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Free Outside: A Trek Against Time and Distance
A man walked into the woods, destined to spend 8 months living in the wild. Exhausted and emotionally ruined living the fast-paced life of a successful young professional it was all too easy to give up. The challenges came on the adventure of a lifetime. Months in the woods that would provide adversity, healing, and tranquility.
Setting out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail in a single calendar year was an audacious goal but the 8,000 mile Calendar Year Triple Crown would be the story of a lifetime. The journey was riddled with inclement weather, shady characters, wildlife attacks, and injuries. The trails crossed frozen rivers, were rerouted around wildfires, and packed with snow. The physical challenge was soon overshadowed by the mental toughness required. It became a mental battle.
Free Outside is a captivating story of strength and courage. Hiking through remote areas in America, Jeff is continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of strangers. Free Outside is the fascinating story of Jeff Garmire’s journey along the national scenic trails that define wild America.
Setting out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail in a single calendar year was an audacious goal but the 8,000 mile Calendar Year Triple Crown would be the story of a lifetime. The journey was riddled with inclement weather, shady characters, wildlife attacks, and injuries. The trails crossed frozen rivers, were rerouted around wildfires, and packed with snow. The physical challenge was soon overshadowed by the mental toughness required. It became a mental battle.
Free Outside is a captivating story of strength and courage. Hiking through remote areas in America, Jeff is continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of strangers. Free Outside is the fascinating story of Jeff Garmire’s journey along the national scenic trails that define wild America.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2019
319 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
October 17, 2019
I love reading hiking stories and memoirs, and the concept behind this book is no different. However, I struggled with the writing of this book. So many of the interactions or descriptions left me wanting more. I don’t feel like the author went into detail enough on many experiences. I really wish he would have share more of this thoughts and the relationships. Also, the book just ends in two paragraphs and doesn’t have a real conclusion. He hits the end of the trail and that’s it. What were his thoughts? What did he take away from this entire journey? What about an epilogue that describes life after a calendar triple crown or what adventures are coming next?
June 28, 2024
Hiking journals are not everyone’s cup of tea but they are my jam especially when I’m on a hiking roadtrip. I listened to the Legend’s journey thru AT-PCT-CDT and his endurance blew my mind. Despite the dry writing and shady characters or abused trail magic sometimes, I am amazed with the resilience of thru hikers against whatever the life and trails throw at them. I always end up wanting more so will check out other stories from the trails.
July 12, 2020
I'm in awe of his accomplishment, but the writing is not very good (to the point where grammatical errors and weird phrases were distracting) or exciting. To me he comes off pretty judgemental towards other hikers, even though he says he's not and he is aware of the HYOH motto. He admittedly had a few stories of helping lost hikers which is great because we've all been the lost/uncertain hiker before. I don't like how he describes trail magic: always "convincing" people or seemingly tricking them into giving him food for how intentionally pathetic he tries to look (not hard as an un-showered thru-hiker), and I think it does their generosity an injustice. So many things are described as "unique" in this book that the word loses meaning. There are a lot of other books I'd recommend of each trail individually versus this particular book. To top it off, apparently the entire reason for this trip is Suicide Prevention, a noble cause that is mentioned only in passing a few times, the FIRST of which is chapter 22 out of 32. A poorly constructed version of what was certainly an amazing year. :/
March 27, 2021
The hiking, amazing. The book, meh. That’s okay though, because Legend (trail name) is a hiker, not a writer.
April 4, 2024
This book includes all the highs and lows of hiking and despite the lows still leaves you temped to drop everything and complete a thru hike.
August 13, 2021
Amazing story from Jeff. What an accomplishment. Really enjoyed hearing his experience and all the details of his day-to-day adventures. Would definitely recommend to anyone considering doing AT, PCT, or CDT through-hikes (I'm aspiring one day). I would have loved to hear more about the before/after, too. The book literally ends a good 60 seconds after he reaches the end. Would have liked to learn more about the emotions he was feeling, what recovery was like, how his initiative benefitted afterward, what's next, etc. Otherwise, great book!
