Walking the Trail

by Jerry Ellis

A descendant of the Cherokee recounts his experiences walking the nine-hundred-mile Trail of Tears, describing how he grew to understand his people's tragic history

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Native American, History, Memoir, American History, Biography

258 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Jerry Ellis, Cherokee and Scottish, graduated from the University of Alabama. He was the first person in the modern world to walk the 900 mile route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, where 4,000 of his ancestors died in 1838: Seven thousand armed US Soldiers marched them from their homes in the SE to present day Oklahoma in the heart of winter. Many of the Cherokee had no shoes. They were buried in shallow unmarked graves. Ellis' book about his trek, WALKING THE TRAIL, ONE MAN'S JOURNEY ALONG THE CHEROKEE TRAIL OF TEARS, was published by Random House and nominated by the publisher for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. The book was endorsed by Dee Brown, author of BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE. WALKING THE TRAIL was included in two anthologies, one by Norton, and it was quoted in Reader's Digest. Last year it went on display in the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Ellis has lectured about his trek, the book and the Cherokee in Asia, Africa, Europe and USA. He has had four non-fiction history/adventure books published by Random House and has written for the New York Times. He has had five plays produced. His fifth book, CIAO FROM ROMA! SPRING IN THE ETERNAL CITY OF LOVE, is on Kindle at Amazon. His sixth and new book, THE BOY WITH GIANT HANDS, is also on Kindle. Ellis lives in both Fort Payne, Alabama and in Rome, Italy. He has traveled to six continents and speaks Spanish and Italian.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was disappointed that this short book was more about the author than about the Cherokee but after a while, I was drawn into the experience of the walk itself.

Jerry Ellis's home is the northeast Alabama mountains, near Fort Payne, where one of the 13 Cherokee "gathering" stockades for the Trail was located. Like many folks in the area, he had grown up finding arrowheads and hearing bits and pieces about lost Cherokee heritage. So, as a middle aged pilgrimage, he decided to walk the trail, in reverse, starting at the current capital in Oklahoma and ending at New Echota, GA, the last homeland capital of the Cherokee Nation.

Book reminds me a bit of William Least Moon's Blue Highways since it is about the people Ellis meets along the way as much as it is about the walk or about the Trail itself. The last few pages, about his wanderings through the New Echota historic site (which I visited recently) and his homecoming back to his mountain cabin were the most poignant.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family purchased this edition for me at the Red Clay State Park here in TN when they were out just looking at Native stuff and the Trails etc. I already had this book, but didn't want to tell them that as I cherish anything my family gives to me. I was lucky enough to get an autographed copy from the author back in 1994 when he was here in Chattanooga at the Books-A-Million we used to have here.

The thing I regret the most is I wish I could have read this book before meeting the author. I would loved to have talked to him about his journey on the Trail of Tears and the people he met. I found this memoir to be touching and very spiritual. Many years ago I thought about trying to walk the Trail of Tears but knew I would not have had the strength for it. Now, as I'm only 42 with mental disabilities that keep me inside the house I am left wondering all of the things I should have done if I would have known this to happen to me. The outdoors was my place, the place of peace and love for me. I want to tell anyone that has any kind of dream to not give up. If it's something simple like taking time off to walk something or whatever, just do it!!! You never know when you can't. I had a lot of dreams, some not so realistic but still, the ones that are, please people, go out like this man and do them. Even if it's just a little marathon. Something close to your heart you may never get to do again.

I would love to thank the author for walking the trail and taking pieces of people back to bury in honor of all of those that lost their lives. This book I recommend to anyone. It will touch you, make you cry, and at times make you laugh.

