Hike It Forward: Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Strong, Safe, and in the Spirit

by David Rough, Diane Berg (Editor), Cathy Rough (Editor)

The pages of Hike It Hiking the Appalachian Strong, Safe, and in the Spirit retell the experiences and adventures during a thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. The 2,186 mile hike encompassed fourteen states and involved over a hundred and fifty days of foot travel over the hills and mountains of the eastern part of the United States. From Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine, this book records the author’s daily adventures and insights. The views from the top of fire towers in Tennessee, the peaceful ponds of the Maine wilderness, the extraordinary personalities of fellow hikers, and the wildlife of the trail combine to weave a story of victory and faith. There are several travel-logs recounting the journeys of thru-hikers, but this volume focuses on specific aspects of the hike with chapters on trail names, animals, hostels, trail angels, and hiking gear. This book records the adversities, blessings, and disappointments that the trail presented during the spring, summer, and fall of 2014. Laughter is a large part of a successful hike so smiles are laced throughout the chapters including humorous trail lessons on the rocks of Pennsylvania, the weight-loss program of the trail, and the high-speed winds of New Hampshire. From the birth of the idea to hike the trail to the months of pre-hike training to the fording of streams to the climb up Mount Washington, this book captures a sixty-four year old man’s attempt to conquer one of the great long trails in America. From the waves of blue mountain ranges stretching for miles in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, to the beautiful starkness above tree line in the Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire, the sights and sounds of the AT fill the pages of the text. Bonus features of the book offer an abbreviated record of the hiker’s journal providing a day-to-day peek into the five month adventure, as well as a quick state-by-state walk-through of the Appalachian Trail detailing some of the unique sights and places to see along the path.

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2015

About the author

Born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, David Rough was raised in West Virginia and has lived most of his adult life in Ohio. He earned his undergraduate degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College; two masters degrees from Asbury Seminary in Kentucky and Grace Seminary in Indiana; and his Ed.D. from Indiana Wesleyan University. David and Cathy are the parents of four and the grandparents of eleven.

Reviews

[Michael Mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this one tonight. Now, I've read many an AT Thru-Hiker Memoir (24 to be exact), and I really enjoyed this one. Rowdy (aka Dave Rough... or maybe it's the other way around) does a great job letting his true nature show through in this book about his 2014 Thru Hike - his positive attitude, sense of humor, and his faith in God.

Many of the books I've read lately have featured thru hikers battling broken homes, broken dreams, or broken lives, backpacking the trail to try to put their life back together. Not that many of them haven't been excellent, but it was refreshing to read about some one who was out there for two solely positive reasons - the adventure and to raise money to help underprivileged kids get an education at a great private religious school in Ohio.

With an educator's sense, he puts together several short, but educational chapters on what life is like preparing for and being on the trail, from what he carried to trail lingo. He then unveiled the highlights of his hike organized topically. My favorite part though is his sense of humor. He certainly talks about the toughness of the trail - the falls, the heat, the cold, the rocks, the injuries, the rocks, and the rocks. At the same time, the book has a very lighthearted feel, mixing in lots of humorous bits (usually at the expense of himself).

Overall, a great introduction to the Appalachian Trail, Rowdy produced a great little book here.

[Sasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was great. I couldn't put it down. After the journal section till the break down of the mileage and mountains in each state, it started to get too dry. I ended up just skimming and reading more on the interesting parts. I learned a lot that hikers are required to stay in hostels,shelters, or camp site. I thought you can just stop anywhere to set up tent. Maybe his religion was a big aspect for enduring it but I didn't grasp the difficulty in terms of emotionally while doing the AT hike. The book was organized differently. Each chapter was a section for something for the whole trip. So one chapter was for animals, another for packing, etc. I didn't expect that style I expected from start to finish in terms of hiking experience. It made the second half of the book somewhat repetitive. I still enjoyed this book though. I'm amazed that at his age, he was able to hike 2000+ miles, 20 miles on most days...very impressed on what we can do if we put our minds to it.

[SD Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

I liked this book. It tells the story of a guy who seems to have a late mid- life crisis and decides hiking the AT is just the cure. He tells his story of his journey. The book is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking and associated sports.

[David Rough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completed another three readings of my book in order to revise the text, correcting a number of grammatical errors and misspelled words. It was marvelous to relive this great adventure in my life. I hope and pray that several people will continue to read the story of my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

[Daniel Bear Croll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pics , very good story telling , the state by state was good information

Good informational read , Not for the atheist lots of nods to God the all powerful , I enjoyed the journal entries

[Curtis Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book "Rowdy". Thank you for taking us with you on your adventures on the Appalachian Trail. The details you give on your journey ensure that we are staying up to speed as you make each step. Thank you for sharing your story and your faith. Great book.

[Tammy Clark brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

Informative and interesting. However, it could have been better organized. The journal entries and state by state descriptions could have been within the main story for a better flow.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the Appalachian Trail with humor and observations from nature that every hiker and outdoor lover will appreciate and enjoy.

[BRIAN ROBERTS · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lords work on the trail

What a great adventure to follow along with. I love that the lord was such an influence on this journey! Great read David Thank you ,

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this book when I realized it was more an informative book, more for someone actually planning a hike, than just for entertainment and leisure. Lots of great facts if you are looking for that sort of thing.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

​This book chronicles an amazing adventure on the Appalachian Trail (AT). I imagine that for many hikers of the AT and other trails the hike is as much a challenging spiritual journey as it is a physical one. HIKE IT FORWARD is an honest and open narrative of David Rough’s journey, and I vastly appreciated the opportunity to follow nearly every moment of it in this well written and photographed account. After reading the main section of the book, I was then captivated by the day-to-day detail of the hiker’s journey in the “My Trail Journal” feature. The “State-by-State” feature is a wonderful, informational summary of the AT. If I ever decide to hike the AT, rereading this book will be a must for preparation and inspiration. Even if an entire thru-hike of the AT is not in my future, after reading this book, I am inspired to get out and hike more and, someday, experience sections of this amazing trail.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Very Thorough

I've only read one other book on this subject but it left me with quite a few questions. This book is much more thorough. There is so much practical information here regarding trip preparation and all that being away from home for 5-6 months entails. The 3 bonus sections and photos that followed were filled with details. I also appreciated his honesty about how hard it was, in some ways, to return to "normal" life once he'd accomplished his goal.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK. Probably more suited to someone planning a hike in the near future than just for leisure reading.