first ten pages?!

Aside from those poetic passages, which you can skim over if you choose, the book is an excellent narrative of their throughhike. When they say “madcap adventures’ they aren’t kidding. They ran into some unique characters and had some wild experiences. Forgetting the dense bits (sorry, I expect they’re the author’s favorite bits), I wish all trail books were as well-written as this one. It’s a very good read and definitely worth purchasing.

Order at: http://aroadmoreorlesstraveled.com/ (the authors get more of the $$ if you order directly from them instead of from amazon.com or other such sites)

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September, 2008

Hughes, M. E. /aka/ “Postcard.” We’re Off to See the Wilderness, the Wonderful Wilderness of Awes: A Hiker’s 2000-Mile Adventure Journal of the Appalachian Trail. Philadelphia, Pa: Xlibris, 2005.

This fascinating book is long overdue to be featured. I was reminded of it when I found out recently that “Postcard” has donated his thru-hike drawings to the Appalachian Trail Museum collection. Way to go, Postcard!

For more information on the book, or to purchase it, go to http://theartfulhiker.com/postcard_book.php. The illustrations are in black and white. If you’d like to see the drawings in color, go to his online journal at http://trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=68604.

From the back cover of the book:

“Many who set out to hike the entire Appalachian Trail haven’t any idea what they’re getting themselves into; they’re simply thinking about the romanticism of adventure. One escaped city dweller, a hiker and artist named Postcard, journals his journey of discovery and silliness through both words and pictures as he makes his way-false starts and all-from Georgia to Maine. He seeks the coveted moniker of ‘thru-hiker” as a way to erase the rut he allowed himself to find.

These modern-day explorers gather each spring on a remote mountaintop in northern Georgia carrying horrifically heavy, coffee-table-sized backpacks. It is there where the 2,174-mile, six-month odyssey north to Maine begins. Those who start in early March face the southern Appalachian snows. Those who start in late April most likely face the northern ones. Some are running from life while others are running to it. Eager and hopeful, but often ill prepared, they teach themselves the harsh lessons that weight, gravity, and mountains do not make good bedfellows. Hidden in the difficulty though is the simplicity of life on the trail-a prize that’s hard to find in metropolis. Overcoming rain, awkward footing, smelly clothes, and gnawing hunger, they will be blessed with the beauty and grandeur of this land. Mountain vistas that make the soul leap will be their kingdom.

Armed with only a penknife, some 100 percent DEET and a drawing tablet, Postcard documents the whimsical and entertaining sides of this Appalachian Trail, end-to-end, epic journey. Travel with him as he tries to unravel the mysteries of why black bears steal shoes or why nothing will dry when you live in the rain. Learn how to eat anything and everything you ever dreamed of and not gain a single pound! You’ll scale rocky cliffs, ford rivers, and be introduced to real-life trail angels. Although dominated by the abundant wildlife and the unnerving silence of the forests, the trail emerges on to some of our country’s most charming Main Streets. It’s a story that’s equal parts Norman Rockwell humanity, New Yorker magazine cartoon wit, and Indiana Jones adventure.

Come along from your favorite chair and avoid the blisters. However, if you do feel inspired to don a pack and answer your own call of the wilderness, Postcard details a smart, up-to-date way to get more smiles in your miles as well.” [Note: This refers to the last chapter of the book, “Have More Smiles in Your Miles”--which is about how to choose gear for a happy thru-hike.]

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July 1, 2008

Ross, Cindy. Scraping Heaven: A Family’s Journey Along the Continental Divide. Camden, Maine: Ragged Mountain Press, 2003.

It’s time for a book on the CDT — the Continental Divide Trail. There aren’t too many CDT memoirs to choose from anyway, but choosing this one was easy. It has a whole lot going for it: an author who’s an extremely good writer, and an intriguing premise: can a family with a one-year-old and a three-year-old continue doing the long-distance hikes the parents thrived on before the children were born? Llamas were the answer to that question. They made the hikes — five years of two-month trips to complete the Trail — possible. Possible yes, but not easy by any stretch of the imagination. This book is a very honest and revealing account of the family dynamics in this difficult, but rewarding trek. And it excels in describing the astounding beauty of this 3,100 trail along the crest of the Rocky Mountains between Canada and Mexico. It’s well-written, captivating, witty, entertaining and inspiring. This extraordinary adventure “taught their children more about self-reliance, trust, interdependence, and self-determination than anything else could have done.” Lucky kids. ********************************************

May 1, 2008 At last, a book-length memoir of a Florida Trail thruhike :

Molloy, Johnny. Hiking the Florida Trail: 1,100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots, and One Heck of an Adventure. Gainesville, Fla.: University Press of Florida, 2008.

