The Trail Life: How I Loved it, Hated it, and Learned from it - Paperback

by Julie Urbanski (Author)

Join Stopwatch, an inexperienced thru-hiker with a steep learning curve, as she tackles her first long-distance hike, the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada. She begins the trail with the sole purpose of getting to Canada and quickly realizes she has a lot to learn not only about backpacking, but more importantly, about herself. Much more than an account of meals, miles and mammals, this book takes key aspects from life on the trail and relates them to how they impact her on a deeper level through valuable lessons learned while traveling one of America's most beautiful and rugged hiking trails. From the simple lessons regarding the importance of food and water to the deeper questions about personal fulfillment and happiness, Stopwatch covers the gamut, sharing the trail experience with all its joys and challenges. This book is for those who enjoy and appreciate challenging, life-altering experiences. Even if you never step foot on the trail, the thought-provoking and entertaining stories from Stopwatch's hike will call on you to evaluate the way you look at yourself, your choices, and the life around you.

Author Biography

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Julie has traveled through much of the U.S., whether on foot, via bicycle, or in a car. She has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Colorado Trail (2007, 2011, 2012), and bicycled down the Pacific coast from Portland, Oregon to the border of Mexico. In addition to living in Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, California and Washington, she and her husband have lived abroad in Spain, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Guatemala, and hope to have many more wordly experiences. Before taking on thru-hiking, Julie's first real hiking experience was a week with her husband and friends in the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, where they ran into packs of baboons, and the guide spoke minimal English and carried an AK-47 for their protection. She is an avid runner, always chasing a faster time or a longer distance, having completed one 100 miler, one 50 miler, a 50K, and 19 marathons, including the Boston marathon. Her husband is the force behind her and the impetus that lands her in unique, challenging, and otherwise dreary situations that always seem to end on a positive note of self-realization, mental strength, and the desire to do it all over again. Julie and her husband currently live in Seattle, Washington. To read more about their past, current, and upcoming adventures, visit their website at http: //urbyville.com/.