Bill Walker's Blog

4 Suggestions For Bookending An Appalachian Trail Hike:

Setting out on an Appalachian Trail hike can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. Presumably you’ve done your preparation, gathered a group together, and laid out your route. That moment – with nothing but the excitement of the trail and beautiful wilderness ahead of you – can be uniquely exhilarating.

Because of this, it’s fair to say that just about every voluntary hike through this part of the country starts off well. The hike itself can be just as exciting, and particularly if you’re the type who already enjoys the outdoors, every moment can be special. Even if you love it however, it’s a trying experience. You may be cold or uncomfortable at times, a bit dirtier than you like, or simply tired of long hikes and strenuous physical activity after a while. There is after all an endurance aspect to the whole concept of extensive trail hiking! This is all the more reason, however, to focus on how you bookend the hiking – or, more simply, what you do when you’re done.

For that, we have a few suggestions for ways to make sure that your hike ends in as thrilling and appealing a way as it began.

1. Plan A 4th Of July In Asheville

The mountains of North Carolina are toward the southern end of the Appalachian Trail, and offer a few lovely towns to stay in at the end of a journey. But to make things even more special and relaxing, we’d recommend aligning your time in town with a particular holiday or celebration. The specific idea is to plan to wrap up your trip in the days leading up to the 4th of July. Asheville, North Carolina has a wonderful Independence Day celebration that allows you to rent a cabin or Airbnb and witness fireworks over one of the more charming towns in Appalachia. Not a bad way to let your body rest after all that time out on the trail!

2. Prepare A Super Bowl Party

This may seem like an unusual idea, but when you think about it there are few nights on the American calendar more indulgent than the night of the Super Bowl. So, if you have any interest in the sport or event, you might want to prepare to conclude your hike somewhere you can throw a Super Bowl party, relax, and treat yourself. Many people throw Super Bowl parties, either in late January or early February depending on the timing of the game in a given year, which means you’ll have to plan accordingly. Naturally this will mean hiking in colder weather, but for some people that can be part of the fun. And it’ll make hot dips, nachos, and whatever else you have at your party during the big game that much more enjoyable.

3. Stay In A Major East Coast City

The idea of staying in a major city is somewhat antithetical to hiking along the Appalachian Trail. After all, part of the point is getting away from it all and exploring outside for a while. That said, some of the middle and upper portions of the trail brush quite close to some major American cities, which means you can map out a route that ends within close proximity of relaxing luxury. The trail goes particularly close to Washington, D.C., where renowned luxury hotels have long been part of the appeal for visitors. Coming fresh off the trail, getting cleaned up, and staying in a place like the Hay-Adams or The Jefferson can help you to enjoy the relaxation and refreshment you need after a multi-day physical challenge.

4. Drift Down A River

Here again we’re primarily talking about the southern portion of the Appalachian Trail, where some of the rivers in North Carolina, Tennessee, and even northern Georgia are ideal for recreation. Something like rafting or boating may require a little bit more physical effort than you want to put out at the end of a long hiking trip. However, if you find a place to stay near one of these rivers and then find a place to go tubing, you’ll be in for a treat. Provided you’re not dying to get inside, there isn’t much better than cool water and a relaxing tube drift after conquering the trail.

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking series on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails has received a strong critical review for his new novel, Chicago Pits (2018). The review was from the respected Midwest Book Review which is selective about books it reviews for independent authors. The book is written in the vein of The Bonfire of the Vanities, the Wall Street satire authored by the late Tom Wolfe.

Critique: A saga of a novel, “Chicago Pits” is a solidly written and engagingly entertaining read by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven and extended storytelling. Very highly recommended.

Bill Walker is the author of Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. His newest book is Chicago Pits (2018). Walker worked and traded at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, and London International Financial Futures Exchange.

“Was it really like that? I can’t believe such large financial transactions are conducted like that,” people keep asking me. They are referring to the daily savagery I write about in Chicago Pits (2018)?

