Forward, Upward, Onward: Life Lessons from climbing the 48 Highest Mountain Peaks of New Hampshire.

by Matt Landry

Some of the most valuable lessons we learn in life can occur in unexpected places.We often find that the journey to get there is more important than the destination...Life is full of peaks and valleys.We celebrate the highs…We struggle through the lows…For me, turning forty should’ve been cause for happiness.I’d made it another year, through another decade.That’s what it was supposed to be, in theory...Instead, I plummeted into major depression and despair. I’d lost sight of my goals, my dreams, and everything that made me stand proud and push forward. My fortieth year was not a good one.There were regrets... Lots of regrets…There were also a lot of meaningful lessons.A decade later, I feared my fiftieth year of life would bring another low in my life.I wasn’t about to let that happen again, though.The Mountains Called…I answered…I needed an outlet—something to hold my focus. What I didn’t know yet was how a seemingly “safe” choice like hiking the forty-eight 4,000-foot peaks of New Hampshire would radically change my outlook on life and help me conquer my inner demons, the baggage I’d carried with me for a lifetime, and how I connected to self and to the world around me.I set out to hike and get away from the world. What I discovered along the way surprised me, made me think, gave voice to feelings, and provided the steppingstones I needed to re-evaluate and assess my life.Initially, I was consumed by loss. By the time I finished the hikes, I gained self-respect, confidence, discipline, and healthy habits that will remain with me for a lifetime.We ALL have mountains to conquer.In the process of climbing them, we find we're just conquering ourselves. We’re facing our fears, leaning on hope, building lasting relationships, and removing baggage from our lives.Forward, Upward, Onward is more than an account of my journey; it’s my hope it will serve as inspiration for anyone who has ever felt like their problems were too much or ever felt lost or in need of direction or unsure about life and where it will take them.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2017

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Lessons

I loved this book for many reasons. I am working on my 48 with my children, ages 9 and 6. More importantly, doing this as a single mom, the life lessons and insights provided are far more important and applicable in my accomplishing my goal with my boys.

[Steve Holyfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the recap of this author’s hiking adventures. I found this to be a different outlook than a traditional “I hiked, here’s some pointers, etc” book about the Whites…. The author often discussed mindset and how important your mindset and perceptions are in both hiking 4K’s and in life. Thanks for taking the time to share your adventures with us!

[Bill Zawrotny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book, somewhat repetitive. Not what I expected, however, so my big lesson learned is that Backpacker Magazine is not a reliable source for book recommendations.

[Eric Leichter · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 ) There is not enough material to sell a book. It is 165 pages and fairly large print. If you remove the quotes from famous people, the common sense inspirational notes and the > 20pages that are essentially blank with just a few sentences on them, then you have less than 25 pages of actual material.

2 ) Each chapter is about 2.5 pages and there is little continuity. Sometimes the hiker is in shape and sometimes he is out of shape. Sometimes he is happy and sometimes he is coming out of a depression. There is no background to create interest in the main hiker and less about the random supporting characters. Every sentence that sets up a potential story just ends with no follow up. The back cover sets up a potential story about his life that never is provided and the hiking/mountain story details are limited, so not much substance.

- Actual writing and sentence structure were not great. Repeat phrases in the same paragraph, run-ons, etc. Limited actual details and the few that were stuck in seemed likely to be after-edits to add length to the story.

- Positives - I did learn a few tidbits about the mountains and some hiking terms I had to look up and learn.

In hindsight, I could have researched the book and author more ahead of time before reading. It appears to match the theme of his other book titles, so this title may fall in line with what the author's readers expect.

[Traci Styner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish the book; I gave up about half way through. This is basically a self-help book wrapped in vignettes about hiking.

Aside from the misused words and misplaced commas, the book is formulaic: I hiked the peak, I had this challenge, here is the life lesson. I was drawn in by the first story, but after a while it got boring.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this positive thinking book on hiking and life. It's a quick read, but I purposely slowed down and took my time with it. I wanted to think about and absorb the lessons. Thank you Matt Landry it's just what I needed!

[Elizabeth C Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was uplifting and a pleasure not to see a lot of foul language. I hope he continues to hike and write another about that experience.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

I loved how each summit/trip was related to a life lesson. I am in a season of needing the encouragement that this book presents so it was a very well timed read.

[Sheri Grant Strpko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book being a fellow biker myself who likes to set hiking goals. This was a very good read for the time of the Coronavirus quarantine.

[Mr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

[Dana Snowdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun especially if you are in the process of hiking the NH48

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Book was ok but narrator was too monotone.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical leadership book. Presenting numerous stories to allegorically present leadership lessons along the way.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. Lots of wisdom with hiking analogies and stories.

[Elli · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly, Matt's perspective is so refreshing and very in tune with mine. he does an amazing job recounting his hikes and lessons learned.