walking | Books and my backpack

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.

If retirement adventures are meant to pile up memorable moments, then this is one. Indeed. We stood at the end—Land’s End, that is—of our backpacking trip on England’s South West Coast Path. Soaked to the skin, we had battled horizontal rain all afternoon, but were, as they say, all smiles, even giddy.

My hair and the front of Sue’s hat stood to celebrate our 200-plus miles of ups and downs along England’s coast over three weeks in 2019. Although we had some balmy days as we walked in and out of a series of English seaside villages, when the weather turned, we were nearly blown away. At the end, it was so ridiculous that I Iaughed to the finish line.

Another memorable day on that trek took us on a record (for us) 9,000 feet of climbs and descents over 15 miles and 10 hours. Let’s just say that Bude was a welcome site as darkness neared. The beer as well as the fish and chips were delicious and we were glad the memorial gathering in the pub wasn’t for us.

The English trek was our fifth European distance trail, extending our addiction to traveling by foot. More to come about others.

Eight more adventures ahead.