Recreation

Light blue lapel pin featuring the Appalachian Trail logo.Pin measures 1.25" x 1.25". Weighs 0.3 oz.

The mid-Atlantic's best day hikes on the AT!If you're looking for fun and adventure on the Appalachian Trail, look no further. You hold in your hands an exciting guide to 43 trails in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. They have been tested and approved for families with young kids, veteran hikers, and everyone in between. There are mellow hikes, steep hikes, and hikes through forests. Visit well-known sites, such as Harpers Ferry, the Delaware Water Gap, Bear Mountain State Park, and the Hudson Highlands. Along the way, experience abundant overlooks, Civil War memorials, state parks, waterfalls, and more!Matt Willen provides detailed information on the best day hikes along this 450-mile stretch of trail. Many of the hikes make use of the AT's vast network of side trails to create loop- and balloon-configuration trips, as well as out-and-back excursions. Each profile includes GPS-based trailhead coordinates, trail maps, and elevation profiles, as well as pertinent information on the natural history of the hike and recommendations for other activities in the area. Ratings for scenery, trail condition, accessibility for children, difficulty, and solitude ensure that you choose the right trails for your specific needs and interests.This carefully curated collection of short segments offers a new approach to enjoying the granddaddy of America's trails! Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press. Paperback, 283 pages. Measures 5" x 8" x 0.5". Weighs 10.8 oz.

Imagine a 7-year-old boy asking his father if they can hike the entire length of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail together. Then imagine that the father says yes. Now think "What are they getting themselves into?" For the author of this deeply felt book, the planned hike is an opportunity to bond with his son and be what he calls "Barbarians"--in touch with natural processes far from the comforts of home. It's also a chance for nature to do some healing in his life, too. For the boy, it's a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. They start in West Virginia and head north, through cold and wet spring weather, carrying only what they need and picking up resupply boxes along the way. The boy is entranced by the freedom, asking questions nonstop and pointing out every interesting bug, bird, and blossom they pass. But he's also stubborn, sometimes scared, and occasionally too tired to trudge on. Dad relishes seeing the natural world through his son's eyes, but he also struggles with the responsibility of keeping the journey going forward. By the time they reach Vermont, with aching feet and frazzled nerves, their plan to take a train to Georgia and hike north to where they started is in serious jeopardy. But the trail beckons. Closely observed, wonderfully described, and bracingly clear-eyed, this inspiring book will appeal to nature lovers and would-be AT hikers alike. It offers a vivid evocation of both the camaraderie and dangers of trail life--as well as the difficulties of modern child-rearing and the powerful lure of an untamed natural world.  Publisher: Stackpole Books. Hardcover, 215 pages. Measures 5.75" x 8.5" x 1". Weighs 11.2 oz. 

A collage of backpacking culture, Hiker Trash offers a glimpse of the off-beat, diverse community that is drawn to thru-hiking the country's oldest long-distance trail. It features a collection of original illustrations by author and artist Sarah Kaizar, as well as color photos by Nicholas Reichard and excerpts from the Appalachian Trail's famed shelter log books that highlight hikers' thoughts, fears, frustrations, and joys. Kaizar thru-hiked the AT in 2015, a six-month, 2,200mile journey through fourteen states during which she had plenty of time to reflect and heal following the death of her father. Intricate and arresting, her drawings are created in pen-and-ink with colorful acrylic washes; they capture the character of the trail and its shelters as well as the hikers who find respite under the roofs and in the log pages. Fellow AT thru-hiker and professional photographer Nicholas Reichard's images provide another layer of perspective and community. Publisher: Skipstone. Hardcover, 128 pages. Measures 10.25" x 8.25" x 0.5". Weighs 1 lb 5.2 oz.