Southbound – A Tale of Two Sisters…Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail

Posted by rmorris on 10. February 2010 05:28

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”
- - J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

A review of the book Southbound by Susan & Lucy Letcher

This book is a bit different than the typical Appalachian Trail journal. Obviously our heroes are walking south – Maine to George; whereas the vast majority of hikers go North. Of course the primary reason for the migration north is the weather. Most thru-hikers walk with (or into summer) spring, avoiding the dangers of winter. Our sisters are starting in Maine in black fly season and hiking directly into winter. They’re doing this with the added challenge of attempting to hike the trail barefoot – at least for “as long as it’s fun”. For me it would be comfortable for about two minutes and I’d have my boots back on. But I don’t think the sisters are crazy, they actually enjoy being close to the earth and are willing to patiently train their feet and minds to handle it. This process slows down there progress considerably, including an injury (that could have happened with or without boots) and puts them in the Smoky’s in mid February.

Walking south, fighting winter and trail stories is not what sets this book apart. The book is written by two sisters alternating writing a few pages at a time. The reader gets both of their points of view. We get a genuine understanding of the thoughts and emotions of each of the hikers. They’re not holding anything back. They’re not sugar coating reality. From ranting about the AMC to Jackrabbit (Susan) struggling on an off with what appears to be mild depression. Jackrabbit is younger (just out of college), very athletic with a black belt in Taekwondo and a passion for playing the piano. Iris (Lucy) is a few year older. She feels responsible for her little sister but starts out on the trail feeling inferior – not in the same physical condition as Jackrabbit, she’s afraid she will be left behind. Their adventures bring them to the depths of despair. Struggling with real life and death situations, learning to cope with loneliness as well as being engrossed in the beauty of nature and the solitude it allows. You can see them grow in mastery over their own minds and bodies as they approach Georgia. This book is honest and straight forward, filled with tenderness and love; it touches the depth of human emotions.

This book also has a sequel…I look forward to reading it soon.

 

Related Articles about AT Adventures….

White Blaze Fever

Ten Million Steps

Halfway to the Sky

 

Walkin’ On The Happy Side Of Misery and Ten Million Steps

Posted by rmorris on 21. August 2009 05:07

This summer I’ve been reading several books about thru hikes on the Appalachian Trail.  Two of these books have become my new favorites.  Walkin’ On The Happy Side Of Misery by J. R. “Model T” Tate - A 4 time thru-hiker and Ten Million Steps: The Nimblewill Nomad’s epic 10-month trek from the Florida Key to Quebec by M. J. Eberhart.  This is the story of walking the entire Appalachian mountain range from Florida to the far north of Quebec, Canada; a.k.a. The Eastern Continental Trail.  Both of these men have incredible hiking experience and a true talent for writing.  The differences and similarities between the two men make both books more interesting when read one after the other.  You would expect books about such long journeys to be long, and they are; Walkin’ On The Happy Side Of Misery is 554 pages and Ten Million Steps is 528 pages.  Actually i find many books about thru-hikes surprisingly short.

First; “Model T”, of the two I must say i prefer his writing stay the best.  Tate is a retired Marine Corps officer and you can see the Corps is a deeply engrained part of his Self.  Although some people may not appreciate it, Tate has a quirky sense of humor that made me smile all the way through the book.  It is easy to identify with some of his trials and tribulations throughout the book.  He comes across as a very ‘human’ kind of regular guy. Model T is not just his trail name but his alter ego.  After long periods walking alone many people sometimes find that they are talking to themselves – sometimes out load.  Walkin’ on the Happy Side of Misery is written in this way.  At times it actually seams like you are following two people walking the trail.  Model T is definitely a “people person” (as is Eberhart).  As often happens to thru-hikers, he forms intimate friendships with several other hikers along the way.  Tate is able to bring across the emotions and special moments of hiking the trail in a way that really makes you understand what it is like to be out there.

Ten Million Steps is written quite differently, much more in the style of a journal (as most thru-hiking books are).   “Nomad” starts out his ten month trek on the Florida Trail heading north (finishing the Keys-Everglades walk at the end of the trip).  This is the summer of 1998 and El Niño has flooded the trail and immediately we see that Nomad is no ordinary hiker. He is hiking in water and mud up to his knees, sometimes up to his hips, literally for miles and miles through the Everglades, having a difficult time just finding a dry spot or “island” to camp the night.  As Nomad puts  it; “..The most difficult, nerve-racking,and dangerous treadway that I would encounter… Dragging mud, water, and grass step after step, mile after mile…. The depth of the murk and slosh I’m pushing along climbs up and down my legs but stays below my belt as I stumble along in the dark.”  Not many hikers would continue to plod along in such a frightening, sometimes terrifying swamp.  This is no “regular guy”.  By the time Nomad reaches the southern start of the Appalachian Trail he is in extraordinary physical condition and the AT seems like a breeze compared to the wilderness he just hiked.

Both of these books, and both of these men inspire me. To hike, to push on when the going gets really tough, to appreciate the beauty around us, to see people as they are, to let our emotions be free.  These are two men that truly love to hike.  Tate has a wonderful way with words - in so many ways in the book he expresses “the happy side of misery”; “The Dawn came up softly, a soothing rose-colored potion that seemed to refresh aching muscles and listless bodies and renew languid ambitions. I breathed in deeply and exhaled, welcoming the morning aloud. “Ahh! The adversities on the Trail are wondrous to behold!”.

This is video interview with Nimblewill Nomad (Eberhart) and shows his true love of the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Tate and Eberhart have web sites;

Model T’s web site is: http://modelt.homestead.com/Index.html

Nimblewill Nomad’s web site is: http://www.nimblewillnomad.com/

Reading to Inspire a Hike

Posted by rmorris on 10. July 2009 11:06

Ever have some trouble getting the kids motivated for a hike?  How about your spouse?  Maybe you are married to someone that has a hard time understanding why you want to wonder around sleeping in the woods for weeks at a time?  Well, I was wondering around Campmor a few weeks ago and stumbled across this children’s book Halfway to the Sky by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  It’s written for pre-teens (of which I have two).  It looked interesting so I picked it up.  I read it first (Sometime ago I was under the misguided impression that I could read all the books my kids read – before them to make sure they are OK.  This long ago went by the wayside since my eleven year old daughter reads about twice as fast as me and has five times more time to do it).

Halfway to the Sky is the story of a twelve year old girl, Dani how is going through a tough time.  Her older brother died of muscular dystrophy and her parents are recently divorced.  Dani runs away from home.  So that her parents don’t find her, she plans to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.  Her mother figures out where she has gone and catches up to her on her second night.  Dani is able to convince her mom to hike with her for a while.

During their hike, the experience of the trail is a catharsis for Dani and she is able to let go of her anger.  In the process Dani and her mom have bonded together.  When my daughter finished this book I could see she gained both a better understanding of how to deal with grief and anger and a much better understanding of how hiking and backpacking can free a person from the day-to-day ruts we all get stuck in.  It is always hard to put into words and explain to someone why it is we really love hiking.  This book allows the reader to get some insight into what the trail experience is like. 

The book is written for children, but after my daughters good reaction to it, my wife read it also.  Same reaction. I highly recommend it.

 

BTW: The links for the book on this page go to Amazon.com; If you by this $5.99 book via one of these links, this web site gets a 24 cent commission on the sale!  All I need to do is get about 25 people to buy this book and it will pay for the copy i purchase at Campmor!

BackpackBaseCamp.com