David Knobbe

10,000 Better Days David Knobbe

Epic adventures done well and right are probable game-changers. That's what this book's about. If you're looking for a "How To" book about hiking the Appalachian Trail, this isn't it. If you're looking instead for a "Why To" book, this might be what you're looking for. In 1987, the author completed a 2,100-mile southbound trek along the Appalachian Trail. David Knobbe was young and admittedly stupid about many things related to such an adventure. Luckily, he was not beyond learning and improving with each of the five-million steps between Mount Katahdin in Maine and Springer Mountain in Georgia. Instead of getting eaten by a bear or quitting along the way, he learned from misadventures with moose, monsters, mountains, and from the miles and miles the AT provided for thinking. As is true for most thru-hikers and serious adventurers, his journey became the foundation of valuable lessons embraced ever since. For the author, the payoff of investing six months in a "great" adventure was that each day since for the last thirty years has been better than it might otherwise have been. Every positive in his life can be convincingly tied back to that initial decision to hike the Appalachian Trail. And to not quitting when things got tough. That's the power of any adventure -- not just the Appalachian Trail. If done well and right, it leads to better days - Lots of them. You can't walk the backroads of fourteen states without collecting stories. 10,000 Better Days chronicles the high and low points of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. It describes brushes with devils and angels, heroes and heroines, kidnappers and lost souls. It's a thirty-year old snapshot of life along the thin slice of America that is the Appalachian Trail. It's always been a remarkable place. This book captures the good, the bad, and the ugly of six-months on the trail with light-hearted stories about the characters who kept the experience interesting. We'd all benefit from stepping into the wilds now and then and just soaking it in. For those who pursue something more, they might reap even more like a renewed spirit and a more-targeted trajectory. Epic adventures come in all shapes and sizes. They don't even need to involve tents or boots or mosquitoes. If done well, though, any adventure, as long as it's big enough, offers a shot at amazing and enduring outcomes. This is the story of one such adventure and its value thirty years later.