New Zealand has snow, which is a surefire indication that the northern hemisphere is smack in the middle of thru-hiking season. This also means we are spoilt for choice with loads of hikers relaying back photos, videos, and some vivid writing to visualise their adventures.
Cyberspace is bursting with hiking stuff, I can see my Ethernet line bulging like a snake post dinner.
Emily Pennington
One of them is Emily Pennington, who describes herself on Twitter as an adventurer, writer, dreamer and backpacker.
The main photo on her Twitter page will have you adventurers drooling. I don’t know where the photo depicting that deep valley rising to rocky lofts was taken, but I intend to find out. The shot should be in any dictionary under wanderlust.
Some wise words adorn her website, where she pens a thoughtful blog. Like this:
Something about the notion of carrying everything you could ever need on your back transfixed me, and I still find it a perfect metaphor for how we should endeavour to walk through life.
You want another one?
I hike to remind myself that I am perfectly capable when alone, and I feel a steady contentment rising with each outing.
Emily Pennington is the brazen backpacker and you can delve into her world HERE
Ryan Goggin
Ryan Goggin lives near me in south-east England and contacted me last year saying he intended to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2017. Unfortunately we never managed to hook up before he left as he was after a little advice. He was aware I was probably the last one to finish the PCT when I hiked it, so why he was asking me for advice I don’t know.
Ryan working his way along the PCT during a record snow year
He is on the PCT now, having flipped-flopped some of the Sierras due to the high levels of snow. His hiking method entails occasionally stuffing a stick of dynamite down the rear of his shorts and lighting it, prompting surges in speed and distance. I’ve tried to tell him to slow down, especially as his foot is playing up, but judging by his distance covered this week, a recent dynamite order has arrived. God knows how he’s carrying it all, or how many shorts he’s blowing holes in either.
His blog is good reading and there’s a keen eye for a decent photo as well. Take a look and leave some $’s, he’s hiking for a charity called Cardiac Risk in the Young.
Erin Saver
Since Erin hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2011, she’s clocked up an impressive 14,000 miles of thru-hiking including the Triple Crown (Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Appalachian Trail).
Wait, there’s more. Te Araroa in New Zealand, The Long Trail, the Bibbulmum Track. If I listed them all this blog post would be too long.
Erin is currently adding a further 500 miles to her collection, along the Haute Route Pyrenees, which traverses the Pyrenees Mountains, dividing France and Spain.
Her blog, Walking with Wired, recounts all of these adventures, and is worth a look.
Josh Ellerbrock
(My personal favourite)
He’ll hate me bringing this up, especially on the first line as if by an introduction, but Josh looks like Tom Petty. I met him on the Appalachian Trail in 2012 and attempted to enlighten him of this likeness, which he promptly denied. He also dismissed my suggestion of Tom Petty as a trail name, so I had a double rejection on my hands (he eventually settled on Byline, in reference to his writing).
Josh is currently making inroads into the Pacific Crest Trail and I have to tell you, he’s doing something wonderful. Except for a video introducing his plans, Josh is relaying his adventure verbally on a podcast.
I have to admit, I don’t normally do podcasts, I either read, or watch other’s adventures on video but this is different, wonderfully different.
His words:
“Between A to B” is a 12-part podcast travel series produced and edited by Josh “Byline” Ellerbrock as he hikes the 2,600+ miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT.
Meant as an exploration of self, society and one’s place in the larger world, “Between A to B” features the musings of one who finds comfort staying out of touch with the world despite the rising importance of connectivity and technology. First official episode releases April 17, 2017.
Byline’s dulcet tones and deadpan ramblings are proving enough to listen by themselves. The fact that the actual content is pretty good too is just a bonus. In this instance, a lack of visuals is a blessing, leaving the imagination to portray what you think a thru-hike entails.
For me, it’s turning out to be the best hiking find of the summer.
Go let your imagination run riot HERE
Huge discount on my fourth book – A Thru-Hiking Trilogy
Ebook deals are becoming a habit at the moment. If it isn’t price cuts on other author’s Ebooks I’m letting you know about, it’s mine I’m slicing the price on. That hasn’t changed today either because starting on July 17th 2017, you can grab a copy of my fourth Ebook – A Thru-Hiking Trilogy, on Amazon.
The deal runs on a sliding scale, so it starts cheap, then gradually rises back to its normal price.
A Thru-Hiking Trilogy is a bit of a doorstep of a book, a collection of my first three books all compiled into one:
The Journey in Between, The Last Englishman and Balancing on Blue.
The mechanic down the road has read the paperback and subsequently asked for another three copies.
“To give to friends?! I asked.
“No,” he replied. “I put one under each wheel of the cars when I need to work on them, there’s loads of room to crawl underneath then.”
He’s not joking either, the book really is that thick. All 798 pages of it.
Each book in this compilation normally runs at 3.99, so 11.97 for all individually. The usual full price for this book is 9.99, but on day one it’s just 0.99!
Here’s how it works with the pricing:
July 17th – 0.99
July 18th – 1.99
July 19th – 2.99
July 20th – 3.99
July 21st – 4.99
Due to a cock-up with promotion arrangements, apologies to those receiving this blog post on the 18th July, one day after the promotion started.
A Thru-Hiking Trilogy is available at this discount in the USA (Amazon.com) and in the UK (Amazon.co.uk). I regret I couldn’t get the deal in Europe so apologies to the Germans, French, Italian, Spanish . . .
Click on Amazon below to view and order. If the price isn’t as advised, it will be because of time differences, just check back later.
Enjoy the book if you get one, have fun reading the blogs above, and delve into the podcast.
Enjoy the thru-hiking season.
Much love.
Fozzie