Best Walking
Accompanied by an array of eclectic characters – including a world-champion juggler, a drug dealer, and a sex-starved builder from Minnesota – he takes the reader on a compelling adventure that pushes the limits of both endurance and imagination. During his five months living in the woods, Foskett’s psychological apprehensions are stretched to the limit against the wild elements of nature. His adventure weaves a route through some of America's wildest landscapes and history, and is told with insight, humour and reflection. Amongst the bears, moose and rattlesnakes, climbing to 2000 metres, and countless aches and pains lives the memory of a special journey, the wonderful people who briefly share the experience with you, and the knowledge that lasts long after the final blister has healed. Keith is a perfect walking companion for the ups and downs of the trail – his easy and understated style kept me turning the pages. "This book is for anyone who's ever dreamed about a big adventure, as Fozzie spins a funny, thought-provoking and inspiring tale of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Keith Foskett has hiked over 10,000 miles in recent years and holds a deep respect for the outdoor spaces of this world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It would be great if everyone could be gifted with the health and ability to pick up for six or more months to pursue such an epic hike. Some of us venture a mile or so up the trail, up the stairs, out of breath, just to get a glimpse of what the author has the health to accomplish and the skill to write so blithely about. Next time you see the middle-aged "out of shape", overweight woman slowing down your thru-hike, keep in mind this may be her dream to just walk that mile, struggle up those stairs, because injury or illness means that is the best she can do."
"I have read several AT books as I plan on doing a couple hundred miles of the trail in summer of 2019 as a 73 year old assistant scoutmaster with 2 complete knee replavemrnts."
"Keith does a great job of combining and balancing personal elements with more descriptive details which provide a sense of the broader experience."
"It was a great pleasure reading about someone chasing a dream, a dream that most of us settle on."
"Like other books about the AT, tedious at times with recording elevation, weather, and campsite changes, this book included more."
"This was an easy to read account of what could have been a long and repetitive hiking story."
"Balancing on Blue conveys the richness, mystery and transformation that comes from long hikes in nature, a pursuit that is perhaps unique in modern life."
"The best part for me is his ability to convey the personalities of his fellow hikers and the friendships created on the trail."
A show-and-tell guide to clothing, footwear, backpacks, shelter and sleep systems, camp stoves, and more, as well as tips on foot care, campsite selection, and hiking efficiency, this single book contains all the knowledge you'll need to hit the trail. Yes, and with flying colors…The book is well laid out, presents a ton of solid and useful information, is easy to read and understand.” –Popular Backpacker. http://popupbackpacker.com/book-review-the-ultimate-hikers-gear-guide-2nd-edition/ ANDREW SKURKA is an accomplished adventure athlete, speaker, guide, and writer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Since being awarded National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his Alaska-Yukon trip, Skurka has spent his time designing backpacking gear for Sierra Designs, leading guided trips and holding backpacking clinics, and designing and hiking off-trail routes in the Wind River mountains and Kings Canyon High Basin. It's a must-own for every otudoors enthusiast from novice day-hikers to veteran expedition backpackers and trekkers."
"I really enjoyed the narrative arc of this guide."
"This is not only a good read, it's also simply invaluable for the author's tips and purchase suggestions."
"A very useful reference and an easy ready to help anyone serious about pushing limits in the outdoors."
"He's a much more hard core hiker than I will ever be, but he has some great ideas and tips that anyone can use."
"Super helpful noon for novice hiker that wants to understand everything there is to learn about equipment clothing packs etc to comfortably exist outside for days."
"Good Update."
"It was obviously written by a very experienced hiker/backpacker who shares valuable information on travelling in the outdoors."
From the authors of the bestselling ChiRunning comes a revolutionary program that blends the health benefits of walking with the core principles of T’ai Chi to deliver maximum physical, mental, and spiritual fitness. In ChiWalking, Danny and Katherine Dreyer, well-known walking and running coaches, teach the walking technique they created that transforms walking from a mundane means of locomotion into an intensely rewarding practice that enhances mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Similar to Pilates, yoga, and T’ai Chi, ChiWalking emphasizes body alignment and mindfulness while strengthening the core muscles of the body. Choose from a menu of twelve great walks such as the Cardio Walk, the Energizing Walk, or the Walking Meditation, to keep your exercise program fresh. Yet, according to Danny Dreyer and Katherine Dreyer, some 80 million Americans consider walking their most important physical activity. Each chapter is filled with good black-and-white photographs illustrating the techniques discussed; pictures showing the best technique are side by side with pictures showing the worst technique.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"not quite as good as chi running, but still a worthwhile read into a unique style."
"Yes It is Helping me find my inner strength and overcome my disability."
"While not critical to the contents, it could have an adverse impact on the longevity of the book if you, like me, reference the information multiple times and then bend the covers while sliding it back in the bookcase."
"****. "ChiWalking: The Five Mindful Steps for Lifelong Health and Energy" is a life-changing book for a walker. This encompasses a variety of things, from the form or posture you use when walking, to how you move, to what you think of or meditate on or focus on, and much more. Without the book, however, I would not have had the background to fully implement the instruction I received or to really incorporate it into my walking practice. If you are intrigued at all by the idea of your personal energy system and walking, I would highly recommend this book."
"This book is recommended to anyone who wants to keep a healthy lifestyle in a modern society where we are less and less dependent on movement."
"Who would have thought that by changing the way you have always walked you could alleviate pain, add to your endurance walking and enjoy this very normal form of movement."
"Good ideas abound in this book; both for walking, warming up and some great ideas for problem areas in the body caused by walking and working out in general."
Best Camping
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
Best Hiking & Camping Excursion Guides
Experience Maori culture, be wowed by beautiful glaciers or hike through gorgeous scenery; all with your trusted travel companion. Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - Maori culture, history, cuisine, arts, music, landscape, wildlife Free, convenient pull-out touring map (included in print version), plus over 90 maps Covers Auckland, Bay of Islands, Coromandel Peninsula, Central Plateau, Rotorua, East Coast, Wellington, Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Fiordland, Southland and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We found this book is pretty heavy on "commercial amusements for tourists", less so on other attractions."
"This book was the end-all-be-all for references and recommendations in New Zealand."
"Or vice versa, make the descriptions link to the point of interest on the appropriate map."
"Very informative, with up to date information and good recommendations on activities, restaurants, etc."
"The book arrived and its amazing how much has changed in it over the copy I already had."
"Incredibly helpful in planning my trip to New Zealand."
"Provides most of the necessary information."
"We stuck mostly to the book and had an amazing trip."
Best Outdoor Instructional Guides
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."