February 11, 2023
Amazing journey but this reads like trail notes not a story. I finished reading the book knowing and feeling nothing about the author. I am probably too sensitive to this but I hate reading/listening to books where very experienced and intense hikers have unkind or condescending things to say about recreational hikers. I'm happy the author achieved something they worked so hard for but the entire trip seemed miserable. I'm probably not the intended audience. :)
November 12, 2019
This book was way to descriptive. It went on and on- i flipped thru to the end . I give the author credit for finishing the three hikes, but the book was way too long
October 20, 2022
As always, these books do what they gotta do, that is make me feel a little alive again.
November 16, 2023
I backpacked to fishing lakes in the high mountains, but it never thrilled me to consider the challenge that Jeff Garmire undertook to do the three major border-to-border trails and to do it in one calendar year. I have known only two people who did the Appalachian Trail, an Air Academy graduate and his policeman dad, and it was done in stages. The Officer's wife also did the "Coast-to-Coast" bike ride, so this family was programmed for pain. Jeff describes himself as having only read the Trail Guide, but he obviously had serious hiking skills and is a masochist, and a pretty good storyteller.
His first HIKE was the Appalachian Trail, a 2190-mile trip attempted in early Spring (late winter in the mountains), and his descriptions of the ups and downs of ice, snow, rain, stream crossing, and general discomfort existence are an entertaining read. I cannot imagine his physical endurance level and his driving desire to accomplish his established goal, especially on a starvation budget.
Upon completion of trail #1, he goes across the nation for the Pacific Crest Trail. Mexico to Canada. This 2650-mile-long walk is known for its mosquitos in the Spring as well as snow fields that must be crossed after a walk in the desert. Jeff commented that could not out a 15-year-old in a sprint, but he could out-walk almost everyone. This 80-day journey leg was again filled with breathtaking views, encounters with all kinds of wildlife, and many fellow hikers' near major highway crossings willing to share. Trail angels (good people along the way), duct tape used as band-aids, and snack hand-outs from less experienced hikers add to the success of the journey.
His equipment is no longer serviceable due to wear and tear that duct tape can no longer repair. Now a few days to re-tool and head south down the Continental Divide Trail. Trying to stay on step ahead of winter, Jeff was still pushing for over 30 miles per day and taking risks of not having enough water at the proper time and drinking water unfit for mankind. He paid the price for so doing. This last trail had fewer towns in which to properly re-supply his snack tastes, but the trail still had other hikers doing what he was doing and sharing was the code.
As one becomes better acquainted with Jeff, he undersold himself earlier, his early life was the outdoors and his previous hiking was extreme also. 8,000 miles and traveling through 22 states in 9 months is an adventure of a lifetime.
His first HIKE was the Appalachian Trail, a 2190-mile trip attempted in early Spring (late winter in the mountains), and his descriptions of the ups and downs of ice, snow, rain, stream crossing, and general discomfort existence are an entertaining read. I cannot imagine his physical endurance level and his driving desire to accomplish his established goal, especially on a starvation budget.
Upon completion of trail #1, he goes across the nation for the Pacific Crest Trail. Mexico to Canada. This 2650-mile-long walk is known for its mosquitos in the Spring as well as snow fields that must be crossed after a walk in the desert. Jeff commented that could not out a 15-year-old in a sprint, but he could out-walk almost everyone. This 80-day journey leg was again filled with breathtaking views, encounters with all kinds of wildlife, and many fellow hikers' near major highway crossings willing to share. Trail angels (good people along the way), duct tape used as band-aids, and snack hand-outs from less experienced hikers add to the success of the journey.
His equipment is no longer serviceable due to wear and tear that duct tape can no longer repair. Now a few days to re-tool and head south down the Continental Divide Trail. Trying to stay on step ahead of winter, Jeff was still pushing for over 30 miles per day and taking risks of not having enough water at the proper time and drinking water unfit for mankind. He paid the price for so doing. This last trail had fewer towns in which to properly re-supply his snack tastes, but the trail still had other hikers doing what he was doing and sharing was the code.
As one becomes better acquainted with Jeff, he undersold himself earlier, his early life was the outdoors and his previous hiking was extreme also. 8,000 miles and traveling through 22 states in 9 months is an adventure of a lifetime.