Here are some reviews:

Susan Cocking in the Miami Herald on 2/10/08:

”Johnny Molloy’s new book, ‘Hiking the Florida Trail,’ takes readers on a 78-day, 1,100-mile exploration of a raw and beautiful landscape. Molloy’s sense of wonder and marvel at Florida’s natural treasures reverberates through the pages of his new book, Hiking the Florida Trail (University Press of Florida, $19.95). “So much natural beauty, it’s unbelievable,” Molloy said. “The Florida Trail has vast stretches where you can experience unmatched solitude. It offers a different experience than life in Florida, which is fast-paced. On the Florida Trail, you walk at nature’s pace.”

From the first chapter, titled “Let It Rip!”, the author easily draws readers into his 78-day, 1,100-mile exploration of a … landscape unseen by many living nearby in packed urban centers. Carrying his food and supplies on his back, Molloy, 46, explored the state’s longest continuous hiking path much in the way of early native Americans — cooking over a fire, drinking unfiltered water out of lakes and swamps, and enduring rain, bugs and obstructions wrought by the numerous hurricanes of 2005. His nod to the modern world was to carry a digital recorder and solar-powered mini-computer that enabled him to write the book as he walked.”

Tom Palmer in The Ledger (Lakeland, FL) on 2/12/08:

“Most people view the Florida landscape at high speed through a car windshield or from an airplane window seat. The way to really see Florida or any other part of the planet’s landscape is on foot. I certainly didn’t invent this concept. The late nature writer Edwin Way Teale observed, “For a naturalist, the most productive pace is a snail’s pace.”

Johnny Molloy traveled through Florida at something slightly faster than a snail’s pace, but he didn’t seem to miss too much on a trek through the state that he recounts in a recently published book. In “Hiking the Florida Trail: 1,100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots and One Heck of an Adventure” (University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 224 pages, $19.95) Molloy takes us along as he slogs through swamps, camps along scenic rivers and gets to see little known natural gems on his way from Big Cypress Swamp to the outskirts of Pensacola.

Molloy, the author of a number of outdoor adventure guides, followed the Florida Trail, a statewide trail system that is still a work in progress - some segments still run along highways - that meanders through a mosaic of public and private lands (the private lands are open only to Florida Trail Association members). This is what is known in hiking parlance as a “through hike,” which means doing the entire route rather than segments that can be handled in a day or two. Molloy makes it clear this is not a hike for the inexperienced or the soft. “When you are going on a long-distance hike, you must extend your discomfort tolerance range,” he wrote. It is a matter of enduring cold and wet weather, uncomfortable sleeping conditions and unexciting food choices. …

But it’s not all hardship. He meets friendly and helpful people. He learns something about Florida’s history and culture. He sees neat stuff. He recounted a stop at a place called Shepherd Spring in the Panhandle, a beautiful blue spring boil that’s only accessible by hiking miles through the wilderness. It was worth the price of admission.

Molloy’s work, which is illustrated with a few black-and-white photos, is a well-written account of a great modern Florida adventure that some us might want to emulate in part if not in whole. He provides enough details to give us a sense of place without getting bogged down in the details of every footstep, side trail or campsite. The book will certainly be a hit within the hiking community, but anyone interested in Florida’s natural history may come away with a tidbit here and there that will be new and probably a lot more satisfying than gagmeal (Molloy’s term for instant oatmeal).”

Mark Davis in the Daytona Beach NewsJournal on 4/13/08:

“Johnny Molloy loves adventure. An avid outdoorsman who loves to hike and canoe, he has written more than 30 guidebooks and narratives about his adventures. His latest involved a Herculean task in 2006 — hiking all 1,100 miles of the Florida Trail consecutively. That’s no misprint; he hiked 78 days from South Florida to the edge of the Panhandle in one fell swoop, camping most of the way.

In “Hiking the Florida Trail: 1,100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots, and One Heck of an Adventure,” Molloy recounts how he survived the trek that lasted from mid-January to early April two years ago. He battled wildlife (mainly insects), swampy land, storms, hunger, quirky humans and poor directions. Despite up-to-date maps, he got lost numerous times but always found his way back. Why did he choose such an unorthodox excursion? “Because of the freedom and quiet beauty; the rich mix of natural landscapes; the close portrait of hurricane sculpting; the bursting exuberance of spring; and the pleasure of having all you can see entirely to yourself,” he concludes….

