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Dxi00rebel
12-29-2003, 20:05
:sun Hi all! I just finished a book titled;

Walking Home: A Woman's Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail, by Kelly Winters. Following a breakup with her boyfriend, Winters decided to pursue her lifelong dream of hiking the A.T. alone. She relates her experiences with lack of food, rain, bad knees, the "thru-hiker" culture, and the nuances of shelter etiquette in this story of self-reliance. -Julie Burns, Popular materials librarian.

It was the most honest account of a thru hiker's experience I have yet to read, and really wanted to share it with others, especially women, since the author was a woman who went alone. If you're thinking about heading to the trail alone, reading this would be very beneficial.

-Dxi

codelzrd
12-29-2003, 20:54
Hi Dxi!
As an avid reader and future woman thru-hiker... I will definitely pick this one up! Thanks!

Rain Man
12-29-2003, 22:40
:sun Hi all! I just finished a book titled;

Walking Home: A Woman's Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail, by Kelly Winters. ...

It was the most honest account of a thru hiker's experience I have yet to read, and really wanted to share it with others, especially women, since the author was a woman who went alone. If you're thinking about heading to the trail alone, reading this would be very beneficial. -Dxi

YES!!! I read this book earlier this month, then gave it to my 19-year-old daughter who is planning to thru-hike this coming year. She read it in 3 days. We both loved the book. You are so right about this book. It is certainly among my favorites so far, if not my favorite.

Rain Man

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texashiker
12-30-2003, 03:31
Thanks for the tip! I just ordered it.
:)

Hammock Hanger
12-30-2003, 11:28
and I met at the 2002 PA Ruck. She is a wonderful lady. Enjoy her book.

Sue/Hammock Hanger

Rain Man
12-30-2003, 11:39
and I met at the 2002 PA Ruck. She is a wonderful lady. Enjoy her book.

Sue/Hammock Hanger


AND... she's a WhiteBlazer too, if I'm not mistaken. Correct?

Rain Man

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Amazin_Grace
03-23-2004, 11:35
Thanks everyone for the comments on my book--I'm glad you liked it and am always happy to hear from people who've read it.

I was off Whiteblaze for a while these past months because of a very busy schedule but hope to be on more often now. If anyone wants to email me privately about the book, hiking, or anything else, feel free to drop me a note at [email protected]!

See you on the forums!
Kelly (Amazin' Grace)

steve hiker
03-23-2004, 11:59
Amazin Grace you plan on doing any sectioning or maybe another thru? Hope your hiking days aint thru.

slider
03-23-2004, 12:57
I have just finished " As Far As The Eye Can See" by David Brill. An AT Conference Book. This is not a how to book..rather one that covers his 1979 thur hike looking back twenty years later...Very enjoyable reading for that off trail time. I give it 4 stars.

Furlough
03-23-2004, 15:14
I just finished this book this past weekend. I really enjoyed the honesty and the humor. I hope that when life allows it Amazin Grace (and Gladys) can do the through hike again.


Harry

Chickety
03-23-2004, 21:33
I'm in the middle of "Walking Home" right now!

It's actually at a coffee shop I visit, and I hate leaving the book behind everytime I just get back "into" the hike. (but someone else has pages turned down....so I can't be mean and scoff it)

Love reading anything about the AT, esp. women's point of views, it is indeed a great read.

Pretty cool that Amazin' Graze is a Whiteblazer too!

Hammock Hanger
03-23-2004, 22:31
Kelly's (AG) is a great lady and her story is another good trail adventure. HH

Mini-Mosey
03-24-2004, 05:12
How amazing that this thread was started; I just bought and read the whole book last Thursday!! I am now going to reread it as time and circumstances permit. It is an absolutely wonderful, honest book. Very refreshing and moving.

DebW
03-24-2004, 10:52
I agree wholeheartedly. Best thru-hike book I've read.

mountaineer
03-24-2004, 11:03
This was one of the first books I read on the AT, and really enjoyed it. In researching my 2005 thru-hike and joining various forums on-line, I was beginning to get caught up in other people's expectations of what a thru-hiker should do, and the whole white blaze vs blue blaze and flip-flops and town stops, and it was beginning to get me a bit stressed out (NOT the proper mind-set for a hike). After reading Kelly's book and how she finally released herself from the other "purist" hiker ideals and really just enjoyed being out there, I relaxed a LOT about it and finally understood the true "hike your own hike" mentality. Thanks, Amazin Grace.