January 21, 2023
I give Legend 5 stars for what he accomplished. But 2 stars for his writing. I think his 3 min YouTube video is a better/more entertaining summation of the journey. It took me longer to get through his journal/trail log than it took him to triple crown! I am more convinced than ever to hike these trails in the proper seasons to avoid bad weather.
December 26, 2020
I thought it was great. Yeah he could of mentioned his cause a little more and yeah it went on and on but dang... I bet the hike went on and on !!
My only wish is that the end just ENDED ! He was so beat up at the end what did it take to mend the body !? I loved hearing about how he struggled at times and was so sick ! I only hiked 200 miles one time and could write a book on my daily struggles with blisters and pains ! Overall... I loved it. He’s a hiker who wrote a book, not a writer who went for a hike.
My only wish is that the end just ENDED ! He was so beat up at the end what did it take to mend the body !? I loved hearing about how he struggled at times and was so sick ! I only hiked 200 miles one time and could write a book on my daily struggles with blisters and pains ! Overall... I loved it. He’s a hiker who wrote a book, not a writer who went for a hike.
November 8, 2020
Quite the accomplishment
This book about a personal quest the author has in mind is not bad for what it is . Not a meandering along the three well known hiking trails but a journey to accomplish them all in a years time. One of the oddest things was the authors fear of horses, but rattlesnakes, bears , moose are acceptable and not out to kill you if you get to know their ways and habits .
This book about a personal quest the author has in mind is not bad for what it is . Not a meandering along the three well known hiking trails but a journey to accomplish them all in a years time. One of the oddest things was the authors fear of horses, but rattlesnakes, bears , moose are acceptable and not out to kill you if you get to know their ways and habits .
January 10, 2024
An inside look into one of the world’s top ultra endurance athletes embarking on a remarkable feat of human endurance. I enjoyed the documentation of each chapter through the three trails spanning different ecosystems and the challenges associated to continue.
October 5, 2022
Amazing adventure donde by Legend. It's a great book, if you are interested in what ultra long distance hiking is, this is a great book for you.
Jeff is super lowkey in his adventures, very humble. But his adventures are top-notch. He is one of the world's best ultra endurance athletes, yet he dresses with random clothes and no matter how hard it gets he is always having fun. Because that's his goal. He just wants to have fun in his own way.
This adventure starts on the Appalchian Trail, where he is alone most of the time, going through wintry conditions, and still pushing big miles through snow. He starts from not a lot of fitness and within a week or so, he's dialed in the pace. He goes through it, with a couple almost hypothermic events and gets ready to go into desert hiking on a well graded trail.
He goes to the PCT, where his first thru-hike and where some of his first backpacking trips took place from a very young age. It reminds him a lot of his first time thru hiking, now having become a beast and passing a ton of people on the way, since the PCT is very popular on the hiking season. It shows his humbleness, yet spending time talking to people, even though he knew it was likely that was going to be the last time he saw them. He hiked his own hike, not judging others, doing big miles when he felt like it, spending an extra hour with a random person if he felt like it. Something very clear was that it's okay to slow down, have fun, have a great experience and still do big miles and have ambitious goals, since the trail provides all the time; and everything clicks together through adversity. It might be the thinking out of the box and trying to do everything possible to get what he wants, or maybe it was some other force helping him along the way.
He finishes the PCT in style, in about three months and takes some days off before hitting the CDT sobo. In those rest days, he becomes stiff and realizes how much his body has changed and how much he has wrecked his body. But the biggest baddest trail was coming, with the race against winter. He starts, and is always amazed by nature on the trail. The Glacier NP, the big sky mountains, Yellowstone NP, the wind river range, and of course the Colorado mountains incluiding the San Juans never sieze to blow his mind. Of course that all came with a crappy section in Wyoming and pretty much all of New Mexico. He finishes pushing through injuries and tired with eating junk and putting the body to its limit.
In the adventure he had some goals which he achieved: become as close as possible with nature, leaving his work life behind, hiking the triple crown, unbroken in a calendar year; but overall to have fun.
He did it on a tight budget, always loved sleeping on the ground, where he found himself more comfortable and fell in love with sunsets, wildlife and views, even though he is colorblind.
