Tag trekking

Appalachian Conqueror Finds New Way

Reg Spittle 9 Comments

A changed man.
That was David Miller after walking 2,172 miles on the Appalachian Trail.

For the rest of his life, he vowed to do the hard things. “I will have fewer ‘shoulda have dones’ even if it means some ‘wish I hadn’ts’ “ he wrote in AWOL on the Appalachian Trail.

He was 41 when he quit his job as a software engineer, left a wife and three young daughters at home (with his wife’s support), and walked for 146 days from Georgia to Maine. Going by AWOL, his trail name, Miller pushes himself too hard at the beginning, leading to painful blisters and exhaustion. Later, he becomes stronger and more able to walk longer days.

On arguably America’s most difficult thru-hike, he learns to be less isolated as he forms friendships with other trekkers, trail angels, and people who host him. He experiences the freedom that comes with being vulnerable.

The narration flows smoothly. He does not gloss over his physical and mental struggles and paints vivid pictures of the trail and his fellow walkers. This is an excellent book for anyone considering tackling the AT. Miller is also known for writing a trusted guide book about the trail.

My Camino Book: Is This Really Happening?

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

I was warned. The vast majority of books from indie authors find few readers beyond family and friends and have a short shelf life.

Almost six years after my first book, Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows, was published, it is finding new readers in surging numbers in several countries, especially the United States and the United Kingdom. One wrote me a note:

“My friend and I so enjoyed your book Camino Sunrise. I have read endless books written by pilgrims, but yours provided me with an entirely new set of information. Thank you for all I learned from you and Sue with your beautiful book.”

Another posted a review:

“Not only did I love trekking the Camino through the eyes of Reg and Sue, I so appreciated Reg’s candid and very personal reflections on a difficult childhood, bullying and lack of confidence. I too find myself looking critically through the rear-view mirror of my life. I’m inspired now to bravely find my own Camino challenge.”

The number of new readers is inspiring as I finish work on my third book about my journey with Sue on the John Muir Trail through California’s Sierra Nevada wilderness. My second book, Trippin’ Through My 60s: When Adventure Calls, the Trails of Europe Answer, is also gaining renewed attention. It transports readers to Scotland’s West Highland Way, the Alps’ Tour du Mont Blanc, Italy’s Way of St. Francis, and England’s South West Coast Path.

It is an honor to know people choose to read my books. Above all, I hope my love of distance trekking will encourage others to give it a try, like I did–grudgingly–on the Camino de Santiago, my first trek. Or maybe they will experience adventure from their armchairs.

Both books are available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats. If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read it free. The paperback can also be ordered online through Barnes and Noble and Powell’s Bookstore in Portland.

I am gratified that readers have invalidated the predictions about indie publishing, at least in my case. When I left the working world in 2012, I would never have guessed that distance trekking would play a leading role in my life. And to think that people would one day read about my adventures. I am still coming to terms with that concept, but it has left me grateful beyond measure.