It’s time for a much overdo installment of “Things I Find Awesome”, so here goes. I’m reading three completely awesome books right now and they’re all about trails.
First up is Scott and Jenny Jurek’s North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail, chronicling Scott’s push to record a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the AT and his wife Jenny’s experience crewing for him. Most people take 5-7 months to complete the route which stretches 2,189 miles from Georgia to Maine. Naturally Scott ran it in 46 days. As you do . . .
Second is The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing The Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience by Jennifer Pharr Davis. She held the AT FKT for years and was the record Scott Jurek set out to beat (and he only beat her by like two hours) so it’s safe to say Pharr Davis is a fucking badass and I’m stoked to read her version of digging deep to conquer the trail.
Third is a book simply called On Trails: An Exploration. This one, by Robert Moor, delves deep into the history of trails, how they form, and how they help us understand the world. I expect to consume it rapidly with the bliss and curiosity of a very happy, very small child!
So of course, with all these idyllic woodsy thoughts swirling about my head, I woke up this morning from some pretty awesome trail dreams. But honestly, the Appalachian Trail has never really called to me. First of all I would want to do it much more like Bill Bryson did in A Walk In The Woods and much less like a hard core thru-hiker. And second, the AT always makes me think about Deliverance much more than spending peaceful time in the woods. That said, there are two new trails that are definitely on my list of totally awesome things to do in this lifetime:
1) Chile’s 1,700 mile Ruta de Parques (Route of Parks) which connects seventeen (yes, 17!!) national parks from Puerto Montt in the north to Cape Horn in the south.
2) Greenland’s 102 mile Arctic Circle Trail which has really killer start and endpoint names – Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut – and is usually free of snow in the summer, ha!
OK that’s it for this edition of Things I Find Awesome! I hope all is well in your worlds. Sending love & light!
How to Enjoy a 50K 