The Thru Hikers Secret

The Thru-Hikers Secret is a compilation of knowledge with a singular goal: to help you achieve a joyful thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The journey can provide new perspectives, renewal for life and even reorder one's priorities. A thru-hike is to live large, to live simply and step beyond the timid existence of suburbia. Backpacking for months from Georgia to Maine, however, can be far from a smooth journey. To understand all that a thru-hike entails before it is hiked is practically impossible, and yet many hikers set out on this grand adventure without a lick of experience. Of the couple of thousand who begin their journey on the AT each season, only a few hundred will find the rhythm of trail life and complete the 2000 miles of mountain forests. To put it simply: not making it is normal. The greater their transition from "cityness" to the hiking wilderness, the better the odds of succeeding favor them. The tangible events - rain, cold, heat, elevation gains, insects, sunshine, cool breezes, fresh air and mileage will be joined in lock step with the intangible ones - joy, elation, melancholy and despair. It is these intangible, emotional dynamics that tend to unravel many hikers' resolve of becoming a Thru-Hiker. My past career in advertising and having a knack for simplifying the complicated provided me with a unique perspective to turn the enormity of an AT hike into simple strategies: Secrets. Hikers will be armed not just with information, but a go-to resource of answers before most will even know the questions. As the Secrets are revealed, hikers will learn what will happen and how to manage the vast texture that is an AT thru-hike. Joining the Secrets are more than 130 images to add richness to the communication. I am "Postcard" after all. This journey of discovery starts on the first page, continues 'til tread touches trail and travels with you to the ending terminus. From the first hour, first day, week and month, you'll move forward with greater confidence knowing you have a proven mentor. The Thru-hikers Secret grew out of my first thru-hiking book, We're Off To See The Wilderness, The Wonderful Wilderness of Awes. In it, joining my personal day-to-day account of life on the trail was a how-to section named "Have more smiles in your miles". Many had told me they'd read this time and again before they'd head out on an adventure. After my second thru-hike, my knowledge grew and so another, more comprehensive book idea emerged, one dedicated solely to AT preparation - The Thru-Hikers Secret. Where hiking two days may result in adversity, a thru-hike absolutely, positively will deliver it at a level of ten. Wonderfully though, decisions before and during your hike found in these pages may help to avoid "come off the trail" moments while helping you find more smiles in your miles.

Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He didn't even know if he liked being outside all that much. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job overseas cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the greater New York comedy circuit began to think about what he might do with months of free time and no commitments. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail and knew of its potential for danger and adventure, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,192 miles of it. Then again, what could go wrong for a young black man from the city trekking solo through the East Coast backwoods? The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of how an unknowing ambassador of one of the AT's least common demographics, unfamiliar with both the outdoors and thru-hiking culture, sets off with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude to conquer the infamous trail. What follows are eye-opening lessons on preparation, humility, race relations, and nature's wild unpredictability. But this isn't a hard-nosed memoir of discouragement or intolerance. What sets Lugo apart from the typical walk in the woods is his refusal to let any challenge squash his inner Pollyanna. Through it all, he perseveres with humor, tenacity, and an unshakeable commitment to grooming--earning him the trail name "Mr. Fabulous"--that sees him from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.

What's been said about Secret Montreal:

Geraldine Largay vanished in July 2013, while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Her disappearance sparked the largest lost-person search in Maine history, which culminated in her being presumed dead. She was never again seen alive.

The Pacific Crest Trail as you've never seen it before! A visual feast for the senses, this highly designed paperback showcases the PCT through clever infographics, modern illustration, and insightful text. The book captures both the grandeur of the West Coast as well as the tiniest things that a thru-hiker notices and experiences during a 140-day trek. Through the written word, graphic design, and illustration, The Pacific Crest Trail: A Visual Compendium conveys the beauty and the beastliness of a 2,650-mile wilderness hike from Mexico to Canada. The author chronicles the PCT through infographics about the trail and the thru-hikers' experience, and includes arresting illustrations of the landscape and minutiae of the trail. Everything from trail markers, weather challenges, and the stories behind popular toponyms to the songs stuck in a hiker's head, thru-hiker trail names, and food consumed will be addressed, making this an ideal gift for any outdoor enthusiast.

With breathtaking descriptions and humorous anecdotes from his 2,176-mile journey along the Appalachian Trail, Paul Stutzman reveals how immersing himself in nature and befriending fellow hikers helped him recover from a devastating loss.

A 41-year-old engineer quits his job to hike the Appalachian Trail. This is a true account of his hike from Georgia to Maine, bringing to the reader the life of the towns and the people he meets along the way.