Imagine a 7-year-old boy asking his father if they can hike the entire length of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail together. Then imagine that the father says yes. Now think "What are they getting themselves into?"For the author of this deeply felt book, the planned hike is an opportunity to bond with his son and be what he calls "Barbarians"--in touch with natural processes far from the comforts of home. It's also a chance for nature to do some healing in his life, too.For the boy, it's a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.They start in West Virginia and head north, through cold and wet spring weather, carrying only what they need and picking up resupply boxes along the way. The boy is entranced by the freedom, asking questions nonstop and pointing out every interesting bug, bird, and blossom they pass. But he's also stubborn, sometimes scared, and occasionally too tired to trudge on.Dad relishes seeing the natural world through his son's eyes, but he also struggles with the responsibility of keeping the journey going forward. By the time they reach Vermont, with aching feet and frazzled nerves, their plan to take a train to Georgia and hike north to where they started is in serious jeopardy.But the trail beckons.Closely observed, wonderfully described, and bracingly clear-eyed, this inspiring book will appeal to nature lovers and would-be AT hikers alike. It offers a vivid evocation of both the camaraderie and dangers of trail life--as well as the difficulties of modern child-rearing and the powerful lure of an untamed natural world.

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.

John Hunt is a kind and gregarious man. His eyes twinkle and his face beams. He is a retired businessman and still retains that drive. I met John the summer of 2000. He came for the graduation ceremony of the crew of students that Jason had led, and we talked. Jason had a difficult course which is common for new instructors. The next summer Jason emerged as a solid leader and had a wonderful course. Several months later while on a climbing vacation in British Columbia Jason took a tragic fall. His family's reaction was to create a foundation in Jason's name that supported his love of the outdoors. The Jason William Hunt Foundation had had tremendous impact on many people especially young people in transition who want to expand their horizons. This happens in an outdoor setting lead by instructors like Jason. It happens every summer at the Wilderness School. John's only son, Jason, will forever be twenty-four years old. My son John is twenty-five. Our sons like many young men seek adventure. Parents care deeply about their children and the fear of losing a child dwells in all of us. How does a parent cope with the tragic loss of their beloved child? Walking with Jason is a quest to trace Jason's brief life as a young man. John becomes the youthful adventurer and visits Jason's world. John seemingly falls through the looking glass and discovers a mysterious and wonderful world inhabited by troubled adolescents, craggy Thru-hikers, idealistic outdoor leaders and others who visit nature's realm. Ultimately John's odyssey is a very personal journey of self-discovery and gives us a compass bearing on how to deal with the sudden loss of a child. I will forever be connected to Jason, Danielle, Amy, Rosemarie and John. Thank you for generous hearts and concern for youth. Tom Dyer, L.C.S.W. Instructor 1980 - 1983 Director Youth Wilderness School 1983-2009 Founding Director Wilderness School, East Hartland, CT 1990

After moving to Billings, Montana, things are finally looking up for the Shannon family--Frank, Eileen, and their two children--nine-year-old Jimmy Lee and seven-year-old Jodie. But when Jimmy is unjustly accused of stealing a gold medallion from his father's workplace, he runs away to the mountain wilderness. After being mistreated by his parents for years, Jimmy feels this is the best option for him. Mr. Shannon organizes a search party to look for Jimmy. After two weeks of looking, the sheriff asks a local Indian tribe for its help. The two men assigned to the task find Jimmy's tracks, and they follow them for days. At the end of the trail, they discover a large pool of blood where a fight has taken place. All signs indicate Jimmy was attacked by a wild animal, but no remains are found. Meanwhile, with Bear, a wolf pup, Jimmy struggles to survive on what he knows, encountering an array of challenging situations--foraging for food, fighting off wild animals, braving the ever-changing weather conditions, and finding makeshift shelter. Like the mountain men in the 1800s, Jimmy survives by relying on his wits and wonders every day whether he will live or die.

With its depiction of the downtrodden prostitutes, bootleggers, and hustlers of Perdido Street in the old French Quarter of 1930s New Orleans, "A Walk on the Wild Side" tells, in Algren's own words, "something about the natural toughness of women and men, in that order".

In this fun middle grade adventure, a young girl and her two new friends brave the wilderness to find a castle, prove a local legend, and discover the true meaning of home. Lin Moser is not looking forward to this summer. After living on the road all her life, hiking mountains and traveling through the country in an RV with her house-flipping parents, she’s now stuck in Newbridge, New Jersey for their longest stay yet. With Mom away on a year-long naturalist assignment, Lin has resigned herself to having the most boring summer ever. But then she finds out about a local legend: an ancient ruined castle in the woods that no one has been able to find. Hiking to this castle would be like a quest. . . such an amazing quest that Mom might even come home, and they could adventure together the way they used to. Determined to create her own adventure, Lin sets off on her biggest one yet—braving the wilderness with her two new friends, seeking the castle, and maybe discovering a new idea of home along the way. With her trademark humor and heart, Jess Rinker delivers a story of adventure and growing up in The Hike to Home.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America-majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you're going to take a hike, it's probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you'll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way-and a couple of bears. Already a classic, "A Walk in the Woods " will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).