Nature Hiking

At 23, Andrew Forsthoefel headed out the back door of his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with a backpack, an audio recorder, his copies of Whitman and Rilke, and a sign that read "Walking to Listen". He had just graduated from Middlebury College and was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn't know how. So he decided to take a cross-country quest for guidance, one where everyone he met would be his guide. In the year that followed, he faced an Appalachian winter and a Mojave summer. He met beasts inside: fear, loneliness, doubt.

In the closing months of 2017, I decided to make a dramatic shift in my life and pursue a goal I'd had for over a decade. I was going to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine the following spring. Upon my return, I decided to write a book to better reflect, reminisce, and hopefully archive my experience to remember for years to come. This book is the result of over 2,200 miles of hiking across 14 states in 140 days within some of the most beautiful forests the United States has to offer. This book serves as my trail journal in an attempt to introduce some of the most amazing ...

In Journeys North, legendary trail angel, thru hiker, and former PCTA board member Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers - including Barney and his wife, Sandy - trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure.

If you’ve ever felt the urge to strip off those pesky clothes and dive headfirst into nature, you’re in the right place. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of the sun on your skin, the breeze in places where the sun usually doesn’t shine, and the sheer joy of embracing nature in your birthday suit. You might be wondering, “Why on Earth would anyone want to hike naked?” Well, let me tell you, my curious friend, once you’ve experienced the freedom and connection of hiking in the buff, you’ll never look at a pair of hiking shorts the same way again. Clothes...

Trail Ready is the ultimate guide for adventurers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts eager to conquer the wilderness with confidence and skill. Whether you're a beginner planning your first trek or an experienced explorer seeking to sharpen your outdoor expertise, this book equips you with everything you need to prepare physically, mentally, and practically for any trail. Inside, you'll discover expert advice on essential gear, navigation techniques, survival skills, and environmental awareness.

Discover the evolutionary mind and body benefits of living at the edges of your comfort zone and reconnecting with the wild—from the New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain. “If you’ve been looking for something different to level up your health, fitness, and personal growth...

After Paul Stutzman lost his wife to breast cancer, he sensed a tug on his heart - the call to a challenge, the call to pursue a dream. With a mixture of dread and determination, Paul left his job, traveled to Georgia, and took his first steps on the Appalachian Trail. What he learned during the next four and a half months changed his life and can change yours as well. In Hiking Through, you'll join Paul on his remarkable 2,176-mile trip through 14 states in search of peace and a renewed sense of purpose.

Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the New York comedy scene began to think about what he might do with months of free time. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,184.2 miles of it. Suddenly he found himself asking, Could he do it?

If you are planning on (or just thinking about) hiking the Appalachian Trail, this book is for you. Planning an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is overwhelming. I know. I spent months researching every question I could think of before starting the six-month journey. Even after all of that research, there were countless mistakes I made. This book is everything I wish I would have known before starting. Inside is a step-by-step guide to efficiently plan for a successful thru-hike. Complete with personal tips and experiences.

From a rough childhood to a distinguished United States Air Force career, Jason France’s life has been a whirlwind of sacrifice, service, and personal struggle. But it has also been filled with amazing opportunities and incredible experiences. After retiring from serving over three decades in uniform—and holding one of the highest enlisted leadership positions in the military—Jason embarks on a solo trek to hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. His five-month journey to rediscover himself and fulfill a childhood dream turns out to be far more than he imagined.

In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller’s account of this thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. Listeners are treated to rich descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a less conventional path through life. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about hiking gear and planning.

Renowned hikers Katie "Salty" Gerber and Heather "Anish" Anderson take what they've learned both on the trail and through teaching their online classes to a new level: preparing long-distance hikers for all the challenges—physical, emotional, and mental—they may encounter while on the trail for weeks or months. This comprehensive guide sets backpackers up for success with detailed information about everything from the basics of gear selection, navigation, safety, and trip planning to nutritional and physical preparation and body resiliency to how to readjust after returning home.

Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than $200. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, atop Maine's Mount Katahdin, she sang the first verse of "America, the Beautiful" and proclaimed, "I said I'll do it, and I've done it."

Have you ever spoken unkindly to yourself? Do you even realize when you do? Are you ready to make changes but find yourself completely paralyzed by the choices in front of you? We live in a hyper-connected, “always on” world, and frankly? It's exhausting. Let’s make time to disconnect from the distractions and reconnect with yourself. Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature is more than a collection of trail tales - it’s a guide to aid (or begin!) your healing journey, helping you do the work to step up into the best version of yourself.

One April morning I left the Mexico border and walked north on the Pacific Crest Trail. For five months I hiked through the California desert, the snows of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. My goal was to succeed in an epic challenge: to hike 2,650 miles and reach Canada before the October snows.

I learned a great many things on the hiking trails of America. One of the most important is that we all climb mountains. Every. Single. Day. I thought I was just hiking mountains. What I was really doing was learning valuable lessons that I could equate directly to life. Hiking thousands of miles over perhaps hundreds of mountains all over the United States teaches you a lot. With that said, you don’t have to be a hiker to enjoy any of these revelations.

Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides to shut down their senses and stumble through each day in an oblivious bubble, and yet some people end up having much richer experiences than others. In this guidebook, natural navigator Tristan Gooley strives to reawaken our senses to help us understand and deepen our personal experience of nature. His message is to connect - however we can and to whatever draws us in.

Among the most beautiful and deadly mountains in the world, Mount Washington has challenged adventurers for centuries with its severe weather. From the days when gentlefolk ascended the heights in hoop skirts and wool suits to today’s high-tech assaults on wintry summits, this audiobook offers extensive and intimate profiles of people who found trouble on New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, from the 19th century through the present day.

While most addictions destroy you, Lisa Michelle’s saved her. For thirty years, Michelle has been a junkie for altitude—chasing the high that only comes at 10,000 feet, in places with no trail markers and no easy way out. True Nature is the raw story of what happens when you need secluded wilderness to survive, and what those wild places can teach you. True Nature isn’t about conquering massive mountains or logging thousands of miles. It’s about using wilderness to discover your own true nature when things get tough. About the satisfaction gained at locating a 13-million-year-old ...

In 1963 Colin Fletcher became the first man to walk the length of Grand canyon, below the Rim. It began with a dream, when he and a friend detoured from a cross-country trip to take a hurried look at the great natural wonder. Standing on the Rim, surrounded by the profound and almost mystical silence, Fletcher knew that something had happened to the way he looked at things. He also knew that the Canyon, with its depths and distances, cliffs, buttes, and hanging terraces, beckoned to him, calling him on a journey that would challenge both his body and his mind.