• The Trail Provides

  • A Boy's Memoir of Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
  • By: David Smart
  • Narrated by: David Smart
  • Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (265 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Trail Provides  By  cover art

The Trail Provides

By: David Smart
Narrated by: David Smart
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Disillusioned by the corporate lifestyle, David finds himself unemployed and desperate for change. Bradley, his older, more adventurous, and slightly-wreckless college fraternity brother presents an enticing offer. Just a few weeks later, the two inexperienced hopefuls abandon society and plunge into a soul-searching sojourn to thru-hike the Pacific Crest trail, a 2,650-mile Mexico-to-Canada footpath - barefoot. At the trail’s mercy from day one, the two hikers face the endless pains of walking, rising tensions, and falling behind to the coming winter.

The Trail Provides is a thru-hiking memoir filled with stories about companionship, lessons learned, dreams and reality, and leaving everything behind for the desire of transformation, insight, and self-discovery. Now, let’s begin the journey....

©2018 David Smart (P)2019 David Smart

More from the same

Author

Narrator

What listeners say about The Trail Provides

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    182
  • 4 Stars
    50
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    137
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    179
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story

took me a while to get started. the author's voice is your stereotypical San Diego stoner surfer but at 1.4 speed hes a productive member of society lol


I would recommend this to anyone looking for an adventure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hiking with Napoleon Dynamite

I've enjoyed a variety of long-distance hiking stories since subscribing to Audible. Despite the fact the general stories are the same (person attempts to walk X-number of miles along X-trail in X-amount of time) each story becomes its own animal due to each writer having different experiences along the way. And even when an author encounters similar experiences to other writers, their reactions are their own and the outcomes personal.

David's story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail becomes far more personal than most of the PCT books I've listened to. There is a lot more personal growth here and he does a fine job weaving those experiences in with the description of life on the trail. David is, in my opinion, a very good writer. However, he is not a great narrator.

I would usually condone the concept of a writer reading his own memoir as I feel it adds honesty to the narration, but in David's case perhaps a professional narrator would have been the way to go. David's method of speech, which often sounds bored or monotone like Napoleon Dynamite, comes across as a series of questions as his voice rises amid points in his sentences. For instance, this line from early in the book comes across as follows:

"It was the small hours of the morning. But I somehow? Managed to lift my head? From the rickety trailer floor? Where I had slept the past two nights? And glanced toward the other end of the trailer. There sat Bradley. Sitting cross-legged beside his backpack? At the foot of his bed? Eyes closed."

So if this speech pattern doesn't bother you, then I would recommend giving this a listen. Otherwise, I would suggest picking up a physical copy and allowing your brain to envision David's voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent book !!

several times I listened to the sample of this book , and didnt buy it. Because I was unsure of the narrator's voice. But recently decided to take a chance , and so glad I did !!! I loved this book and the adventure !! and got teary eyed along with them as they finished. ❤

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Take the journey!

I was glued to this story and couldn’t wait to hear what happened next. Thank you David for letting us in on your journey.
Ron Sixkiller

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • LT
  • 10-07-19

Don't waste your money

The narrator's voice is monotone and boring. The story is boring no insight into hiking a long trail.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

I listened to this twice. Nice story it felt like I was there. Hopefully some day I can do this journey.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Post trail reading

I listened to this in the two months after finishing my own PCT through hike. I found it relaxing and therapeutic to hear the story of another person’s time on trail. David writes in a very honest and thought provoking way. This helped me to think think through my time on trail. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants an honest account of living on the trail; in anticipation of, or in response to, their own hike.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it!!

The Narrator reminded me of my Son and friends. I liked that the younger men took in the older men. You don't see that much outside of the trail. I hope the people in the story remember that and I hope the older people do the same. I would like to see and hear more. I was sorry when it was over. But, will listen several times in the future to come!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best book for aspiring thru hikers!

A must read for thru hikers and the aspiring. Accurate and heartfelt description of life on the PCT, through the eye's of Stay'n Alive. Thanks David. This brought back so many memories. Love you brother,
-Transformer-

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

waste of time and money

horrid narraration! almost unbearable . story was slow. poorly written. painful to listen to. waste of a credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful