“Two Trails” — The Book

c) Andrew Carter, 2024

I did it. I finished my book. 73,000 words. 110 pages, single space on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with 3/4″ margins.

I’m in the copy edit phase now. Once that’s done, I’ll self-publish and provide copies to friends and family who are interested.

I’ll make an effort to get it actually published, but I’m not holding my breath. Hiking books are a dime a dozen.

Read the text below to see what the book is about.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to accomplish something I’ve wanted to accomplish all my life — write a book. It feels like what it felt like to complete my Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 1977 when I was 20 years old.

“Two Trails” Introduction

In 1977, when I was 20 years old, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.  In 2021 to 2023, when I was in my mid-60’s, I section hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.  Two trails – 45 years apart.  Two ages in life – one young, one old.  Two eras – the 1970’s and the 2020’s.

In this book, I will compare the differences between the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.  The differences in landscape, in ruggedness and remoteness, in trail construction and trail amenities, in flora, fauna, and climate.  I’ll discuss what it’s like to hike one trail as a young man and the other as an aging adult, how a thru-hike is different than a section hike, how I got started hiking, and why I hiked each trail when I did.  I’ll describe the changes in gear and technology I’ve seen over the 45 years between my two hikes, what I carried each time in my pack, and what food I ate.  I’ll discuss the places I saw and the people I met, the thoughts and feelings I had while hiking the two trails, what I learned from my two hikes, and how hiking each trail changed me.