My answer-and I was a floor broker for many years– is “Not always. But when the chips were down, all too often it was exactly like that. And that is why they now trade electronically. The customer was the stooge all too often.”

The inefficiencies, corruption, and favoritism easily trump what Michael Lewis so ably depicted in Flash Boys. 

Bill Walker is the author of the popular Skywalker hiking series (Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail).

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking series, has completed a comprehensive novel on the Chicago commodities business. It is believed to be the only such work of fiction to incorporate extensive trading scenes.

The book is titled Chicago Pits and follows the story of Chris Parker, a lanky Alabaman who arrives in Chicago hoping to pile up massive wealth, only to be met with fierce resistance from the powers-that-be. This includes outright violence. Ultimately, Parker decides to strike back, only to be met with retaliation by elements of the old Chicago. 

Bill Walker is the author of six books, including five non-fiction books. Chicago Pits is his first novel. He worked and traded at the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and later at the London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE).  It is available for sale on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle e-books.

I just returned from doing a three-week section on the famed Appalachian Trail. The news is all good. The trail is well maintained and blazed, as well as teeming with hikers. According to ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) figures, the number of thru-hikers for the Class of 2018 may reach 4,000–the most ever, and double the number of my Class of 20005.

Interestingly, the number of foreigners has surged with Germans (always game travelers) leading the way. Apparently, German public television showed a documentary that got wide exposure, leading to increased interest. Indeed, when I have walked El Camino de Santiago, the wildly popular European religious pilgrimage I have met many hikers who yearned for a greater challenge. It appears they have found it. Happy trails!

Bill Walker is author of the popular Skywalker hiking series, including the books Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. 

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking series, is offering a free upload on Amazon Kindle, Saturday, Feb. 24th of Chicago Pits (2018). It is the first comprehensive novel of the Chicago commodity futures and options business, which was the largest industry in Chicago.

Walker previously wrote Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. 

Bill Walker, author of the popular Skywalker hiking books, will be offering a free upload on Amazon Kindle and other handheld devices of his new novel, Chicago Pits. Walker was a futures broker on the trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade and London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE) before he embarked on his long-distance hiking career.

tinyurl.com/ycesd7tw  #ChicagoPits

Chicago Pits (2018) is the first comprehensive novel on the famed–and infamous–Chicago commodities business. Growing up, I periodically saw pictures of people packed in on a trading floor yelling and screaming and waving their hands as they traded corn, wheat, cattle, etc. Personally, I traded U.S. Treasury Bond Futures at the Chicago Board of Trade and German Bund Futures at the London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE).

This book tells the story of a lanky Alabaman who moves to Chicago seeking to make a fortune on the trading floor, only to find savagery and deep, Chicago-style corruption. The book is available on Amazon Kindle and through paperback.

The author, Bill Walker, is also the author of the Skywalker hiking series, including Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. 

Financial professionals like to act like the average American is financially illiterate. While they might not be experts, people are increasingly aware of the stock market. Between 401(k) plans, retirement plans, profit-sharing, etc., along with speculators, over half of Americans have exposure to the stock market.

The Bonfire of the Vanities was perhaps the most renowned book of the 1980’s; it told a tawdry tale of corruption on Wall Street. The Wolf of Wall Street was a smashing success. Michael Lewis, has had great popular success as a bestelling author telling tales full of anecdotes in the financial world.

Now Bill Walker, author of the Skywalker hiking series, has begun to sell his new novel, Chicago Pits. It is a story of savagery and corruption on Chicago’s renowned commodities trading floors.

Bill Walker, author of the Skywalker hiking series, including Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appaalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail, has published his first novel. It is called, Chicago Pits (2018), and draws on his experiences as a commodities broker in the huge Treasury Bond Pit at the Chicago Board of Trade. Readers will be shocked at the savagery in the midst of the world’s largest market. Walker worked and traded at both the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Chicago Pits has already begun selling on www.amazon.com in paperbacksand in Amazon Kindle e-book format.