New hiking book released by Ragged Mountain Press
February 25th, 2005
If you dream of tackling the Appalachian, Continental Divide, or Pacific Crest Trail but lack the time or resources for a 2,000-mile-plus-journey, Thru Hiker’s Guide to America provides a cache of manageable alternatives. Here are 25 beautiful trails that can be hiked during a vacation of one to eight weeks. From Washington’s 95-mile Wonderland Trail to the 1,300-mile Florida Trail, this thoroughly researched guide covers the entire spectrum of North American geography, climate, and terrain.
Whether you’re looking for rimrock or alpine meadows, mountain panoramas or forest cloisters, seaside or desert, this book will help you decide which trail is best for you.
The seven requirements for inclusion in Schlimmer’s book, in his own words:
· “The trail needed to be at least a hundred miles long. (The only exception to this rule was the 95-mile Wonderland Trail, but there are exceptions to most rules I make).
· I didn’t want to include really long trails, so I decided to set the upper limit at 1,300 miles.
· I chose trails that showed their own personality and related to specific entities, such as communities, rivers, mountains, lakes, and even political borders, among other features.
· I wanted to discuss different kinds of trails all over North America, from flat to mountainous, tough to easy, wilderness to multiple-use.
· Paths that a lot of people had not heard of were certainly worthy of mention, but more famous trails could not go unrepresented, either. No matter how famous or little known a trail was before I found it, it had a fair chance of being picked.
· A trail could be included only if it had a feeling of wildness. Generally, the trail needed to stray from massive development for extended distances, because the guide would be written primarily for hikers.
· If a trail was not currently routed end to end on the ground, on a map, or in a guidebook, it was not described. An exception was if someone had thru-hiked the trail already, the trail could be selected despite the lack of accurate guidebooks and maps. (Such was the case with the Arizona Trail and the Shore-to-Shore Trail).”
Each trail has its own chapter, and features photographs, maps, plusses and minuses, average temperatures, terrain and water descriptions, scenic highlights, critters you may encounter (“I never want to be that close to a moose again!”), points of interest, Schlimmer’s Sidebars, and summaries from hikers who have completed the trails.
About the Author:
e. Schlimmer has lived in the mountains of the Northeast for nearly two decades. He has worked as a seasonal forest ranger, Appalachian Trail caretaker and ridgerunner, wilderness trip leader, wildland firefighter, and trail crew leader. He surveyed and interviewed experienced hikers and Forest Service employees around the country to compile this work.
“All the options and answers to the question, ‘what do I want to hike next?’ are contained in this book. Choose your season, your distance, your terrain, read this guide, and head off to hike the trail that fits your personal criteria.” Dick Anderson, International Appalachian Trail president
“A guide to some tempting trails, Schlimmer knows what he’s talking about – The Lighten Up! section is worth its weight and then some. Read it. Believe it. Achieve it.” Andrea Lankford, Appalachian Trail thru-hiker; retired National Park Service ranger; author of Biking the Arizona Trail
“Just glancing through the table of contents stirs the imagination and fires the wanderlust within. Every distance hiker will find this unique book to be an informative and useful tool for trip planning.” Chuck Wilson, Eastern Continental thru-hiker; Florida Trail Association, long distance hiker coordinator
“The Thru Hiker’s Guide to America is more than a guidebook…It’s a book of dreams for everyone who has ever hungered for more after a two-, five-, or even seven-day backpacking trip.” Dr. Larry Soroka, Adirondack Experience program director at Plattsburgh State University
“I’m impressed with the scope of the project Schlimmer tackled. He gives very practical straightforward information to the reader in a format that is entertaining and easily understood. I also like the tone set in the Thru Hiker’s Guide to America in terms of wilderness ethics, and adventuring in wilderness on its own terms.” Mark Simon, Wilderness Education program director at Potsdam State University
Paperback, $16.95
ISBN 0-07-143364-3
Category: Hiking
Trails Featured:
1. Arizona Trail (AZT), Arizona, 790 miles
2. Baker Trail (BT), Pennsylvania, 140 miles
3. Buckeye Trail (BT), Ohio, 1,280 miles
4. Cohos Trail (CT), New Hampshire, 160 miles
5. Colorado Trail (CT), Colorado, 470 miles
6. Florida Trail (FT), Florida, 1,300 miles
7. Ice Age Trail (IAT), Wisconsin, 1,100 miles
8. International Appalachian Trail (IAT), Maine-New Brunswick-Quebec, 700 miles
9. John Muir Trail (JMT), California, 220 miles
10. Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT), Texas, 130 miles
11. Long Path (LP), New Jersey-New York, 345 miles
12. Long Trail (LT), Vermont, 270 miles
13. Mason-Dixon Trail (MDT), Delaware-Maryland-Pennsylvania, 190 miles
14. Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (MMT), Massachusetts-New Hampshire, 120 miles
15. Mid State Trail (MST), Pennsylvania, 260 miles
16. Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), North Carolina, 925 miles
17. Northville-Placid Trail (NPT), New York, 135 miles
18. Ouachita Trail (OT), Arkansas-Oklahoma, 225 miles
19. Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT), Arkansas, 165 miles
20. River-to-River Trail (RRT), Illinois, 175 miles
21. Shore-to-Shore Trail (SST), Michigan, 220 miles
22. Superior Hiking Trail (SHT), Minnesota, 235 miles
23. Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), California-Nevada, 165 miles
24. Tuscarora Trail (TT), Maryland-Pennsylvania-Virginia-West Virginia, 250 miles
25. Wonderland Trail (WT), Washington, 95 miles
