Pushing North

Tame the Mind, Savor the Journey

By: Trey Free

Narrated by: Tim Tidball

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Main Theme
Our minds are conditioned to create chaos. They often convince us to quit long before we reach our goals. Unless we can gain awareness and interrupt these "chaos" scripts early, they will consume our thoughts and drive us towards decisions we will regret. This book will give you the ability to open your awareness, apply several tools to calm the chaos, and increase the momentum towards your goals. Regardless if you are a long-distance hiker, SOF operator, extreme athlete, first responder, medical specialist, parent, student, or just a human being, this book will enable you to tame your mind so you can savor whatever journey you find yourself on.

Background
People love the thought of breaking the shackles of their Matrix life and going for a long-distance hike. I do, too. There is something primal about strapping on a pack filled with only the necessities and going on a long walk. I think it’s coded somewhere deep inside our DNA. Hiking seems to be a perfect means to create a union between the natural world and the human soul. We were meant to be in nature, not confined to the safety and comfort of our Matrix lives. If we can become still enough, we can hear the whispers of the mountains calling us to their soil.

I became addicted to thru-hiking because it uncovered parts of me I didn’t know existed. It took me to deeper levels of awareness and fulfillment that seemed inaccessible before the experience. However, like all good things in life, this growth was only accessible through suffering and sacrifice. To absorb the true lessons in life, we must confront the main impediment standing in our way - our chaotic minds.

Stats show that roughly three out of every four thru-hikers quit their journeys short of their intended goal, and I argue it is because they couldn’t handle their chaotic minds in this new environment. This is a statistic I want to help change.

Our minds tether us to the parts of life that no longer serve us. It limits our growth and our ability to find contentment in our lives. When we are alone with our minds for hours, days, weeks, and months on trail, we fall prey to its conditioned patterns nudging us to seek safety and comfort. At the first sign of pain and struggle, our mind tries to convince us to return to our comfortable life inside the Matrix. It tries to keep us safe at the expense of our growth and fulfillment.

We must learn how to strengthen our minds so we can adapt more quickly and efficiently once our long-distance journey begins. That’s where this book comes in. It’s complementary to previous works on the mental side of long-distance hiking, but we will dive a little deeper underneath the hood to reveal why our mental struggle happens in the first place. If we can gain awareness of why these struggles happen, then we can learn to use some basic strategies to decrease the mental chaos and increase our forward momentum.

This book is not just for hikers. It’s for anyone undertaking a long-duration journey where the mind will inject itself as the biggest obstacle in our path. It could be during a military deployment, during an ultramarathon, attending a sports training camp, enduring an assessment and selection course for special operations, entering a police or military training academy, grappling with a large project at work, enduring the challenges of parenthood, or any other journey where our minds become the largest hurdle on the way to our goals.

It's time to break free of the fetters that keep you clinging to safety and comfort. It’s time to find the part of you that is waiting to be discovered. It’s time to learn how to keep pushing north towards the things you dream about but haven’t been able to reach.

©2021 Howard D Free (P)2021 Howard D Free

ER approach to life is Refreshing

Well done! Thank you. Interesting book that utilizes experience of a long journey and helps incorporate lessons in everyday life!

Psychology of a through hike and more

So many of world’s greatest endurance challenges are really psychological tests; this book details what it takes to be psychologically ready for a through hike better than any book out there; if you’re truly interested in success on your long distance hike or race, you should put this book on your required reading list .

Be Water

Book:
I found this book after finding ER71s YouTube channel, AFTER watching his Ones Ready interview. I originally intended to listen to this book for tips to assist me in my journey through the military. And I found what I was looking for and more. this is a book for life. From Thru Hiking to sitting in traffic, this book is a manual to over coming internal struggle. The Narrator is okay, I found myself drowning out his voice at times and had to rewind the portion that I blanked out on. Also, I had initially thought the narrator was a text to speech robot because of his seemingly inhuman enunciation. Even still I rate the book 5/5. Thank you for sharing.

Personal:
I originally looked at Mr. Free as a Cadre of a highly selective process. Now, after finishing this book (and I'm on episode 52 of his AT hike) I found that I resonate with the lessons he shares and his personality. My perspective of what it means to be in SOF has completely changed, I thought my personality wouldn't fit what they are looking for, and perhaps it doesn't, but if Mr. Free can reach the pinnacle of the career field, I don't see why I can't do a fraction of that.

An Invaluable Guide

There are a ton of books about mental resiliency and a plethora of advice for people pursuing difficult tasks that essentially amounts to “Just don’t quit.”

Not quitting is an end result, not a process. This book is the how-to guide, and perfect for anyone with a fixed mindset belief that mental resiliency is a trait you either have or don’t.

None better than this

If you want practical tips from someone who looks beneath the surface of our psychology and behaviors, this book is for you. Straight to the point and easily applicable to your next thru hike or long distance journey

Great Book for Mental Preparedness

Great book that describes the mental preparedness needed to hike the AT or to accomplish other major task in one’s life.

AT Thru-hiker Mental Preparation and Analysis

Author Trey Free, a Thru-hiker on the AT and a former Special Forces operator walks us through the mind games of long duration tasks like hiking 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. He uses imagery to analyze the forces which guide our actions both good and bad. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is planning an extended event such as a Thru-hike.

Good book, helpful, duplicates Appalachian Trials.

An interesting perspective on what it takes to finish. Same content and themes as Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis, but newer and you can get this one on Audible.

Great book for anyone facing a challenge

Hiking the Appalachian Trail this year and this was exactly what I needed for the mental prep. If you are looking for a book about the trail or hiking in general this is not it. This is about the mental aspect of facing a challenge, mental, physical or both and using your mind to hack your brain and your emotions to get through the hard parts and even parts that seem impossible at the time.

Must read!

"Pushing North: Tame the Mind, Savor the Journey" by Trey Free is not just a book; it's a companion for any soul embarking on a journey of self-discovery and physical challenge. As someone who has experienced the raw beauty and daunting challenges of the Appalachian Trail, I found Trey Free's insights incredibly resonant and uplifting.

Free's narrative intertwines practical hiking advice with profound life lessons. His words felt like a guiding light during my Appalachian hike, especially when the trail seemed endless, and my spirits were low. The book emphasizes the importance of mental resilience, a lesson that was crucial for me when facing the unpredictable elements and the solitude inherent in such an endeavor.

What's particularly remarkable is how Free's lessons are universal yet deeply personal. His advice on pacing oneself, appreciating the small victories, and staying present were not just strategies for hiking but for life itself. These insights were not only invaluable in my past hike but are now pillars in my preparation for the Pacific Crest Trail. I am more aware of my physical and mental limits and how to gently push them, thanks to Free's wisdom.

"Pushing North" also delves into the spiritual connection one develops with nature. Free's vivid descriptions of landscapes and his introspective thoughts resonated deeply with me, recalling the profound tranquility and connection I felt on the Appalachian Trail.

In conclusion, whether you're an experienced hiker or someone who seeks to understand the deeper journey of life, "Pushing North" is a must-read. It's more than a guide; it's a meditation on the beauty of nature, the strength of the human spirit, and the transformative power of a journey well-traveled. Trey Free's book didn't just help me survive the Appalachian Trail; it equipped me with a mindset to thrive on any path I choose, especially as I prepare for the Pacific Crest Trail.