“Hiking the Florida Trail” is a must-read for Florida hikers. It’s informative and mildly entertaining for those interested in the outdoors. Because he spends so much time alone, Molloy doesn’t run into very many interesting characters, an element that could’ve enlivened his book. The narrative often becomes a routine exercise of “I got up early, heard the birds sing, made coffee and started hiking through pine scrub forests.” In addition, there were no major disasters along the way — i.e., Chris McCandless in “Into the Wild” (slow death) or Aaron Ralston in “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” (severed arm and almost bleeding to death). Lacking such drama, Molloy’s book won’t pitch a tent on the best-seller charts. But he makes a unique and meaningful contribution to Florida outdoor adventure stories.”

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March 1, 2008 This book is definitely a winner:

Egbert, Barbara. Zero Days: The Real-Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nelly Bly, and Ten-Year-Old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail. Berkeley, Calif.: Wilderness Press, 2008.

It’s an entertaining, informative, and expertly-written account of a family who thruhiked the PCT. Not only is the story of their hike well told, but all aspects of PCT hiking are skillfully interwoven into the tale.

“In April 2004, Barbara Egbert and Gary Chambers began a six-month journey to hike the length of the Pacific Crest Trail with their precocious 10-year-old daughter, Mary. That October, Mary became the youngest person ever to successfully walk the 2,650-mile route from Mexico to Canada.

Zero Days is the tale of a family adventure that required love, perseverance, and the careful rationing of toilet paper. The trio, who adopted the trail names Captain Bligh (Gary), Nellie Bly (Barbara), and Scrambler (Mary), hiked for 168 days and took a total of nine “zero days”—days off from hiking, so-called because the backpacker travels zero mileage on the trail itself that day. In addition to weaving an engaging narrative, Barbara incorporates actual pages and drawing from 10-year-old Mary’s journal.

Along the way, they weathered the heat of the Mojave, the jagged peaks of the Sierra, the rain of Oregon (and paradoxically the lack of water sources there), and the final long, cold stretch of the Northern Cascades to Canada. They met trail angels like the Dinsmores and their salty-mouthed parrot, Topper. And they discovered which family values, from love and equality to thrift and cleanliness, could withstand shin splints, an abscessed tooth, aching legs, failing knees, bad water—and a long, narrow trail and 137 nights together in a 6-by-8-foot tent.

If you have ever endeavored to go the distance on a big thru-hike, you will pick up tidbits of wisdom, practical advice, and humor from this well-told story of one family’s epic journey. Or, if you simply like to read about the adventures of others who walk in the woods, you’ll enjoy the saga of Mary’s—and her parent’s—remarkable journey.

In a genre mostly full of adventure narratives about the hardiest of mountain men, this story of 10-year-old Scrambler and her 50-something parents hiking 2650 miles together inspire readers to dream about and plan their own epic journey.” [Wilderness Press]

About the Author “Barbara Egbert, a.k.a. Nellie Bly, is an experienced hiker, backpacker, and travel writer. An English major (and proud of it!), she has worked in print journalism for more than 30 years. She lives with her husband, Gary Chambers (Captain Bligh), and daughter, Mary (the famous Scrambler), in the San Francisco Bay Area.”[amazon.com]

You can read sample pages at books.google.com by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/3c6aae

An article about the book, by the author herself, is at: http://newsguild.org/gr/index.php?ID=4892

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February 1, 2008 The second book to be featured is another personal favorite, written by an excellent author, Jan “Liteshoe” Leitschuch. This one is about a thruhike of Vermont’s Long Trail. Leitschuh, Jan. The Ordinary Adventurer: Hiking Vermont’s Long Trail: A Primer for Baby Adventurers, and Other Musings on the Nature of the Journey. Titusville, Fla.: Jerelyn Press, 2007. Jeffrey Hunter, American Hiking Society’s Southeast Trail Programs Director, has written the best review of Jan’s book that I’ve seen so far: “Truth be told I’m not particularly fond of reading most hiker journals. You know the type I’m referring to. “I woke up, cooked breakfast, started hiking at 8 AM, saw a bear at 11 AM, my feet hurt, it’s cold and raining, I have a blister, I’m running low on Snicker bars, I reached camp at 7 PM, I cooked dinner and fell asleep.” That gets old pretty fast. Then there is the rare hiker who has the skill and insight to capture the essence of the hiking experience, and distill that experience into words that makes the reader crave for more. Such is the case with Jan “Liteshoe” Leitschuh. an is well known in long distance hiking circles for her excellent journal from her 2003 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Her journal remains one of the most popular on Trailjournals.com, and for good reason. She is a gifted and talented writer…” Read the rest of the review >> http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/archives/065259.html

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January 1, 2008 The first book I’ve selected for this new feature is one of the few A. T. memoirs written by a real author, and it’s a gem. McKinney, Rick. Dead Men Hike No Trails. Bangor, Maine: Booklocker.com, 2005.