Most of the book focuses on the hard parts he went through, which of course makes it more interesting. But it was a good balance between depicting the awesome parts of it, as well as the bad aspects of it.
On a personal note, this book is very meaningful to me. I met Legend on the PCT days in 2021, the year I hiked the PCT. I could relate to a lot of things he said in the book, like the trail providing, the hard parts about it, injuries, mental struggle, sickness, being alone for a lot of time but not feeling lonely, falling in love with nature and feeling part of it, meeting awesome people and having cool conversations, getting sketchy rides, camping endless times under rains of stars and of water. It inspired me for sure to keep adventuring, keep living to the fullest, do another thru hike in the mid distance future. Reading this and listening to the Nims, the guy who crossed Anctartica and the recent podcast on Jeff himself sparked up that sense of epic advenutre in me again. This time on a bigger scale. I want to do aweome feats, go to tall peaks, go far away and get lost in the wild. That requires changes in the life I'm living in, with the comforts of not working and being a lowkey spoiled college student. That life has started, and I won't stop now.
Jeff is super lowkey in his adventures, very humble. But his adventures are top-notch. He is one of the world's best ultra endurance athletes, yet he dresses with random clothes and no matter how hard it gets he is always having fun. Because that's his goal. He just wants to have fun in his own way.
This adventure starts on the Appalchian Trail, where he is alone most of the time, going through wintry conditions, and still pushing big miles through snow. He starts from not a lot of fitness and within a week or so, he's dialed in the pace. He goes through it, with a couple almost hypothermic events and gets ready to go into desert hiking on a well graded trail.
He goes to the PCT, where his first thru-hike and where some of his first backpacking trips took place from a very young age. It reminds him a lot of his first time thru hiking, now having become a beast and passing a ton of people on the way, since the PCT is very popular on the hiking season. It shows his humbleness, yet spending time talking to people, even though he knew it was likely that was going to be the last time he saw them. He hiked his own hike, not judging others, doing big miles when he felt like it, spending an extra hour with a random person if he felt like it. Something very clear was that it's okay to slow down, have fun, have a great experience and still do big miles and have ambitious goals, since the trail provides all the time; and everything clicks together through adversity. It might be the thinking out of the box and trying to do everything possible to get what he wants, or maybe it was some other force helping him along the way.
He finishes the PCT in style, in about three months and takes some days off before hitting the CDT sobo. In those rest days, he becomes stiff and realizes how much his body has changed and how much he has wrecked his body. But the biggest baddest trail was coming, with the race against winter. He starts, and is always amazed by nature on the trail. The Glacier NP, the big sky mountains, Yellowstone NP, the wind river range, and of course the Colorado mountains incluiding the San Juans never sieze to blow his mind. Of course that all came with a crappy section in Wyoming and pretty much all of New Mexico. He finishes pushing through injuries and tired with eating junk and putting the body to its limit.
In the adventure he had some goals which he achieved: become as close as possible with nature, leaving his work life behind, hiking the triple crown, unbroken in a calendar year; but overall to have fun.
He did it on a tight budget, always loved sleeping on the ground, where he found himself more comfortable and fell in love with sunsets, wildlife and views, even though he is colorblind.
Most of the book focuses on the hard parts he went through, which of course makes it more interesting. But it was a good balance between depicting the awesome parts of it, as well as the bad aspects of it.
On a personal note, this book is very meaningful to me. I met Legend on the PCT days in 2021, the year I hiked the PCT. I could relate to a lot of things he said in the book, like the trail providing, the hard parts about it, injuries, mental struggle, sickness, being alone for a lot of time but not feeling lonely, falling in love with nature and feeling part of it, meeting awesome people and having cool conversations, getting sketchy rides, camping endless times under rains of stars and of water. It inspired me for sure to keep adventuring, keep living to the fullest, do another thru hike in the mid distance future. Reading this and listening to the Nims, the guy who crossed Anctartica and the recent podcast on Jeff himself sparked up that sense of epic advenutre in me again. This time on a bigger scale. I want to do aweome feats, go to tall peaks, go far away and get lost in the wild. That requires changes in the life I'm living in, with the comforts of not working and being a lowkey spoiled college student. That life has started, and I won't stop now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2021
2.5/5 stars. My bias is really showing with this generous rating. This is a self-published account from someone who admittedly did not have plans to release it until there was social media pressure - and it reads like that.
