On My Radar:

A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail
by Jeff Alt
Beaufort Books
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

A Walk For Sunshine is an award winning adventure story that will fill you with inspiration to go after your dreams. Jeff Alt takes you along every step of his amazing 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail adventure filled with humor and inspiration. Now, he includes practical advice to plan your own hiking adventure.

Alt takes you along on an entertaining walk with bears, bugs, blisters, skunk bedmates, and hilarious food cravings. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy this adventure for a noble cause. Jeff dedicated his journey to his brother who has cerebral palsy inspiring an annual fundraiser which has raised over $400,000 for the disabled home in which his brother resides. A Walk For Sunshine has been featured on ESPN, Hallmark Channel, reviewed by the AP, and more. As you walk along with Jeff, you experience perseverance, surviving with only the bare essentials, the success of goal setting, and overcoming obstacles. His story sheds light on the pursuit of a simpler life. In 2007, Jeff shared an epilogue focusing on his Life Lessons from the trail and how he has applied them to his life.

THE NEW 3rd EDITION: of A Walk For Sunshine includes gear ideas and other tips for taking your whole family hiking, and details about the annual Walk-With-Sunshine. We’ve taken the outdoor “leave no trace” ethic and applied it to A Walk For Sunshine. This edition is printed on 100% recycled paper.

On My Radar:

Four Boots - One Journey: A Story of Survival, Awareness & Rejuvenation on the John Muir Trail
Jeff Alt
Beaufort Books
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:


Beth Alt is a woman who prefers hotels, hot showers, and warm beds. But her husband, Jeff, persuades her to go out of her comfort zone and attempt a journey that even seasoned hikers find extremely difficult. Together they walk the entire John Muir Trail—over 218 miles of rugged remote mountain terrain traversing three national parks—in her brother’s memory as a depression awareness campaign. Their breathtaking scenic hike is riddled with adventure, humor, and inspiration. From the moment they set foot on the trail, the fast paced adventure begins with menacing bears, lightning bolts, a mountain rescue, the constant threat of cougars, food shortages, fascinating characters, and altitude sickness.

Four Boots One Journey is an entertaining adventure on the John Muir Trail—and a story of what survival really means. The further they travel down the trail, the more Beth and Jeff discover things they never knew about each other—and with Jeff’s help, Beth becomes a true nomadic survivor. Not only does she complete the expedition, she discovers the joys of backpacking with her husband. They emerge from the trail with their marriage strengthened and their souls rejuvenated.