Reviews > Books > General > A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike > John Waters > Initial Report

9 August 2005

Contents:
Biographical Information
Product Information
Arrival Information
First Impressions
Test Plan

Tester's Biographical Information

Name: John R. Waters
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.7 m)
Weight: 178 lb (81 kg)
Email Address: exec@bysky.com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA
Date: August 9, 2005

Backpacking Background

My backpacking experience is limited to the last couple of years, hiking primarily in Michigan and Colorado. In Michigan, I do hikes of 6-8 miles (10 km-13km) 2-3 times a week in Pontiac Lake Recreation area with weekend hikes in various other southeast Michigan locales. Our twice-a-year vacations are usually in Colorado where we hike the mountains in the summer and snowshoe in the winter.

I tend towards the lightest pack possible - under 12 lb (5 kg), but of course, that is day hiking. I plan to start overnight hiking this summer and am aiming for a light to ultralight weight pack.

Product Information (from author website)
http://www.wayahpress.com

Author: Rick Allnutt, MD
Publisher: Wayah Press, 2566 Lantz Road, Beavercreek, OH 45434
Year of Publication: 2005, 1st Edition
ISBN: 0-9767227-0-4
MSRP: $11.95 + 2.50 shipping and handling (U.S. only), + 7% state sales tax to Ohio residents

Features: This 128 page book is for the backpacker who is interested in hiking more than a weekend. It discusses the problems, techniques, and solutions for making a long hike successful - Wildly Successful!

Product Information (from tester)

Weight: 6.6 oz (187 g)
Size: 8.5" x 5.5" x .4" (215 x 140 x 10 mm) - 116 pages + 12 pages for prefaces and indexes
Format: Trade paperback

Arrival Information

The test copy of A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike arrived by mail along with a scenic bookmark, the author's business card and a personal introductory letter from the author. The book was autographed with Dr. Allnutt's gentle reminder to "Walk Well".

First Impressions

After a quick skimming read of the test copy, which I found easy to digest and very enjoyable, I knew right away I would be sitting down again for a more thorough going over, probably with my backpack and gear suffering a severe "diet!"

A Wildly Successful 200-Hike is divided into 6 chapters. The first chapter gives the reader an explanation of why the book came to be written, who the author is, and the criteria for the following chapters. Dr. Allnutt presents his medical background but is upfront about the book being his personal experience and what works for him. While the anecdotal material is based on Dr. Allnutt's Appalachian Trail adventures, the conclusions are applicable to any long mileage hike.

The next four chapters delve into what the author perceives as the chief hike-ending causes - blisters, knee problems, losing the will to hike and backpack weight - and addresses how to anticipate, prepare for and treat these problems. The sixth chapter sums up and ties together the preceding 5 chapters.

Test Plan

I plan to re-read A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike from cover to cover with an eye to how I can improve my hiking experiences. Having had my share of blisters, sore foot bottoms and even a broken foot (off a curb in NYC - don't ask!), I am most eager to hear what the good doctor has to say about how to prepare mentally and physically for long distance hikes. I want to learn the best way to enjoy a safe long distance hike without fear of bailing out early.

I will be reading, and further reporting on, A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike to see what examples and stories the author recounts and how interesting and relevant those stories are. What is the style of writing - straight narrative, pared right down to the real nitty-gritty, or more lyrical, longer and chatty? Does the book flow well from chapter to chapter? Is the advice and are the techniques, clear and easy to understand? Are there pictures? Diagrams? What about suggested sources for recommendations?

More importantly; what can I learn from the book? What can I do right away? What must I work on more slowly?

Field Conditions

Tentative plans are for several 2 - 3 day hikes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the southern shoreline of Lake Superior and a one-week trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain National Park trip will be my first really "long" trip - not 200 miles (322 km), but much longer than my usual 10 - 20 miles (16.1 - 32.2 km).

Since I will start testing in this year's unusually hot Michigan summer weather, and ending in the cool and dry temperatures of autumn in Colorado, I will most likely cover from 30 F to 95 F (-1.1 C to 35 C). Rain will probably be encountered at some point and snow is a definite possibility.

Elevations covered will also offer a nice variety for testing from the sandy lake shores in Michigan at 177' (54 m) to a high of 11,160' (3420 m) at Stormy Peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Thank you for the opportunity to test this product!

John R. Waters

Reviews > Books > General > A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike > John Waters > Initial Report