Backpacking Memoirs

Thirst by Heather “Anish” Anderson is a wonderfully written memoir, rich in autobiographical detail, about her record-setting fastest known thru-hike (FKT) of the Pacific Crest Trail. The audible version (6 hrs) is also very well narrated and a real treat to listen to, even if you’re not a thru-hiker or …

I think many regular hikers feel a sense of ambivalence in sharing hiking trails and the wilderness with other hikers or visitors who might not value them as much or use the resource with as much care as they do. The fear of these self-appointed stewards is that their place …

1. Following Atticus by Tom Ryan Tom Ryan’s inspiring tale of how he and his miniature schnauzer companion, the “Little Buddha” Atticus M. Finch, attempted to scale all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s four thousand foot White Mountains twice in the dead of winter. 2. A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz …

My wife’s grandmother was a New York City librarian, so reading while visiting my in-laws is not viewed as an anti-social activity by a grumpy son-in-law forced to spend the weekend in their boiling hot coop apartment. In viewing the book jacket photos in my Kindle app, Bill Walker gazed …

Known worldwide by his trail name “Trauma”, Justin Lichter and his hiking companion Pepper (Shawn Forry) were the first people to ever thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in winter. The story of that epic hike and many of Justin’s other long distance treks across the Himalayas, Africa, Mexico, New Zealand, Iceland, and others more …

The dog days of summer (when it’s so devastatingly hot that the dogs lie around and pant all day) are a great time to take it easy at the campsite and catch up on your summer reading with a cool drink in hand. Here are a few books that I …

What’s the best way to experience the Wilderness? That’s one of the recurring themes in Walt Mclaughlin’s new book about hiking the Northville-Placid Trail (NPT) in New York’s Adirondack Park. Like most of us, Walt can’t take off whenever he feels like it to hike a long trail, so he …

Eleven thru-hikers completed the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 1982, and Chris Townsend was one of them. Inspired by the writings of John Muir and Colin Fletcher, Chris journeyed from the United Kingdom to experience the American wilderness, hiking through desert, forest, and mountain ranges on an epic 2600 mile journey …

If you’ve never seen Dick Proenneke’s movie Alone in the Wilderness, you need to watch these two videos. It’s the story of a mechanic turned naturalist, who retired at age 50, and went to Alaska to live alone in the wilderness for 30 years. While there, he chronicled his life …

Following Atticus is an autobiography and an adventure story about a muckracking Irish newspaperman, whose life is transformed by a small dog and their winter adventures together. Set in the high peaks of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, they battle disease and nature’s wrath in their quest to redefine themselves and …

Grandma Gatewood is often cited at the first ultralight backpacker because she thru-hiked hiked the Appalachian Trail using a shower curtain as a shelter with only 12 pounds of gear. I doubt that’s the reason for her success. More than anything, she was a survivor, whose story has lessons for …

A new updated edition of David Miller’s classic Appalachian Trail memoir, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail will be available on October 18th, 2010. Published by Amazon Encore, it will be available in paperback and as a Kindle edition. I’ve just finished reading an advanced reviewer’s copy and AWOL is still …

This post is about writing and hiking. I’ve been reveling this week in Chris Townsend’s hiking memoir, Crossing Arizona: A Solo Hike Through the Sky Islands and Deserts of the Arizona Trail Here’s a short excerpt that I keep returning too. “A purple glow suffused the sky above low gray …

I really like reading hiking and outdoor memoirs because they combine personal insights and emotions with the writers’ experience of everyday routine, physical trials, town encounters, and natural wonder. There’s a richness in them that you don’t often find in autobiographies or more episodic trail journals and trip reports. I …