Free AT Book on Amazon(limited time)

[Wired]

For those of you who like to read trail books, there a couple available for free on Amazon for the the next five days or so. Julie Urbanski's 2011 AT hike book titled "Between a Rock and A White Blaze" is available for download for anyone that has the Kindle app on any device.
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-W...Julie+Urbanski

You can also do a search for her 2007 PCT hike book titled "The Trail Life". She and her husband will be relaeasing a joint CDT book this spring. A great couple that I overlapped with on the CDT last summer. Enjoy

[Studlintsean]

For those of you who like to read trail books, there a couple available for free on Amazon for the the next five days or so. Julie Urbanski's 2011 AT hike book titled "Between a Rock and A White Blaze" is available for download for anyone that has the Kindle app on any device.
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-W...Julie+Urbanski

You can also do a search for her 2007 PCT hike book titled "The Trail Life". She and her husband will be relaeasing a joint CDT book this spring. A great couple that I overlapped with on the CDT last summer. Enjoy

I read that book and thought it was pretty good. She is a very talented writer.

[4Days]

For those of you who like to read trail books, there a couple available for free on Amazon for the the next five days or so. Julie Urbanski's 2011 AT hike book titled "Between a Rock and A White Blaze" is available for download for anyone that has the Kindle app on any device.
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-W...Julie+Urbanski

You can also do a search for her 2007 PCT hike book titled "The Trail Life". She and her husband will be relaeasing a joint CDT book this spring. A great couple that I overlapped with on the CDT last summer. Enjoy

I don't seem to be able to stop reading the adventures of people who are Long Distance hikers. My first attempt will be the VT long trail. Thanks for sharing this information!!!! I have the gear now and am inspired by so many wonderful people.

[Pringles]

Thank you, Wired!

[scrabbler]

Good stuff, thanks!

[Foresight]

Thanks, man.

[winger]

Wired: since the book got mixed reviews, did you find her to be a whiner when you met her on the CDT?

[Wired]

Wired: since the book got mixed reviews, did you find her to be a whiner when you met her on the CDT?

Great question Winger. I can say without a doubt that she was definitely NOT a whiner in person. We spent many days overlapping and I really enjoyed it. I can honestly say that she and her husband are two of the most quality people I've met along the trail. Funny enough, we had a good conversation discussing feedback I get on my blog and that she gets from her books. I haven't read any of her books yet, but she mentioned some saying she whined. We've all seen those people who love to harshly criticize from the sidelines everyone and everything. From what I understand, she writes very honestly and isn't putting on a facade to make things appear as though they are better/worse than they are. Her trail name "Stopwatch" as I understand it, comes from her worries about the details. Always checking the time, miles, dates, etc. I'm like that too and understand what it's like having many anxieties and worries myself as I hike(and in life in general). I won't give too much away about the CDT, but it's very interesting. She and her husband have teamed up to co-write that one and I think it will be quite good as it will come out this spring. I have to say they are pretty badass ultra runners who like to challenge themselves in all aspects and they do these trails in fast times. Not because they are fast, but because they hike ALL day and work their butts off with little to no days off. I wish we could have overlapped more, but they were on a schedule and pushed ahead. They are quite the team and it was great to see two people who really cared for one another.

[Wired]

I don't seem to be able to stop reading the adventures of people who are Long Distance hikers. My first attempt will be the VT long trail. Thanks for sharing this information!!!! I have the gear now and am inspired by so many wonderful people.

Carryon, that is great to hear. My hope is to do the rest of the Long Trail right after the AT if the stars align and my body is still up for more hiking. I'm really looking forward to it! Kinda like the icing on the cake

[colorado_rob]

Yikes! Another AT book to read???? Well, I can't wait. Thanks! Got it.

[drifter]

Got it last night, will help this winter week go by more quickly. Thx!

[aficion]

Thanks...my first download on recently acquired Kindle castoff from my kind kid. Now I can take my reading material with me for these long winter nights. Really appreciate the post!

