Weird Hikes: A Collection Of Bizarre, Funny, And Absolutely True Hiking Stories

by Art Bernstein

Art Bernstein offers sixteen engaging stories of strange-but-true events that occurred while he was hiking.

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection, Art Bernstein regales the reader with a series of strange tales from the hiking trails. The author is a lifelong hiking fanatic and author of several books/guides. Here he presents us with a series of pieces, some of which are weird and/or spooky, troubling, and touching, but almost always imbued with dry humor. He shares with us his progress through life, as he goes on these hikes and encounters strange things, a number of which seem to exist primarily in his head. I can't really say I believe every word - there is a "tall tale" aspect to a number of them - but they are almost all entertaining and worth checking out.

SPOILER ALERT

Here are some of the ones that stood out for me. Following a college drinking session, he sought to cure his hangover with a brisk walk in the woods and encountered a pleasant woman, the caretaker of a nature cottage, who later turns out to have died long before. He does a memorial hike up Mount Whitney in honor of a charming, but deeply troubled friend whose story he relates. While poking around the Grand Canyon in his teen years, he bumps into Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keefe, who have a friendly chat with him. A number of the stories here involve weird animals or animal behavior, but one features a spooky trail that seems to be strongly telling him to leave. On the way out, he bumps into an aggressive young man who, it later turns out, is wanted for the murder of a young family. There is a long and entertaining piece about a secluded hot spring near Mount Shasta, California, where a free-spirited buddy of his leads a troupe of hippies in some pagan-style nature worship. He shares with us tales of getting bitten by a rattlesnake, breaking his leg (in an innocuous location of course), and trying to get his young daughter to hike down a mountain. There was only one piece I didn't care for - a short story about a chubby kid being severely neglected by his scout troop - I didn't see that point of including it.

Bernstein is a lively story-teller, and I bet most hikers and backpackers would enjoy these stories.

[Olwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this collection seemed a little odd. I was expecting to read about hikes, and this story of his experience as a child at school seemed off-topic. But it actually set the scene to help me understand the rest of the author’s stories, so I’m glad I didn’t give up on the book at that stage. Each tale is interesting within itself, of the things that can happen – including spiritual – when you head out hiking on your own. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud (especially the one about shouting at the deer). Also an entertaining read was his inspired use of a McDonalds restaurant to encourage his daughter to keep walking. Each chapter includes directions about how to locate the trail as well – so the book is genuinely aimed at actual hikers.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange book. Don't waste your time.