Northbound With Theo: A Man and His Dog Thru-Hike the Appalachian Trail at Ages 75 and 8

by Soren West

Soren West discovered the woods as both adventure and refuge from a difficult home life as a 12-year-old. After 44 years as a trial attorney, he and his golden retriever, Theo, set out on the Appalachian Trail. Soren loses 30 pounds, has a tooth reset, and his shoulder repaired. But he also meets wild people, unscalable rocks, and night-time frights on this "life-changing adventure," all the way with Theo!

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

457 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Billi Haug · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!!!!! This book was fantastic. Loved every page. The determination, will and love for nature and his dog. The support of his family. This was the best book of the year for me!

[Karel Baloun · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted book, with high quality printed photos that do give a good feel for parts of the AT. Theo is fully featured, and delightful. “He enjoyed the hike. He was with me.” Simple, and nicely grounding. The family action photos are touching and show how this book is a collaboration of his whole family, it is their gift to him, and it encapsulates his own identity, and includes all that he has chosen to keep of himself.

I too dream of the AT, and the closer my age will approach his (if I’m fortunate as he knows himself to be), the more this book will be powerfully inspiring.

No spoilers, but the epilogue deepens my understanding of Soren’s exquisite appreciation of death. Parts of his religion/spirituality didn’t speak to me, but it’s easy to overlook such details, as i would if i met him on the trail. But he and I clearly share one identical lifespan, and have similar hopes and joys and pride for our kids. His reflections on his own mortality connected deeply, and i too am content with his peaceful acceptance.

[Linda Serre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired

Sojo, your journey with Theo is inspirational. At the age of 63, I will be retiring next year after 40 years of working as nurse. For all the death and dying, illness and anguish I have experienced in my work, I also need to 'walk off' those years of my life and find my true self in nature, solitude, and serenity. I will be starting my solo thru-hike journey March 2025. I will hold you and Theo in my thoughts.
Sincerely, Linda from Canada.

[Kevin Krayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mighty-fine story

Thank you Soren West for bringing us along with you on this most impressive of journeys. Despite the typical ludicrous and arrogant actions of the Ranger in Baxter State Park giving you that ticket, I was thrilled with every part of your book. Slower is better, and you proved that to me again. My heart aches for losing Theo, and for that I am sorry. Be well fellow hiker, and thank you.

[Leslie L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Loved it, just enough picture to see what Soren and Theo where experiencing together. To me Soren’s writing style is simple but has all the information you need to experience what he and Theo where experiencing. Dogs are truly a gift from God, they know you better than you know yourself at times.

[Mark Gannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sad to say that I have to admit defeat with this book. I m about half way through and haven't picked it up in a month. I, sadly, just didn't connect with the author.

[Elly Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book simply because of the photo of the man on the cover with his dog. The man looked exactly like my hiking partner I met on a trail here in the Southwest. I met him in the middle of nowhere and we became hiking buddies. This is the kind of book you can pick up and read in between other books. It's a delightful and sometimes insightful look into a 75 year old man and his dog "Theo" on their hike along the Appalachian Trail. There are so many books about this same subject but this feels a bit different. Halfway through you definitely feel you are walking along with them. It took awhile for me to settle in with their rhythm and the author's writing style but I'm glad I stuck with it. The many accompanying photos are great! I wondered while reading this how he would feel at the end of the trail and going back to his day to day life. I thought his adjustment might be a challenge. I liked and identified on how he handled this.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is strictly a trip report, not a memoir. I learned little about the author, his history and family, other than the report of the sons and daughters of his current life that helped him survive the journey. And in a way, that makes sense—he’s not a young person “coming of age” on the trail and he’s not a middle-aged person who makes a life-changing discovery. There is little introspection in this report, period. A good bit of present-time detail, but not much meanderings of the mind.

That made me like it less than I have other such trail adventures, but I still liked it. It was just a little too matter of fact for my tastes.

I was also disappointed that he didn’t find time to make many notes of the trail and the places he went. He has a lot—certainly more than I ever find the time to write down—but I wanted more. So just a little wishful, finishing up.

Still worth the reading.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good day by day info on the Appalachian Trail. I enjoyed the journal style writing and all the photos. It does get a bit preachy/heavy handed on the biblical beliefs at times but that's his beliefs and it was his journal. It was lovely to read about his connection to his family and their support of his dream as well as hearing about his love for Theo. I had the pleasure of listening to a talk given by Mr. West at a book signing. He was delightful to meet. While the book is a bit long, I felt like I was on the adventure too!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soren West, a retired lawyer (age 75) and his golden retriever (age 8) decide to hike the Appalachian Trail. An avid hiker, he plans carefully and is well equipped for both he and his dog to hike long distances. With this book, West chronicles the hike with a sense of humor and a dash of philosophy both the fun of meeting strangers that have connections to people he knows and the tough times of bad weather and general hiking misfortunes. Well written making for a very enjoyable read.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 Appalachian Trail memoirs. This one was one of the better ones. The photographs helped me envision the trail and his experience better, and of course hearing about Theo’s experiences on the trail were the icing on the cake. He did make what I consider to be foolish choices, but somehow everything came out alright.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! I learned a LOT about hiking the Appalachian Trail, and Soren West did a magnificent job inspiring me to hike the AT someday. I love golden retrievers and fell in love with Theo, who hiked the entire trail with his human, Soren. This book was fantastic! I highly recommend reading it. It is one of my all-time favorite books!

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is as promised, a man (75) shares the tale of himself, and his dog (8), as they thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. A good reminder that time spent alone, and time spent in nature helps one to inspire their soul and appreciate the beings around them.

[Kim Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a journal. I’ve always admired the determination to tackle such a long hike. I loved the pictures but couldn’t help but wish he would have cut that beard off at some point or at the least trimmed it. 😜 superficial I know but it was not a good look.

[sheila r nix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very warming adventure

An amazing book about an adventure he dared to take, with his dog by his side. The book details the love of family and friends l, dome old some new and a hike through parts of the amazing planet God loaned us to enjoy.

[Jenny Garibaldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read about the AT

I loved this novel about hiking the AT. I love the heart, thought and care that went into telling the story of a man and his dog. Great read!

[Cheryl Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best hiking books!

Great story of Dojo and Theo. My dog is my hiking buddy as well. The ending had me in tears

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love hiking. I love dogs. ‘Nuff said. ❤️

[Tammy Goad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book if you like the outdoors and are a dog lover!