Publisher's Synopsis
Right after graduating from college, I was ready for a new start to my life, and I figured the best way for me to celebrate was to do something I was uncomfortableIn May 2018, I headed into the wilderness for the first time ever. I had never spent a night in the backcountry, and suddenly I was out in the wild on my own. I spent the next two months hiking more than 1,100 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Pennsylvania to Maine, which was followed up by a section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and California. Have you been snowed on in July? Or fell into a rattlesnake pit? Or waded across a waist-deep river? These were just a few experiences I had on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. Despite my initial follies, I discovered the trail was my second home. In this book, I disclose plenty of stories that I experienced on the trail along with questions that many hikers have, including: - Gear I brought on the trail- A state-by-state and town-by-town look at the trail- A dictionary of thru hiker terminology- Advice I wish I knew before hiking the trailI was inspired to write this book after I remembered learning about hiking for the first time. I didn't know what to expect or what I needed to be successful, but I also never could have imagined the lessons I learned along the way or the memories I made. The goal for this book is to show how realistic and enjoyable hiking the AT or PCT actually is. No, you don't need to be a world-renowned hiker or spend thousands of dollars on gear! All you really need is a set of functioning legs and a can-do attitude!