What readers have said:

“This is probably the most painfully honest writing you’ll ever read. McKinney isn’t a writer that crafts phrases intentionally designed to make you feel or think one way or another. He simply creates a virtual verbal connection between his seriously warped mind (and I mean that in a good way) and his keyboard. You don’t just take a trip with him along the Appalachian Trail, you take a trip through the heights and depths of his soul. It’s as hard to describe the content of the book as it is to categorize it. Equal parts travel journal, private diary and whimsical commentary, this book will thrill you on one page, annoy you on another, amuse you and anger you on still others. Put simply, reading this book is like traveling with McKinney on his 2,000-mile hike: he’ll get on your nerves from time to time, but you’ll have an unforgettable experience.”

“It is a sweet, melodious, painfully naked autobiography of a man haunted by demons; demons which may, or may not, be products of his own decisions in life. In this too fast, skillfully written, nonlinear narrative, the reader is taken on a ride in which we occasionally glimpse into the true complexities, joys, and doubts of the author’s own chaotic perception of himself.”

“Dead Men may be a hard book to categorize but its not hard to like. In fact Mckinney’s honest prose will involve you right from the start, almost as if you are sitting next to him in an AT Shelter, tying up your boot laces with him. This isnt a hiker manual or a self help book. Its more of a theraputic offering from Mckinney, one in which he struggles to find himself among nature and through the wilderness of America. Written with the same honest and open style as his weblog on Jigglebox.com he tells you like it is, from his point of view and from his take on life. Fighting off Depression and the sorrow of a lost friend he pushes no agenda and leaves it up to us the readers to decide how we cope with loss. This is Rick’s way, and it worked wonders for him. If you dont have the instant urge to Hike the AT after reading this work I applaud you for being so secure and content but some of us just have to fly. And fly he does. The friends, lovers and characters he meets along the way are so colorfull one wonders what classic Twain or Dickens book they escaped from. Yet here they are, full of life and most of all real. Dead Men wasnt a perfect journey, and Mckinney doesnt try to be a role model for those battling with their own inner demons. Yet he does what so few writers do. He serves up everything, the good the bad and the ugly and doesnt cheat the reader or preach to them.”

Here’s what the author had to say in his blog, earlier this month: “I gotta tell you, there’s nothing worse than tooting your own horn. I HATE it when people do it to me, and I have never expected any agent or publisher or ANYONE to listen to my own promotion of my work. To my mind, the best recommendations are those that come from other people, two or three steps removed from the source. Having said that, can I throw a little Christmas request out there into the Universe? I don’t want presents. I don’t need anything tangible. But for all of you who read Dead Men but never went online to review it on Amazon, how about it, eh? Even if you hated the dang book, write that! Write anything. Just review it. And don’t read the other reviews first. You’ll taint your own view. Write how it made you feel, what it did for you, where it took you, etc. I know it’s sold some 2000 copies, so it totally mystifies me as to why there are only 17 reviews on Amazon. Hell, as you’ll see below, I just wrote four “reviews” myself. Be my good little elves. Be my Santa Clauses and Rudolphs! Click this paragraph to be taken straight there and just write something. Your opinion matters! Thank you.

Amazon.com tag words for Dead Men Hike No Trails Appalachian Trail Thruhike: Several readers of this book have found it inspiring enough to launch thruhikes of their own. I speak based on fact, not ego, when I say EVERY reader of this book has expressed only praise. If the author didn’t continue to battle chemical depression, he’d have an agent, a publicist and a bestseller. Bill Bryson: When told I thruhiked the AT, people say: Bill Bryson. If you loved A Walk In The Woods for its humor, as I did, but are one who desires a more intimate relationship with your author, read my reviews. They say it all. I take you on an unforgettable journey in a book you’ll never want to part with. Into the Wild: This is required reading for anyone who felt a personal connection to the whole McCandless epic freedom journey. Why? Because it ends not in death but in LIFE! Thousands head into the forests of the U.S. every year for the same reasons as Chris, and months later they come home alive. Buy this book.”

So I thought I’d give his terrific book a little publicity. It deserves it. Go read the darn thing!