[Coffee]

I just finished Stopwatch's PCT book and liked it. It wasn't what I necessarily expected since it was not so much a trail journal as a thematic self examination of how the trail changed the author in various ways. But that's part of a thru hike that I'm interested in as well. She does complain about a number of things but clearly recognizes that doing so while on the trail limited her experience.

[Foresight]

I read the book. She whined. In fact, she whined a LOT.

There were several times early on where I was saying "if you don't dig yourself out of this funk and quit bringing me down with this incessant bellyaching I'm ditchin' ya". Each time it seemed to get a little better so I cruised through the middle of the book waiting on her "AHA!" moment....it never came. THEN....she quit.

The rational side of me kept saying "you can poke the screen with your finger and see that this book is nowhere near finished, she's IS going to exorcise these demons and become a decent human being that you might possibly be able to tolerate.....

This cycle keeps repeating itself. It's akin to losing control of your vehicle on ice, but you still haven't crashed. You go side to side and each time you gain just a tad bit more control until finally you get back on top of the situation and get her pointed straight ahead. And just like losing control of your vehicle and nearly dying takes a toll on your nerves, this book took it's toll on mine. Until.....

I finally came to grips enough with her style to actually enjoy the book. Someone mentioned it above, she is brutally honest with herself and THAT, my friends, is not something a lot of people can say about themselves. Get the book, keep an open mind if you catch yourself getting disenfranchised as it is worth it in the end and join me in saying "God bless you, Matt....you're a better man than me"

[Wired]

Yep, just started the PCT one and understand the comments on the complaining, but give her credit for being honest. Great to hear that you stuck with it Foresight and that you were able to appreciate the other aspects of her account. I know each book has it's own theme or way it's written, so all three of hers are not written in the same style. It is interesting to me because having met and hiked with Stopwatch and Optimist, they are kickass hikers who do incredible mileage and long days...and two of the nicest people ever I've met on trail.

[Rocket Jones]

Just finished the PCT book and thought it was pretty good. I didn't think she did much whining as much as being honest about her sometimes crappy attitude. I also liked her style of writing where she would make a point and then hammer that point home again and again by looking at it from different perspectives.

It's not a traditional trail journal type book, but there's definitely something to be learned from her self-analysis.

[Foresight]

Yep, just started the PCT one and understand the comments on the complaining, but give her credit for being honest. Great to hear that you stuck with it Foresight and that you were able to appreciate the other aspects of her account. I know each book has it's own theme or way it's written, so all three of hers are not written in the same style. It is interesting to me because having met and hiked with Stopwatch and Optimist, they are kickass hikers who do incredible mileage and long days...and two of the nicest people ever I've met on trail.

It's a damn fine book and God knows I love her for her style. I was actually so worn down at one point in the book that the only thing keeping me going was knowing she was from Cincinnati and the remote possibility that she might mention being a Reds' fan which would allow me to accept her unconditionally

I read a LOT and this is by far the best non-fiction trail book I have read to date. This is not your run of the mill "I walked to here, I ate this, I slept there" book. In fact, I would dare say the trail, while beyond prominent in the book, is not the main focus. I will definitely read her other books.

The Digger Stolz 2 part fiction work is incredibly good if you need something a little more lighthearted after reading Julie's book.

[Hot Flash]

I read it. The author is a self-centered, whining, complaining b*tch who hates being on the trail, and doesn't like socializing with other people. She's even narcissistic enough to complain about her husband having the completely UNREASONABLE desire to have sex. HOW COULD HE? Even free, this book was too expensive. Let me sum up the story for you:

Whine, complain, moan, whine, rage, pout, whine, pout, complain, complain, whine, I'M QUITTING, whine, pout, whine.

Take a pass on this one, people.

[Foresight]

It's kinda hard to hate on yourself and be a narcissist.

[Wired]

Gotta love your attitude Foresight!