I thoroughly enjoy following Legend's pursuits via social media/online channels, and because of this I guess I have a sense of... probably not his personality, but at least how he publicly addresses his audience. This same slightly-sarcastic, throwaway "voice" was really strong throughout the book, but I don't think it translated well to the medium.
The whole account reads like a series of blog posts strung together; which, I didn't do the research, but I'm assuming it is? Or at least something similarly repackaged. The writing style was unrefined, definitely unedited, and it lingered on certain events while completely bypassing others. There are so many throwaway comments that hint towards really interesting stories - that we never get. Similarly, there are short phrases where the narration becomes introspective, but these are never dwelled on - this is not amongst the more "philosophical" hiking accounts, and it doesn't really try to be. I wish there was less of the foreshadow-y "I would come to regret this in X hours..." filler text, and I wish he held back on explaining simple terms like "glamping" in a text that is so obviously for a niche audience.
One thing that I felt was done quite well is how the account makes you feel like you're alongside Legend for every hour of the 252-day-long hike. Days that are skipped in the account fade into the background. Towards the end, I was actively looking for these time-skips and could hardly spot them. A recurring theme I really didn't enjoy, though, was the often laissez-faire, bordering on entitled, attitude towards receiving "trail magic" or free support along the way. It upset me to read this over and over throughout the book. However, I decided that I'm going to think the best of Legend and assume this is either a poor expression of his feelings at the time in writing, or that his attitude has shifted in the time and ~20k miles hiked since this trip.
If you're already interested in the whole thru-hiking culture, and maybe you've read some of the quintessential accounts already and are fine with a straightforward, no-nonsense retelling of a white guy's CYTC trek, this'll get the job done. I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory or seminal text, though.
Also, one thing I didn't do but that would have been fun is following along with Legend's instagram posts from the corresponding time while reading.
I thoroughly enjoy following Legend's pursuits via social media/online channels, and because of this I guess I have a sense of... probably not his personality, but at least how he publicly addresses his audience. This same slightly-sarcastic, throwaway "voice" was really strong throughout the book, but I don't think it translated well to the medium.
The whole account reads like a series of blog posts strung together; which, I didn't do the research, but I'm assuming it is? Or at least something similarly repackaged. The writing style was unrefined, definitely unedited, and it lingered on certain events while completely bypassing others. There are so many throwaway comments that hint towards really interesting stories - that we never get. Similarly, there are short phrases where the narration becomes introspective, but these are never dwelled on - this is not amongst the more "philosophical" hiking accounts, and it doesn't really try to be. I wish there was less of the foreshadow-y "I would come to regret this in X hours..." filler text, and I wish he held back on explaining simple terms like "glamping" in a text that is so obviously for a niche audience.
One thing that I felt was done quite well is how the account makes you feel like you're alongside Legend for every hour of the 252-day-long hike. Days that are skipped in the account fade into the background. Towards the end, I was actively looking for these time-skips and could hardly spot them. A recurring theme I really didn't enjoy, though, was the often laissez-faire, bordering on entitled, attitude towards receiving "trail magic" or free support along the way. It upset me to read this over and over throughout the book. However, I decided that I'm going to think the best of Legend and assume this is either a poor expression of his feelings at the time in writing, or that his attitude has shifted in the time and ~20k miles hiked since this trip.
If you're already interested in the whole thru-hiking culture, and maybe you've read some of the quintessential accounts already and are fine with a straightforward, no-nonsense retelling of a white guy's CYTC trek, this'll get the job done. I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory or seminal text, though.
Also, one thing I didn't do but that would have been fun is following along with Legend's instagram posts from the corresponding time while reading.
