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Hikers’ Stories from the Appalachian Trail

Hikers Stories from The Appalachian Trail
Hikers Stories from The Appalachian Trail

What do all of these hikers have in common? Beside hiking the AT, we all contributed chapters to a new book published by Stackpole, called Hiker’s Stories from the Appalachian Trail.

  1. Amanda “Veggie” Redpath
  2. Amanda, Jarrod “Hansel” and Becca “Gretel” Schlenker 
  3. Bruce “Birdman” Nichols
  4. Corwin “Major Chafage” Neuse
  5. Deb “Ramkitten” Lauman
  6. Devon “Flamebo” Parish
  7. Elaine “Second Stage” Rockett
  8. Elizabeth “Beef” Zane
  9. Francis Tapon
  10. Jennifer “Thin Mint” Ensworth
  11. John “Sunrise” Bryant Baker
  12. John “Churchhill” Bitner
  13. John “Johnny Swank” Pugh
  14. Julia “No Promises” Tyler
  15. Karelyn “Little Dipper” Kressler
  16. Maria “EKG” Dickinson 
  17. Nicole “Ichiban” Green
  18. Peter “Whippersnap” J. Barr
  19. Philip “Earlylite” Werner
  20. Preston Lee Mitchell
  21. Stuart “Tintin” Skinner
  22. Tim A. “Half Ass Expeditions” Novak
  23. Mike “Towns” Padgett

Taken from actual trip reports, including two that I wrote about hiking on the Maine Appalachian Trail, this collection pulls together the accounts of all types of hikers and backgrounds, including thru-hikers and section hikers, northbounders and southbounders, new hikers and experienced backpackers. Our accounts span the whole length of the trail and include stories of ice storms and tornadoes, accounts of trail magic and surprising generosity, encounters with snakes and other wildlife, descriptions of wilderness beauty, and hikers’ musings on living life to the fullest, capturing the trail experience through many different perspectives.

Collated and edited by Kathryn Fulton, this book has been in the making for nearly a year. Participating in that process was a journey all by itself, but I know we are all grateful for Kathryn’s “book magic” in getting the book completed and out.

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of Hiker’s Stories from the Appalachian Trail, the book is  available from Amazon in the Kindle format.

6 comments

  1. Looking forward to reading it when it becomes available in kindle format. Till then, I just purchased AWOL on the Appalachian Trail (currently available on Kindle for $7.99), which based on the numerous positive reviews will be a great read as well.

    Cheers, Dave

  2. Definitely going to check this out. Hiking the AT has always been a dream of mine and hearing stories from the trail will help keep that dream alive until I can get around to it.

    Nate

  3. Hiked with/around Major Chafage, TinTin and ThinMint in ’10. ;) Good people!

  4. It was a really nice surprise to be asked to contribute, and I’m really looking forward to reading everyone else’s stories, too. All these years later, I still talk about, think about, write about and read about the Appalachian Trail OFTEN. Hoping to do the whole thing again someday but, if not, I’ll be happy to do some sections and remember even small details from my thru-hike that I’ll never forget.

  5. i gotta do it. never been on the trail have read about it. i am totally fascinated by some of the people who have done this amazing feat. you are my hero’s and you have, as i’m sure you know, done something only a few would dare to or could finish. i am going to start out alone in Georgia and try to meet as many people along the way as i can. until then i’ll dream and prepare with short hikes here in ky. doing overnites and trying to build up my stamina. i’m 60 and I am going to make the hike the year i retire. thanks to all the former hikers for your help.

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