Sticks and Stones

How to Hike the Appalachian Trail in Thirteen Years

De: Diane "Sticks" Harsha

Narrado por: Diane "Sticks" Harsha

How does a middle-aged wife, mother, and FBI agent pursue her dream of hiking 2,200 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine?

Sticks Harsha balances her trekking ambitions against the responsibilities of daily life by hiking the Appalachian Trail in sections, one piece at a time.

Across a thirteen-year odyssey, Sticks discovers the best of America: the stunning beauty and diversity of nature, the quaintness of small towns, the quirkiness of fellow hikers, and, above all, the generosity of strangers.

She also discovers the disorientation of extreme thirst, the unpredictability of feral animals, and the dangers of life-threatening winds across knife-edge precipices in the isolated, mountainous wilds.

Follow this brilliantly written saga of one woman’s quest to hold onto her dream even as her body ages and her spirit tires, making her question whether she will ever finish her journey.

And whether she will truly make it back home.

©2021 Diane "Sticks" Harsha (P)2022 Diane "Sticks" Harsha

Determination!

Enjoyed this adventure very much. Tears at the end.. Such a wonderful family of support and understanding.

Sticks

Adventure was interesting. Author and narrator monotone voice. Impressed her daughter joined her often and continues to hike.

Highly recommend

I actually looked forward to my 90-minute commute to and from work each day just because I got to listen to this book along the way. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m sad it’s over. Not sure what’s getting me into the car tomorrow. What a great escape while it lasted! Brought my mind right out onto the trail. Excellent imagery. Good pace. I stayed engaged and never caught my mind wandering. What an amazing person. This author has inspired me to get going on my next hike.

Great story!

This is probably my seventh or eighth book on hiking the Appalachian Trail. Although I’ve enjoyed every book I have read, this was the one that was the most relatable to my situation. I too, am a middle-age woman and although I’ve not hiked the trail at all, I definitely have aspirations to do so! Sticks helped me to realize that the dream is still a possibility. I thoroughly enjoyed her story and chuckled out loud many times throughout with her sense of humor. I loved her southern accent, it definitely added some extra charm. She kept the story interesting with her trail observations and also interspersed with her personal life. I am so inspired!

Best trail story yet

I have read and listened to a lot of hiking logs but this one is by far my favorite. The imagery is beautiful but also the accurate description of time on the trail is just perfect. Also the depiction of how off trail life has such a profound effect on when and how long you can duck out to hike was reassuring for those of us who didn’t thru in our twenties. Thank you for this beautiful book and for sharing your story with all it’s triumphs and sorrows.

Sticks gives me hope for my on section hike!

I enjoyed every minute of Sticks and Stones. Most AT books are written by thru-hikers, which is an unlikely dream for many of us. Reading about the success of Diane Harsha's multi-year section hike of the AT, which was not easy-but achievable with persistence, gives me the confidence I can do this too. I know the AT well through books and my own adventures, yet Diane brought new perspectives I appreciated as a middle aged, career woman, wife and mother.

It is not often that non-celebrity authors can pull off reading their own book, but Diane Harsha did a terrific job. It would have been tough for a narrator to capture Diane's spirit. The next time I take on a section of the trail I will look forward to revisiting the relevant section of the book.

I felt like I was along for the hike

I’ve listened to many AT audiobooks. This book by far was one of the best books I’ve listened to. The descriptions were full and meaningful. The authors voice was lovely.

Good Memoir Marred By Not So Good Performance

I like a good hiking memoir to listen to as I am a hiker and backpacker as well. it is even better if the story involves characters and places that are close to home like in this book. The writing was very descriptive yet there were times when "colorful" language was inserted that felt forced and completely unnecessary. As far as the performance, the author is not a professional. Cadence and tone were very much lacking along with some odd pronunciations. I had no issues with the southern accent as I grew up in rural Alabama and Tennessee and am quite used to that. Overall, I am not sure I would recommend this.