Jersey Bob
03-24-2004, 11:12
at least 10 characters

Rain Man
03-24-2004, 11:55
...I was beginning to get caught up in other people's expectations of what a thru-hiker should do, and the whole white blaze vs blue blaze and flip-flops and town stops, and it was beginning to get me a bit stressed out (NOT the proper mind-set for a hike). After reading Kelly's book and how she finally released herself from the other "purist" hiker ideals and really just enjoyed being out there, I relaxed a LOT about it and finally understood the true "hike your own hike" mentality. Thanks, Amazin Grace.

My daughter Sarah (aka GrassPicker aka Grass) is out there right now northbound in the Smokies. She read Kelly's book (and others) and is following that principle of HYOH and not fretting over the various kinds of blazes, but is just enjoying herself SO much. If she weren't happy out there, she'd come home. The goal is the fun, not an arbitrary "successful" conquest. Anyway, they're all Amazing Women in my book.

Rain Man

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Amazin_Grace
03-24-2004, 13:37
First of all, if someone else swipes that book from the coffee shop before you're done reading it, email me and I'll send you a copy. :)

Here's an update on me and Gladys for those who are curious--yes, we have done some section hikes on the AT, and we've also hiked almost all of the Long Trail in Vermont--the northern section of it is like all the hardest parts of the AT, all strung together, lots of cliffs and rock scrambles. Also, it's very wet--it rains almost every day (which is why the Green Mountains are so green). You can hike all day and NEVER see another soul, and you'll often be in shelters by yourself. It's a gorgeous trail. This northern part of it is very different from the 100 miles it shares with the AT--that section is one of my favorite hikes, but it's much more social and accessible than the northern part of the LT, which is much more wildernessy. I really recommend the LT--it's a great trail.

We've also hiked sections of the AT in Vermont and Maine--we even climbed Katahdin! However, I still don't call myself a 2000 miler because there are pieces of the AT that I have not hiked. We were whiteblazers on the LT, but I was a big blueblazer on the AT.

Gladys and I are still totally happy. We are so grateful every day that I got to do the AT hike, and that we met. That was truly trail magic, and it continues every day. We're really lucky.

We became civil union partners in Vermont in 2000 (we hiked 160 miles on the Long Trail to get to the town where we were having the ceremony, then our "honeymoon" was hiking some more), and we were married in Canada this last fall (no hiking there, though). However, no state in the US recognizes our marriage, even though they would recognize the marriage of any opposite-sex couple who was married there.

And, we just had a son, Cliff, who was conceived by donor insemination. He is a joy and the light of our life. He's only 6 weeks old but loves being outside in the running stroller. We can't wait til he's older and we can take him hiking and camping. We figure when he's 18 or so, we can all do a thruhike together. Until then, we'll be doing sections!

happy hiking everyone,
Grace (Kelly Winters)

Amazin_Grace
03-24-2004, 13:40
I keep forgetting to ask this--Rain Man, are you the same Rain Man that I met painting blazes in Georgia early in my hike in 1996? If that was you, you were really encouraging and I want to thank you for it. I even mentioned you in the book!

happy hiking,

Grace (Kelly Winters)

Noggin
03-24-2004, 14:37
So who had the baby, you or Gladys?

Mr. Clean
03-24-2004, 17:06
I just got "Walking Home" yesterday and am going to start it Tomorrow night. Kelly, good luck with your little boy - my wife and I just adopted a baby boy in January who is 9 weeks old and he is wonderful.

Rain Man
03-24-2004, 19:35
I keep forgetting to ask this--Rain Man, are you the same Rain Man that I met painting blazes in Georgia early in my hike in 1996? If that was you, you were really encouraging and I want to thank you for it. I even mentioned you in the book!

Alas, that was not me, but I'm glad to know my namesake has such a good reputation! Maybe I can ride his coattails some time when I need to. LOL
:clap
Rain Man

.

Noggin
03-24-2004, 23:18
Also did you have a choice as to the donor, such as an astrophysicist or a touchy-feely AT thru-hiker?

yogi clyde
03-25-2004, 08:48
Great book period, not just for women.

My favorite of the many books I read in prep of my
2004 thru hike - only 25 days to go.

Kelly congrats on the kid.

Funny, not having a girlfriend for years I met someone in December, but remembering Kelly's book, I am not letting that distract me from my trip.

Amazin_Grace
03-25-2004, 09:52
and Gladys is adopting him as his second parent--so we will legally BOTH be his mothers. Only a handful of states allow this, so we're happy we live in one of them!