May 10, 2021
This guy, the author Jeff Garmire is a triple crown finisher. What that is, is he completed hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. It amounts to hiking a total of nearly 8,000 miles across 22 states with one million feet of cumulative elevation gain. I've read there are only about 600 people to complete the Triple Crown. What makes Jeff extraordinary is he did it within one year, finishing it in eight months. I liked his story of this adventure but it is such a long hike it became rather redundant with similar issues reoccurring; the tent getting soaked, running out of food, water crossings, hiking in snow. I would have been interested if he elaborated on some of the people he met, the trail angels and trail magic. For a story about a hiking adventure I think it depicted a very good account of what the hike is like and what one endures doing it. I learned about the book and the author when I heard him on the podcast, The John Freakin' Trail with Doc as the host. In turn, I checked out Garmine's videos which can be entertaining. Something I didn't know until quite far into the book was that he was hiking to raise awareness about suicide. I have to mention the part about the Greek Orthodox monks he met on Sawyer Bar Rd near Etna, California. I've hung out in that area myself hiking or cycling and had experience coming across these individuals. They were so out of place to meet up with them walking about there. If you want to get a good idea of what you will encounter doing one or all of these hikes this is a good book to reach for.
January 27, 2025
Jesus what a slog. The trail descriptions are beautiful and what kept me hanging on. He should’ve hired an editor for there are many mistakes, it gets really monotonous and repetitive, but that’s kind of like hiking. And the author just rubs me the wrong way… He’s the epitome of duality, talking about being humble, and then bragging repeatedly, talking about taking only what you need from trail magic, and then taking almost all the beer in a 12 pack and every candy bar he finds, he also has this really gross way of talking about begging food from other people. He talks about how he loves being alone and then complains about it the next minute. This seems to be an exercise in being purposely homeless, what he’s really out there to do is walk along until he finds a bar where he can drink and hang out with other people. He seems to lack common sense many times. Overall, I loved the idea of what the book would be, but it was clumsy and meandering and rather than going on my shelf it’s going to the little free library down the street. I was raised in a family of thru hikers and this guy embodies everything that they are not, and I would not spend more than five minutes chatting with him on the trail, and you can guess that those five minutes would be spent talking about himself. Oh and the whole thing is apparently to raise money for suicide prevention and he says he’d use any platform to get the word out… he mentions this in one small paragraph on page 171 or 257!!!! He had a whole book to say something!!
March 21, 2020
Most people won’t ever hike one of the longest trails in the USA, let alone all three, let alone all three in one year, let alone all three consecutively without flip flopping!
Legend, aka Jeff Garmire, does just that. He hikes all three, consecutively, completely a continuous calendar year trip crown.
While some of the descriptions seemed monotonous and repetitive at times, I can’t help but think of just how true that had to have been. Not every day can be a brand new amazing story when you are putting in that many miles a day towards such an ambitious goal. His anecdotes and stories that were shared in detail gave us a glimpse to the high highs and the low lows. Of course if you don’t have the lows, the highs don’t seem as high.
It’s an amazing feat that can only be described as insane. Poetic it is not, real and raw it is. This is not your writer who decided to hike to write a book story, this is your hiker with a passion and a goal who had enough people want to hear about it that they decided to put it into words (and even if he set out planning to write a book, it doesn’t come close to reading that way; which is a wonderful thing).
I highly recommend!
Legend, aka Jeff Garmire, does just that. He hikes all three, consecutively, completely a continuous calendar year trip crown.
While some of the descriptions seemed monotonous and repetitive at times, I can’t help but think of just how true that had to have been. Not every day can be a brand new amazing story when you are putting in that many miles a day towards such an ambitious goal. His anecdotes and stories that were shared in detail gave us a glimpse to the high highs and the low lows. Of course if you don’t have the lows, the highs don’t seem as high.
It’s an amazing feat that can only be described as insane. Poetic it is not, real and raw it is. This is not your writer who decided to hike to write a book story, this is your hiker with a passion and a goal who had enough people want to hear about it that they decided to put it into words (and even if he set out planning to write a book, it doesn’t come close to reading that way; which is a wonderful thing).
I highly recommend!
September 18, 2020
Jeff Garmire may have first received his trail name "legend" for packing in a pizza and sharing it with his fellow hikers on the PCT in 2011 but the epic journeys and numerous speed records he has compiled since them have truly become the stuff of legends.
Recounting his attempt to hike 7,900 miles in a single year and achieve the calendar year triple crown, Free Outside, is something between a trail journal and the stream of conscious of a long distance hiker. The story rarely deviates from life on the trail and provides little backstory to the author's life. It does, however, provide a vivid picture of life on the trail and makes you feel like you are a part of this epic adventure. The author does a nice job narrating and I felt that this added to the immersive nature of the story.