[Boreal Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a quick light read
there were a couple of good and or intersting passages but it was too personal, not great writing and the good passages weren't often enough or long enough
ok for a bit of history

it was about ellis' walk from oklahoma to georgia (the trail of tears in reverse) to honor the cherokee nation who were forced by the u.s. gov't to relocate from their ancestoral home in the southeastern mountains of georgia, alabama, tenn and north carloina in 1838
4 thousand died on the trail
great concept but the book is sort of...uh..not great...not terrible...but almost not good to sort of bad
too personal? not such great writing, not such great insight

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I had a hard time deciding how to rate this book. Mainly because I would not recommend it for everyone but if you are a very spiritual soul and identify with the same need to connect with your Cherokee or Native American roots as the author did then I would more highly recommend it, thus the reason I read it and for myself would have given it a higher rating. However, from a literature standpoint it is not all that well written. I would have also liked to have had more details from the history of the Cherokee along the trail itself.

[Marc Broner · Rating 5 out of 5]

this a fantastic book,I read in in 2 days .once you start reading you can't stop.my husband also read it.I've read it more than once.never tied of reading it.the story is well told and it does at timesmake you cry,typical can feel his resolve to feel what our elders and the Cherokee people must have gone through,the cold,the pain of watching loved ones die for no good reason.and being treated less than the human beings that they were. I to wish I could make the same journey,if only to say a prayer for their spirits to be at some peace if that is even possible .

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't help but feel you have traveled each and every blister inducing step with Mr. Ellis as he brings you along with him on this soul bearing adventure. You will feel as though you are by his side as he meets the people (and animals!) that are peppered throughout his journey and their stories will touch your heart and stay with your mind. This book is filled with history, passion for that history and is absolutely brimming with human spirit at it's finest. Thank you, Jerry Ellis, for taking that walk, for realizing your dream, and for bringing it to us so eloquently and passionately
.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was moved by the author's journey on the trail of tears. As a Chattanooga native I was disappointed that he spent more time talking about the beginning of his journey in Oklahoma. By the time he reached TN he was so happy to be almost home he just glossed over this part of the trip. The tales of the people he met along the way will make you laugh and some stories will make you cry.

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible account of a journey backwards along the Trail of Tears. His writing style is lovely, and the people he meets along the way are the stars of the stories. It's a beautiful commentary on US society in the south.

[Sooziemac McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! What an amazing thing to even THINK about! Much less get up and DO!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mom gave me this book in 1992 and I finally read it. Somehow it had never interested me before, but I have to say I really enjoyed it!!

[David Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book to read when you’re taking a dump

[Jim Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love long distance walking and running and how they affect my mind.
I enjoyed sharing the walk with Jerry and meeting the people he met.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be interesting. Man walks the Trail of Tears in reverse. I thought it would be a somewhat historical Indian informative book. Not an over abundance of Indian facts. It was a lot about how Jerry was starved for a woman to slake his sexual needs upon. He hit on every available woman from Oklahoma to Alabama. One whom had suffered a terrible head injury and still had headaches. It was not about connecting with someone. It took away from the spiritual part of his journey. Twenty pages from the end he was still in Nashville. All of a sudden he was in Alabama at his mama house. I could not wait to finish this and only got through it by adhering to my two chapters-a-day rule.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be better than it was, though I have a difficult time explaining just what is was I didn't like about it. I thought the subject fascinating and really wanted to get a lot out of reading it. I definitely wasn't impressed by the author's writing style which seemed very simplistic and, at times, almost boring. And while I have no doubt that the author's walk was a very spiritual experience, his descriptions of that aspect of it never struck the chord in me I was expecting. Maybe I wanted him to be more humble, I don't know. I'm going to ponder this for a while and see if I can pinpoint why I didn't like this as much as I wanted

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always had an interest in Native American Culture but was so moved by this book that I have read it twice, suggested it to my Book Club who read it and gave it 5 stars as well. Mr. Ellis sold everything he owned to walk this 900 hundred mile trail, backwards to collect the Spirits of those Cherokees who had died on their walk I can't imagine the love it took this man to honor his ancestors in this way. Around 1830, 4,000 Cherokees died along this Trail and were buried in unmarked graves. This walk changed Mr. Ellis' life in many ways. I have to admit, it changed mine as well. I highly recommend it, especially to Book Clubs and anyone who wants an inspirational read.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books gives a social commentary on the current times as well as in the time when the trail of tears occurred. It is also a travel narrative from a Cherokee's perspective, which is very interesting.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK. I was interested in the topic, having made a journey (by plane and rental car!) to Talequah myself, to explore my Cherokee heritage. And I often love books about long walks...but this guy was a bit annoying, and I didn't love this book.

