The Appalachian Trail, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world spanning 2,200 miles. Rich Malagrifa chronicled his journey through this legendary trail, interspersing it with stories of his flying adventures. In 2014, Malagrifa trekked the Appalachian Trail, an excursion that taught him many invaluable lessons on discipline and determination. He describes this real-life adventure in "From 35,000 Feet to the Appalachian Trail." The book includes snapshots of his career as a general aviation pilot, fighter pilot in the Air Force and commercial airline pilot. It is an interesting memoir filled with fascinating cross-sections of the author's life as a hiker and pilot and the interesting people that he met along the way. "From 35,000 Feet to the Appalachian Trail" is not just a personal narrative of a life well-lived, it is a universal tale of resilience, and the joy of a shared experience. This book will be of interest to people who enjoy nature hikes, high-flying adventures and inspiring true stories of dreams coming true.

How to plan and prepare for a long-distance hike on the Appalachian Trail. Includes information on trail nutrition, culture, first aid, gear, weather conditions, and more. Expert advice from an experienced long-distance hiker along with useful information for any long-distance trek.

Average People, Extraordinary Trail is written for anyone that has an interest in the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), or hiking in general. You don't have to be an experienced hiker, or professional outdoorsman, to enjoy a day, or a year, on the A.T. Enjoy a "desk hike" while reading the author's daily journal entries from his 2009 A.T. thru-hike. Prepare for your own hike, or just learn a little about the Appalachian Trail. Each chapter has a planning section and an equipment section. Over 100 photographs are included.

From beginners to thru-hikers, Discovering the Appalachian Trail has something for anyone that wants a connection with the nation’s longest marked footpath at approximately 2,181 miles. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and finishing far to the north in Maine’s Mount Katahdin, the A.T. crosses 14 states, 6 national parks, and 8 national forests. Taking on the A.T. is a pilgrimage because of both its beauty and accessibility. Let Joshua Niven and Amber Adams guide you across the best trails that the Appalachian Trail has to offer. Complete with full-color photography, you’ll also have hikes suited to every ability, mile-by-mile directional cues, sidebars, and maps.

When Terry Croteau was twelve years old, tromping around the woods on family outings, looking under leaves for frogs and salamanders, and relieving herself behind trees, she had no idea she’d end up spending over half year doing the same thing from Georgia to Maine. . . in her fifties! What causes a midlife baby boomer to leave her job, sell the house, farm out the furniture and cram all the leftovers in a ten by ten foot storage unit and carry thirty-five plus pounds on her back over 2174 miles? Well, your guess is as good as mine, but that’s what she did. Join Terry, (trail name ‘Bluebird’) as she prepares, then walks, crawls, trips, and falls her way up the Appalachian Trail, (AT) from Springer Mountain, GA to Baxter Park’s Katahdin, in ME. Allow yourself the experience of hiking the AT by living vicariously through Bluebird’s journal entries and reflections. Experience the routine and the totally unexpected, in the life of a long distance thru hiker. Learn where a good sense of humor, sweat, tears and a ‘Don’t give up!’ attitude might take you. Realize how success can be measured more keenly by your attitude than by your accomplishments, that believing in ‘you’ is half the battle, the other half is putting one foot in front of the other. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, approximately 1,150 northbound thru hikers began their trek in 2006 (GA to ME) of the 1,150 hikers, 659 individuals, a little over half, made it to Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (Bluebird was number 501) Maine’s Katahdin greeted 30% of the original 1,150 hikers, with a total of 349 completions in 2006. You will connect with some of those people in Terry’s journal. It doesn’t matter if you’re young, old, male or female, you will appreciate what you find between the cover pages of this book. The author reminds us that, “Life isn’t over till your six foot under and if you’re on this side of the dirt and breathing, you’re alive! So, for God sake and your own, live!”

A modern pilgrimage ofpassages through theheights and depths of solitude and companionship, the Appalachian Trail thru-hike is ajourney into the soul as muchas through the mountains. In this inspirational collection of vignettes and reflections on life through the eyes of a hiker, the sky overhead represents the limitless opportunities of life held in mysterious tension with the path of one's choices. The walk is a daily reminder of our interconnectedness to the created and non-created realm—and the chance to see the wordless stories the world around us can tell.

The most famous long-distance hiking trail in North America, the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail—the longest hiking-only footpath in the world—runs along the Appalachian mountain range from Georgia to Maine. Every year about 2,000 individuals attempt to “thru-hike” the entire trail, a feat equivalent to hiking Mount Everest sixteen times. In Walking on the Wild Side, sociologist Kristi M. Fondren traces the stories of forty-six men and women who, for their own personal reasons, set out to conquer America’s most well known, and arguably most social, long-distance hiking trail. In this fascinating in-depth study, Fondren shows how, once out on the trail, this unique subculture of hikers lives mostly in isolation, with their own way of acting, talking, and thinking; their own vocabulary; their own activities and interests; and their own conception of what is significant in life. They tend to be self-disciplined, have an unwavering trust in complete strangers, embrace a life of poverty, and reject modern-day institutions. The volume illuminates the intense social intimacy and bonding that forms among long-distance hikers as they collectively construct a long-distance hiker identity. Fondren describes how long-distance hikers develop a trail persona, underscoring how important a sense of place can be to our identity, and to our sense of who we are. Indeed, the author adds a new dimension to our understanding of the nature of identity in general. Anyone who has hiked—or has ever dreamed of hiking—the Appalachian Trail will find this volume fascinating. Walking on the Wild Side captures a community for whom the trail is a sacred place, a place to which they have become attached, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.