If you are into backpacking and a part of the trail community this is definitely worth the read. Legend is one of the top athletes in long distance hiking and in many ways this is an origin story of his many records. If you are not obsessed with the hiking world but interested in an inspiring book about hiking (and life) I would suggest Heather Anderson's book Thirst.
Recounting his attempt to hike 7,900 miles in a single year and achieve the calendar year triple crown, Free Outside, is something between a trail journal and the stream of conscious of a long distance hiker. The story rarely deviates from life on the trail and provides little backstory to the author's life. It does, however, provide a vivid picture of life on the trail and makes you feel like you are a part of this epic adventure. The author does a nice job narrating and I felt that this added to the immersive nature of the story.
If you are into backpacking and a part of the trail community this is definitely worth the read. Legend is one of the top athletes in long distance hiking and in many ways this is an origin story of his many records. If you are not obsessed with the hiking world but interested in an inspiring book about hiking (and life) I would suggest Heather Anderson's book Thirst.
February 15, 2021
I enjoyed reading this memoir of Jeff's adventure as he completed the Triple Crown of Hiking in one calendar year. Contrary to some other reviews, I did not find anything wrong with his writing style and did not find the book full of errors. I have read other authors' books who have been published many times over with more grammatical and syntax errors in their books than in this book.
A lot of thru-hiking memoirs out there tend to glorify the trails and the authors skim over their bad experiences. But Jeff did not hold back telling it like it is. From unmaintained trails, trails along busy highways, the trail on old logging roads, hiking through burned areas, lack of water sources, crazy weather, crazy hitchhiking drivers, etc. If you are ever thinking about thru-hiking the PCT, AT, or CDT then you should read this book because it will give you a taste of what you are really in for. I have not read anything about the CDT before; it seems to be the unmaintained step-child of the three big trails.
That being said, there were still a lot of great people and trail angels that Jeff met on his journey that helped him out when he needed some trail magic.
A lot of thru-hiking memoirs out there tend to glorify the trails and the authors skim over their bad experiences. But Jeff did not hold back telling it like it is. From unmaintained trails, trails along busy highways, the trail on old logging roads, hiking through burned areas, lack of water sources, crazy weather, crazy hitchhiking drivers, etc. If you are ever thinking about thru-hiking the PCT, AT, or CDT then you should read this book because it will give you a taste of what you are really in for. I have not read anything about the CDT before; it seems to be the unmaintained step-child of the three big trails.
That being said, there were still a lot of great people and trail angels that Jeff met on his journey that helped him out when he needed some trail magic.
December 26, 2025
Listened to the audiobook. I found the narration to be boring, monotone and felt las if somebody was just reading words off a page. I’ve read many stories about hiking through the PCT thankfully so really had a good understanding of how things could be. I learned a lot from those other books and found some of those interesting, exciting and fun. This book is nothing like that. There were few details about the scenery, the hiking, the experience itself. The focus of this book was to start —- and to finish. That’s it. No cool details about the journey at all. Mostly we heard about drinking beer, drinking water, eating foods and over indulging, getting food poisoning, seeing a bear, it rained it snowed….etc. Few details or descriptions to make it interesting. I quickly lost patience and interest at 32%, so played the audio at 1.5 speed and found myself not even paying attention so I DNF.
November 26, 2020
Amazing feat. Mediocre recount.
Mostly a diary of the trip without much more to offer, except for periodic accounts of people who took pity on an undoubtedly haggard and famished looking hiker and gave him food. I wished there had been an epilogue of sorts or more focus on the cause , which was suicide prevention. But alas those were mostly footnotes in what became a predictable pattern of reading about resupply spots, binge eating, forty mile days, extreme thirst, hunger , and then finally the subsequent resupply. Interspersed by the occasional encounter with a bear or rattlesnake.
Jeff is clearly one of the best long distance hikers in the world to have pulled off the one year triple crown. But is still gaining experience as a captivating story teller.
