It's called "White Blaze Fever" and although you will not find the fever mentioned in any medical journal, have no doubt in your mind - it does exist and no one is immune. Only the most casual, most minute contact with the Appalachian Trail is needed to catch the fever. I now welcome you to be my vicarious hiking partner as we pursue the two-inch by six-inch white blazes from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Through my daily journal entries - revised only a little - you will share encounters with bear, moose, snakes and other wildlife. You will feel the thrill of viewing the most magnificent vistas east of the Mississippi and come to know a unique collection of individuals guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.

Every journey starts with a first step, a second step and sometimes followed by a lot of prep. Hopefully this leads to a third step and many future accomplishments. Our lives have many cycles; right, wrong or indifferent, these poems categorize them into hills, ravines, ditches and mountains. Your first mountain starts at conception and generally takes a breaking point after high school or some form of higher education or armed services. Your second mountain typically lasts the longest. It consists of those working years and can span until your retirement. Marriage, house hunting and children sometimes get entwined into those productive years. Somewhere around 50 years old, sometimes later, one starts to navigate up the third mountain. Your most productive years are behind you and you ponder how do I make a difference when the dash is over on this sphere.

"Cosmic Fever is inventive, a barrage of creativity — and draws on science in its fictional crafting. A great example of the genre." –Dr. J Reads Imagine waking up one morning and learning that scientists have discovered the Theory of Everything – one simple, elegant equation that unifies all matter, time, and purpose in the universe. How would humanity change? How would you change? And what if soon after, the trumpeted theory was proven false and scientists were forced to issue an embarrassing retraction. Welcome to the zany, satirical world of Cosmic Fever, where in the span of a few short weeks humanity yo-yos from its usual petty squabbling to global harmony – and back again. Was anything learned from the rare interlude of cosmic bliss? The answer is yes, sort of. And the world finds out just how much in a surprising climax that makes perfect sense to anyone who believes everything is connected in some strange and wonderful loop, as mysterious and kooky as life itself.

When the cosmic tumblers click into place and the universe opens its vault, miracles can happen. Inspired by his dying father’s dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail, Paul Travers hits the trail and finds that miracle in the healing power of America’s sacred mountains. Dancing with the Mountains… Alzheimer’s, Angels, and the Appalachian Trail – A Journey of Spirit chronicles Paul’s thru-hike to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association and prove that “60 is the new 40.” More than a travelogue, it is a love story about fathers and sons, families battling Alzheimer’s, and the people and places along the Appalachian Trail. Sprinkled with humor and humanity, It is the spiritual response to Bill Bryson’s bestseller A Walk in the Woods. On his pilgrimage, Paul eludes the FBI, meets his guardian angel, survives a lightning strike and a near drowning, encounters the ghost of a relative, acquires a trail name (Sondance), finds a Field of Dreams, walks off the war, solves the death of a Hollywood starlet, discovers Saint Francis and the Buddha in New York, embraces a religious cult, visits ground zero for the 60s hippie movement (Arlo’s not Alice’s Restaurant), receives a sacred stone from a Lakota medicine man, meets a female apostle, discovers his father’s parallel spiritual journey, and copes with the death of his parents. His adventure ultimately reveals nature is not only the handiwork of God but the hand of God that leads each of us on a unique spiritual journey.

A compilation of stories from thru-hikers, a unique group of people who every year brave a 2,100 mile trail through every type of weather, every type of circumstance. Gathered from trail registers, postcards, and personal interviews, these voices come alive and evoke the true spirit of the Appalachian Trail, from the lows of ten consecutive days of rain and cold, to the highs of beautiful sunsets and camaraderie. Each spring, a group of people attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Setzer follows these determined hikers from Georgia to Maine. In this new edition, hikers reveal five years later how their experiences on the Trail changed their lives. 'Originally, I was attracted to the AT for the adventure of walking the whole thing at once... Even as I finished, I did not understand those who chose to repeat the walk. But the next spring I found I wanted to go. And I understood that you never walk the same trail twice... I learned that I walk to fill my heart with wonder, to feed my soul.' - Merlin 'I know I'll be out there again. I don't know when and I don't know with whom. But I know, once more I'll live the nomadic life I loved on the Appalachian Trail.' - Trail Gimp Whether documenting their journey or contemplating its impact on their lives, the voices in A Season on the Appalachian Trail will entrance you with their honesty and humanity.

The Appalachian Trail Hiker is a one-stop guide to preparing for and hiking the A.T. Although primarily geared to prepare and sustain the intrepid thru hiker, the book is also a must-have for anyone who wishes to experience the A.T., whether for an hour or for six months.

Inspiring tale of a lonely hikers journey along the Appalachian Trail. Her humorous and challenging adventures will keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the ultimate climb up Katahdin in Maine.