Four Boots-One Journey: A Story of Survival, Awareness & Rejuvenation on the John Muir Trail

by Jeff Alt

Overview

Join Jeff Alt in this heartwarming and inspiring first-hand account about hiking the 218-mike trek along the John Muir Trail with his wife to honor her brother’s memory.

While more in love than ever, newlyweds Jeff and Beth could not be more different. Jeff, an avid hiker, prefers long, exhausting thru-hikes and sleeping under a canopy of stars. Beth, on the other hand, prefers hotels, hot showers, and ending the day in a warm, clean bed.

But when Beth's brother dies tragically by suicide, Jeff convinces Beth to join him on the 218-mile hike along the John Muir Trail to honor her brother's memory, and spread awareness about mental health issues. Their journey through three national parks—Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Park—is never short of surprises, as they encounter everything from menacing bears to lightning strikes, and food shortages to altitude sickness.

Yet, slowly but surely, Beth starts to discover the joys, trials, and extraordinary beauty of exploring nature with just a backpack to your name.

Previously known as A Hike for Mike, this new edition is a rewarding, humorous tale of one couple's adventurous journey to healing, rediscovering nature, and falling more in love with each other every step of the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780825307362
Publisher:	Beaufort Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/13/2014
Pages:	223
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jeff Alt's adventures have been featured on ESPN, Hallmark Channel, in the Associated Press, and more. Alt is a celebrated author and a talented speaker. He is the author of Four Boots One Journey, Get Your Kids Hiking, and A Walk for Sunshine. A Walk for Sunshine won the Gold in the 2009 Foreword Reviews Book of the Year awards. It took first place winner in the 2009 National Best Books Awards Sponsored by USA Book News, and won a Bronze in the 2010 Living Now Book Awards sponsored by Jenkins Group. Get Your Kids Hiking won the Bronze in both the 2014 Living Now Book Awards, and the 2013 IndieFab Award in Family and Relationships. Alt is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). He has walked the Appalachian Trail, the John Muir Trail with his wife, and he carried his 21-month old daughter across a path of Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

08/25/2014
Hiker and speaker Alt (A Walk for Sunshine) and wife Beth, hiked the John Muir Trail—218 miles in all—as an effort to heal themselves and spread awareness about depression following a suicide in the family. While his outdoors experiences included the Appalachian Trail, she was a hiking novice who enjoyed the comforts of home. More than just a memoir, Alt's book serves as as a guide to the trail as well as a reference for backpacking preparations. Alt describes terrain, wildlife, and fellow hikers as he narrates their experiences. Food is a frequent theme due to the difficulties of limiting weight and carrying many days' meals in a bear proof capsule. Alt balances the safety concerns and difficulties of long hiking journeys with humorous and spiritual observations about life on the trail and in nature. Throughout, Alt shares memories of Beth's brother along with symptoms of depression. The story holds great sincerity and is recommended for hikers. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"...This book follows Alt and his wife Beth across the 218-mile John Muir Trail...Encountering bears, lightning storms, rugged scenery, and fascinating people...Non-hikers will enjoy the author's vivid descriptions of natural beauty and encounters in the wild..."—LA Metro Book Review, (Review from the original paperback, A Hike for Mike)

"They encountered bears, saw fresh mountain lion tracks...lightning, rain, wind, and snow...Even without a cause [they] have come up with a good book..."—Jim Morris, Dayton Daily News, (Review from the original paperback, A Hike for Mike)

"...Beth Alt's husband, Jeff was right: Hiking in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range was just what she needed while grieving the death of her brother...immersed with everything the trail had to offer: the tall pines that stretched to the sky, the still lakes..., snow-forested mountains, the black bear lurking toward her. The black bear lurking toward her?...uplifting and humorous..."—Joe Burris, The Baltimore Sun, (Review from the original paperback, A Hike for Mike)

"...A GREAT DIARY of their trip, in which marathon runner Beth, a camping and hiking novice, encounters bears, lightning and freeze-dried food...sheds light on a common condition affecting millions of Americans..."—Anne Stein, The Chicago Tribune, (Review from the original paperback, A Hike for Mike)

From the Publisher