[Raven Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you read a book on here???

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about a long walk. Yet the real reading experience and value comes from the author being quite thoughtful (in the sense of "careful pondering," though he seems thoughtful in the sense of "kind" too). This man's experiences became fascinating by his willingness to engage people, nature, and even things, and because he gives his honest reactions to things, the good, the bad, and the embarrassing. He often follows up with what he learned and why things seemed that way, and sometimes how it fits or doesn't fit into his current perceptions of the world.

Mr. Ellis' internal reactions are made richer by including intuitions and perceptions (without requiring that they have an explanation or factual basis) yet he often states that he does not know about those intuitions. He doesn't impose the mystical side as established fact but as a perception. He is open that it may be no more than that. This makes it easy to delve into how that feels to me, and how it plays with my own intuitions. The raw honesty, reporting the reactions of anger, love, unprovable concepts, intuition-driven actions and many more, made this an exceptional reading experience for me that I continue to value, and often ponder during my day, interacting with others and the world.

EXAMPLE: "For many years I didn't realize why I was uncomfortable around those who have never hungered to turn the bend or explore a new thought. I wondered if I was a freak. Even today, when I meet people who don't get excited about being alive I have to remind myself to have compassion instead of disgust. Sometimes I fail and just don't give a damn. I get far away from those people as quickly as I can. I'm not proud of sometimes being selfish." [Ellis, Jerry. Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears (p. 105). Wild Indian Productions. Kindle Edition.]

If you need high suspense or heavy action, this may not be for you. But for many who appreciate genuine, thought-provoking experiences, this is a veritable trove of them.

[Angle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a hunter seeking new depths of the soul along a Trail marked with telephone poles.

This book is about the spiritual experience of walking the Trail, and not an actual historical account. He sprinkles historical facts on the Cherokees here and there, as it relates to his journey; however, it's not a book about the Trail of Tears. It was well-written (and very personal), and I appreciated his vulnerability, as well as his love for humanity and nature. At times, I felt he was a bit desperate for love, but I think he's a very passionate, spiritual person, and he chose to share it all. I have a little Cherokee heritage (my great grandmother was full Cherokee), so many of his beliefs - most notably, the significance of birds and the spirits in all of Nature - were familiar to me. His encounters with strangers along the way are heart warming, and attest to the overall good in people - a truth that is muddled by the sensationalism of television and entertainment. His walk took place before the onslaught of the internet and social media, but he seemed to know what was coming:

I become sad because we are not looking at each other. Our eyes have become prisoners of the screen, the Great Eye. It, like the TV screen, has replaced the fire in the cave. Men are no longer gathering in the cold night to stay warm and release their spirits through stories. We no longer look into each other's souls. Maybe we're afraid of what we might see.

The book wasn't what I expected; however, it was a quick, worthwhile read, and it left me feeling inspired to honor my Cherokee ancestors.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about life and all its lessons! I have been moved by many intimate stories in my life. Yet, this book spoke to my soul. Not only do you learn about an incredibly dark, brutal and simply horrific time in American history, you learn about life along the way.
Author Jerry Ellis, has an incredible way with words. He crafts a story based in historical fact and heritage and allows you to look in on the good, the bad, the happy, the sad—the humorous and sometimes extremely difficult. He often learns uncomfortable lessons from other people—-yet they turn out to be some of the most beautiful and important ones.
As a reader along for the journey, you really learn about a culture and a world that is still so often overlooked, overshadowed and ignored. I truly wish that wasn’t so. I learned a lot about life through this book.
Jerry has a gift of tying in the past with the present along with a lot of heart and soul. I often felt like I was accompanying him on the journey right along side him—feeling each experience and every emotion.
This book truly is a gift and a testament of how strong one culture needs to be. A ripple effect. The perspectives are enlightening and engaging. The entire story ultimately is life. Life and lessons we learn from others along the way.
If you want a book that touches your heart, and soul and provokes your thought process as well, this is it. If you want a book that makes you think of issues far greater than just your own—-this is also it. What a wonderful and inspiring profound journey.
I highly recommend reading this book! You won’t be disappointed!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I happily give it Five Stars

