Short Stories From Long Trails: 40,000 Miles of Braving Weather, Making Friends, Wrong Turns, and Wild Encounters

Hav­ing hiked more than 40,000 miles of trails across the globe, Justin "Trauma" Lichter recounts the survival instincts, phys­i­cal endurance, and men­tal resiliency needed to be a thru-hiker. Despite countless close calls, Trauma con­tin­ues to push the lim­its of long dis­tance hik­ing, safety and wilder­ness sur­vival. Short Sto­ries from Long Trails is at times frightening, stomach-turning, humor­ous, and heartwarming, includ­ing tales about: -A wide vari­ety of char­ac­ters, from over-friendly motel clerks to escaped con­victs, run-ins with lions, ele­phants, griz­zlies, and other beasts, big and small -All types of weather, from one of the wettest seasons on the Appalachian Trail to the extreme heat of Africa -Ques­tion­able deci­sions when food or water is scarce, like con­sum­ing uncooked meat and treat­ing water from sludge-like pools -Los­ing his way in the poppy fields of Cop­per Canyon, Mex­ico, amidst heavy nar­cotics traffic -His history-making win­ter hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, described by the New York Times as "the most dar­ing and fool­hardy expe­di­tion since Lewis and Clark" Fol­low Trauma and his fear­less hik­ing part­ners, includ­ing his dog, Yoni, on hikes through Amer­ica, on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, East­ern Con­ti­nen­tal Trail, Con­ti­nen­tal Divide Trail, Great Divide Trail, Inter­na­tional Appalachian Trail, Florida Trail, Pacific North­west Trail, Hay­duke Trail, and Long Trail, as well as hikes abroad, in the Alps, Africa, New Zealand, Ice­land, the Himalayas, and beyond. Justin "Trauma" Lichter is a thru-hiker, ski patroller, and author. He and his hik­ing part­ner, Shawn Forry, were the first to suc­cess­fully hike the PCT in win­ter. He is also a Triple Crowner, hav­ing hiked the AT, PCT, and ECT in one year. He is the author of Trail Tested and Ultra­light Sur­vival Kit.