Being pregnant and giving birth was an amazing experience--I loved every minute of it. We hiked a section of the Vermont AT from Killington to Hanover, NH early in the pregnancy, so the baby has already been on the Trail. :)

Amazin_Grace
03-25-2004, 10:07
Mr. Clean, congratulations on your baby boy! That is so awesome. Adoption is a beautiful way to make a family--I should know, I was adopted too. :)

Noggin, are you psychic? You asked if the donor was an astrophysicist--actually he's a student working on his PhD in astrophysics! I'm serious. But he also loves camping. We have about 15 pages of info on him, his family, his health, etc. and we did have a choice of many donors--but a sort of Trail Magic too long to explain here led us to him. Another important thing about him is that he agreed to be a "known donor": which means that when Cliff is 18, he can meet the donor--we didn't want an anonymous donor because we think Cliff has a right to know his biological origins.

We have also found, through the Internet, 2 other families who have children from the same donor and want them to know our son--so he will grow up knowing his half-brothers, which is very cool.

Rain Man, you may not be the same guy, but you're just as encouraging! Thank you for all your kind words.

Yogi Clyde, how great that you met someone special--I'm sure she will understand how important the hike is to you--maybe she can meet you in various places along the way, or hike sections with you. I wish you both happiness!

Grace

Happy
03-25-2004, 10:36
Grace, Saturday is my birthday and I just told my wife I wanted a copy of your book, and look forward to reading it! :banana

This would probably be the "Rainmaker" that you encountered, as he maintains part of the GA trail...http://trailquest.net

Amazin_Grace
03-25-2004, 16:11
That WAS Rainmaker I was thinking of. Oh well! Two nice guys with "Rain" in their names, it's easy to mix 'em up.

Happy birthday! and happy reading.

Grace (Kelly)

TJ aka Teej
03-25-2004, 17:49
And, we just had a son, Cliff

Congrats, Gladys & Grace!

TJ aka Teej
03-25-2004, 17:52
my wife and I just adopted a baby boy in January who is 9 weeks old and he is wonderful.

Congrats to you too, Greg!
man.. I love these threads that have good news! :D

Mr. Clean
03-26-2004, 13:48
It's finally warming up a little bit here so I've been taking him outside and he LOVES it! Woohoo! Maybe I'll have a little hiking companion soon.

Kelley, read about a third of your book last night (at work) and love it.

steve hiker
03-27-2004, 02:20
I predict your son will do the AT one day.

P.S.: loved your book.

Amazin_Grace
03-30-2004, 09:58
We've been taking Cliff out in the running stroller every day and he LOVES it--gets cranky if we don't go. We got a rain/wind shield for the stroller, which makes it much easier to go out in the weather--our area is very windy and often wet. But the baby's in his little cocoon, so he stays toasty.

Have fun with your little one!
Grace (Kelly)

Amazin_Grace
03-30-2004, 10:01
The previous message was for Mr. Clean--somehow I can't make my replies come right after the one that I'm answering. This one's for Steve Hiker:

Great frog story--a new ending would be that he was so happy that he swam in the ocean the rest of his life and never went back to the well. :)

Happy
03-30-2004, 10:24
Grace, my wife came through with a copy of your book Saturday for my birthday!!!...look forward to reading it shortly...the weather in Georgia has been "perfect" the past several days, so I spent the time outside.

Have some good times with that new baby!

attroll
03-30-2004, 10:42
The previous message was for Mr. Clean--somehow I can't make my replies come right after the one that I'm answering. This one's for Steve Hiker:

Great frog story--a new ending would be that he was so happy that he swam in the ocean the rest of his life and never went back to the well. :)
If you want to let people know that you are replying to them sometimes it is good to click on the "Quote" icon in persons message that you are replying to. That will put a copy their message withing quotes in your reply like I did in this message. I only do this when I am replying to a specific person so they know I am replying to them. Otherwise I just click on the reply button.

Mr. Clean
04-01-2004, 08:38
If you want to let people know that you are replying to them sometimes it is good to click on the "Quote" icon in persons message that you are replying to. That will put a copy their message withing quotes in your reply like I did in this message. I only do this when I am replying to a specific person so they know I am replying to them. Otherwise I just click on the reply button.

Oh, thats how that works. Learn something every day.

Rain Man
04-01-2004, 11:00
Oh, thats how that works. Learn something every day.

Yes. And once you see (and thus learn) the command that starts the quote code and the command that stops the quote code, you can copy-and-paste those commands to craft your replies with great flexibility.
:sun

Rain Man

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