Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that I am not here right now. Instead I am over at OutdoorBound.com. I was asked to write a review of Zach Davis aka The Good Badger’s book Appalachian Trials. You can view the post here.

Happy Reading.

Adam

“The Appalachian Trail : How to Prepare for & Hike It” by Jan D. Curran is an amazing resource for anyone wanting to hike the AT or just wanting to know what it is like to hike the AT. As the title suggests it is more informational than a hiking story. There are lists of which books to read to learn the history of the area, gear suggestions, and my favorite part a list of all of the post offices no more than a few miles off the trail. The one thing I might warn you is the gear information is a little dated however many of  the brands that are recommended are still top of many backpackers gear lists just not the models.  I highly recommend this as a must read for any aspiring thru-hiker.

Over the weekend I finished reading “Five Million Steps” by Lon Chenowith. What a great book. I felt like I was right there on the trail with him. His observations and ability to capture even the littlest details in his writing was amazing. If you plan on hiking the AT or just would like to learn more about it I highly recommend this book.

Here is a description of the book. Copy courtesy of Amazon

Something happened there that is too rare among men: We touched the soul, and we touched heaven. The encounter put fire in my bones and brought a deep humility to know that God was at work in this crazy project of mine. Hiking from Georgia to Maine sounds incredulous to most. To Lon Chenowith, it is a journey that calls him into the wild–a journey that reveals true tests of faith and will in the direst circumstances. What began as a dream in his teens to trek the Appalachian Trail takes flight with a preliminary hike with his two young boys from Amicalola Falls to Unicoi Gap. The initial intrigue wears off, and Lon quickly realizes he will be making a long, arduous journey alone, save for a few hiking partners and unique characters met along the way. As a section-hiker, Lon, best known as the Arkansas Traveler, spans the course of fourteen years, climbing 237 mountains in a backcountry with a culture all its own. The romance of trekking across the mountains quickly wears off, and the presence of God teaches him perseverance and faith. While at times lonesome and hard, the undeniable urge to return to nature keeps Lon climbing and chronicling his Five Million Steps.

 

As I unpack boxes of books that I have not read in a very long time.  I had kept these books for a reason, but what was that reason? As i opened them skimmed them I noticed that many of them had something written in them by my mom, friends, and other family members. As I unpack these books I thought I would share some of them with you. Not only will this make me go back and remember why I kept them and also give you all another glimpse into who I am. Today’s book is a collection of poems. The book is titled On Days Like This. It is written by Dan Quisenberry.  Some people might know that name but others may not. Dan Quisenberry was A hometown hero back in the 80′s. He was a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals.

Notable for his submarine-style pitching delivery and his humorous quotes, he led the American League in saves a record five times (1980, 1982–85), and retired in 1990 with 244 saves, then the 6th-highest total in major league history.   – Wikipedia

After his career with the Kansas City Royals came to an end he became a poet where he had three poems published in 1995 and then had On Days Like This published in 1998 also that year he would die after a rough battle with brain cancer.

His poems where observations of his life and everything around him. He writes about baseball, his family, and everything around him.

This book brings back many memories of my past. They remind me that diving into books that were of far off lands to help escape the harsh relativity of life. I would also use poetry and writing to help me through a very rough time in my young life. This book was published only 5 years after I had been diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. Another connection we both shared. This book is a great read and unlike many things done today truly comes from the heart. A heart of a man that simply just enjoyed life and everything about it. One of the things that this has really reminded me is to think about is that even if things seem really bad at that moment someone else has it much worse.

Happy  Trails.

Adam

A great movie about endurance, strength, and will power.  The story is of three men who on a whim decide to run across the Sahara desert. They also use this as a platform to help spread the word about the water problem in Africa. The video is narrated by Matt Damon who helped the runners create H2O Africa Foundation witch later merges into Water.org in 2009.

Overall this is a great adventure with its ups its downs and everything in between. I would highly recommend watching this movie if you like real life adventure .

To learn more about the movie and the Water.org Foundation please visit the Running the Sahara website.

Buy The movie today.