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finishing this book under the moon of North Georgia, sitting an hour east of New Echota, this incredibly self-indulgent and self-gratifying book took on a very different meaning than it might have anywhere else, for someone else. I fully acknowledge, for example, that the author has no shame about his nakedness (naked in a tent, naked in front of the mirror, naked every chance he can mention it), or about the women he’s slept with “all night,” or about his own gawking behavior in the company of younger—much younger—women. These things alone might be sufficient grounds for some to dismiss Ellis and any efforts he makes to communicate something about his own very human experience. But there’s something to be said for this still-very-amusing-and-engaging trek he made more than thirty years ago now (1991), some 150 years after the original and arduous journey west in 1838 and 1839. In the end, Ellis kinda did a great job showing readers the dichotomy of this imperfect American life, the preconceived expectations we have about each other (often painted by the media) that end up facing a much warmer reality, like natural curiosity and compassion in most cases where we might imagine hate and disregard. What may be the most truthful and transparent about this book is that it’s less about the Trail of Tears or its history—even as he walks 900 miles between Oklahoma and Alabama—and more about seeing what that trail feels like in a world that’s largely moved on, his effort to imagine the Cherokee coming home, more than a century later, to where they started and were once removed.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. A lot about the folks he met, some of his musings, some Cherokee lore. Kinda so-so, but that said, anything that instills interest about the "original" Americans and how horrendously our European settlers treated them is of great value. The "little House" books glossed over the indigenous settlers evicted by the locals backed by the U.S. cavalry. This story helps fill in the shame of our government.
The map inside the cover shows the various 'trails' they took on their way to the Oklahoma Territory. I, as an Illinoian, was surprised that the Northern trail some starving souls walked took them thru a bit of far southern Illinois. Who knew??!!
In sum, not a book that tells enough of the original struggles, but one of modern day people Ellis met on his memorial trek. Three stars.

[Bakestar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging story of a man's walk along the Cherokee Trail of Tears. The author is part Cherokee and he decided to walk the Trail of Tears in reverse, as if returning to the homeland. I did not know a lot about the history of the Trail of Tears and this was a good historical primer, while also offering a glimpse of the modern-day activities along the same route. There were moments when I was definitely turned off by the way he openly objectified (leered at) the beautiful young women who crossed his path, but other than that I enjoyed this book.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin or how to write a good review. Not impressed with his writing style nor am I impressed with the story telling. If you are wanting a book about Cherokee Trail of Tears this is far from it. It is about a man walking the trail with clear intentions of writing a book about it. Has some interesting thought provoking moments but overall found it be dry and lacking the respect the Cherokee Trail of Tears deserves.

[emeraldragonlady (Maddie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun adventure to follow along with. It was wonderful to meet the people living along the trail of tears. I personally could have gone without the lusting after pretty women bit, but I understand that a man’s mind & woman’s mind must think about different things when waking miles all alone. This is only a few times so thankfully does over take the book. It was nice to follow along with journey because I know I don’t have the physical strength to make that trek.

[marcus miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly enjoyable account of his walk along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, starting in Oklahoma and returning to his home near the center of the Cherokee nation in northeastern Alabama before their forced removal.

[Joan Michalcik Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book hoping to learn more about the history of Trail of Tears...though it disappointed me in this way, I was rewarded in many other ways with feelings of spirituality, connection, perseverance.

[Jim Huinink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit put off by the womanizing tone now and then but mostly I really enjoyed reading about Jerry's journey, the people he met, the personal enlightenment he gained and insights he shares, from The Walk.

[Karebear (KRock42) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a full-on history of the Trail, this isn't it. However, this book is a very candid and personal account of one man's experiences on the 900-mile walk from Tahlequah to Fort Payne, with nuggets of the history scattered along the way.