Mostly a diary of the trip without much more to offer, except for periodic accounts of people who took pity on an undoubtedly haggard and famished looking hiker and gave him food. I wished there had been an epilogue of sorts or more focus on the cause , which was suicide prevention. But alas those were mostly footnotes in what became a predictable pattern of reading about resupply spots, binge eating, forty mile days, extreme thirst, hunger , and then finally the subsequent resupply. Interspersed by the occasional encounter with a bear or rattlesnake.
Jeff is clearly one of the best long distance hikers in the world to have pulled off the one year triple crown. But is still gaining experience as a captivating story teller.
May 26, 2020
This young man walked the Triple Crown in one calendar year. No one accomplishes something like that. Whether the writing is good or a little mundane at times. I am sure hiking all those miles was boring too. Renewed my faith in the kindness of others and the resilience and grit a person can have. Inspiring! All three trails equal 7900 miles so in one year that is right around 22 miles every single day. More if you consider flight days to arrive at each trail. So impressed!!! Way better than some linebacker that plays a few games in a season
July 20, 2020
Triple Crown - one season
Most travel stories cover one trail, this covers all three of the triple crown. The writing is good. His descriptions of the hardships, emotions, and motivation he faced are genuine. He acknowledges the differences in doing one trail in a season, missing out on creating a trail family and the challenges of being alone. He expects the reader to know basic information about hiking and weaves together lingo and situations that immerse the reader as if they are with him. I was entertained, and enjoyed his journey across the AT, PCT, & CDT.
Most travel stories cover one trail, this covers all three of the triple crown. The writing is good. His descriptions of the hardships, emotions, and motivation he faced are genuine. He acknowledges the differences in doing one trail in a season, missing out on creating a trail family and the challenges of being alone. He expects the reader to know basic information about hiking and weaves together lingo and situations that immerse the reader as if they are with him. I was entertained, and enjoyed his journey across the AT, PCT, & CDT.
November 29, 2024
An entertainingly surprisingly good book. Kind of a stream of consciousness account of hiking the big three US trails; the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail, in one year. Besides being an amazing accomplishment, the narrative is excellent throughout. Over the years I've read a number of hiking accounts and this one is by far the best at capturing the day-to-day details while remaining fresh and engaging. My feet hurt reading about the feat (npi). Averaging over 30 miles per day, Jeff conquers the three trails with many tails in between. Enjoy!
September 1, 2020
Yet another hiking book. Kindle Unlimited has figured out I enjoy these books and now offers them to me constantly and I’m happy to finally be maximizing my monthly payment. The author of this book hiked all three trails, one after the other. The writing was pretty good - my biggest complaint is semicolons used as commas for no apparent reason. I’d give this one 3.5 stars. Pretty good for this genre.
February 2, 2020
Amazing accomplishment
A very good read with plenty of suspense and adventurous moments. Well written with good descriptions of the natural environment and encounters with people. Tremendous will power fueled this accomplishment! I enjoyed reading this account of an incredibly ambitious hike.
A very good read with plenty of suspense and adventurous moments. Well written with good descriptions of the natural environment and encounters with people. Tremendous will power fueled this accomplishment! I enjoyed reading this account of an incredibly ambitious hike.
February 27, 2020
Hiking hero!
Very well written account of a hike few people have accomplished-hiking all 3 of the major US trails, the Triple Crown, in one year. As an armchair hiker, it was incredible following Jeff's journey. Highly recommend to anyone interested in hiking journals. I have read over 2 dozen and this is definitely one of the best!
Very well written account of a hike few people have accomplished-hiking all 3 of the major US trails, the Triple Crown, in one year. As an armchair hiker, it was incredible following Jeff's journey. Highly recommend to anyone interested in hiking journals. I have read over 2 dozen and this is definitely one of the best!
April 4, 2020
Uplifting Read
No idea why people put themselves through this type of torture, but it makes good reading. It's many hikers ambition to complete the triple crown, to do it in a single year is insane !! This guy did it, averaging 30-40 miles a day is some achievement. Good read, highly recommend.
No idea why people put themselves through this type of torture, but it makes good reading. It's many hikers ambition to complete the triple crown, to do it in a single year is insane !! This guy did it, averaging 30-40 miles a day is some achievement. Good read, highly recommend.
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