A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail (Barbara Savage Award Winner) [Paperback]

Angela Ballard (Author), Duffy Ballard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003 | Series: Barbara Savage Award Winner

The Mountaineers A Blistered Kind Of Love

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 20-something Ballards alternate chapters to detail their 2,655-mile backpacking trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, starting at the U.S./Mexico border and ending in Canada. Angela, an advertising copywriter, is a novice hiker, while Duffy, a pre-med student, is more experienced. Inspired by William R. Gray's The Pacific Crest Trail, the Ballards spend eight months planning and set out; ahead lie three states, three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests and 33 federally mandated wildernesses. They describe the journey's physical, emotional and logistical aspects, including their pre-trip planning, their family's reactions and what they learn about each other along the way. (They marry at trip's end.) The macho couple doesn't want to waste time enjoying the scenery or napping in the sun-their goal is to complete the entire trail, which they do in 132 days. Says Angela upon reaching central Oregon's Crater Lake, "I yearned to find a sheltered cove of grass where I could enjoy the sunset and subsequent sunrise over the lake, stare into the blueness and enjoy a warm mug of hot chocolate." Instead, as usual, "we were tugged by the call of miles." The recommended reading list and numerous practical tips on gear, trail food, first aid and terrain will be a boon to those attempting the Ballards' feat themselves. But less hardy souls may be discouraged from doing so. As the adventurers state in the epilogue, "our trail life wasn't all sunsets, starry nights and self development. Sweat, stench, gritty skin, and exhaustion killed many otherwise profound moments." Map.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Alternating chapters, the Ballards describe their arduous 2,655-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, which zigzags its way from Mexico to Canada, crossing three states, three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 33 federally mandated wildernesses. Grappling with thirst, fear, and pain, they completed the trail in 132 days. In addition to providing detailed information on pretrip planning (meal preparation, gear, medicines), they also relate many amusing anecdotes about the characters they met along the way, including one pair whose goal was hiking 1 percent of the trail while intoxicated (they were successful). In between breathtaking descriptions of the many scenic vistas, which they viewed very briefly because of their manic devotion to covering a set amount of miles per day, the couple speak insightfully about their dynamics, which sometimes deteriorated into fights over the size of each other's steps. Although many of the couples they encountered on the trail had broken up by the end, the Ballards got married. This delightful title has appeal beyond hard-core backpackers. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; First Edition edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898869021
• ISBN-13: 978-0898869026
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Putting It To the Test, December 14, 2003

By 

takingadayoff "takingadayoff" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail (Barbara Savage Award Winner) (Hardcover)

A Blistered Kind of Love is one of those physical endurance memoirs like Josie Dew's bicycling books, or Peter Jenkins' walking books. But this has an added twist. Instead of a lone diarist battling the elements, the Ballards are a couple who are testing themselves and testing their relationship.

Angela and Duffy take turns writing chapters about their hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. That way we get the views from both hikers. This really works, because as they make their way along the trail, we see their relationship develop. It's as if they realized that if they could make it to the end together, they figured they'd be able to face anything together.

They have their share of adventures, mishaps, and meet plenty of hikers and "angels" (people who help hikers along the way). A Blistered Kind of Love is an enjoyable account, for hikers and non-hikers alike.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rollicking good travel yarn, October 23, 2003

By 

James Flusterdam (new york, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail (Barbara Savage Award Winner) (Hardcover)

I'm not usually the type to read about endeavors I have no interest in undertaking - and hiking a few thousand miles while eating dehydrated vegetables certainly qualifies as such - but I found this book fascinating. It's chock full of anecdotes, historical info and juicy (if very well-rendered) back-and-forths between Duffy and Angela.

The most obvious comparison is Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, his story of hiking the Appalachian Trail, but I wouldn't necessarily say the books are similar. Bryson, while being a slightly more polished writer than the young Ballards (at least at this point in their career), doesn't treat his journey with the same reverence. You really feel the Ballards' deepening appreciation of what they are doing and each other, whereas Bryson viewed his trek as the means to an end (namely a book). Angela writes with a visual eloquence - she really excels at scenes - and is the more introspective of the two. Duffy's style is funnier and more anecdotal. He sounds like your average football-watching guy suddenly transported into the Sierras. Good stuff.

When I was done reading, I passed this on to my girlfriend and was surprised to find that she read it even faster than I did. I'd recommend it as a gift to any outdoors-minded friend, and especially to anyone newly-retired pondering some sort of adventure. This will get your ass off the couch and out for at least a day-hike.

And oh, by the way, Angela looks pretty hot in her photo.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, November 15, 2005

By 

M. Wholey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail (Barbara Savage Award Winner) (Paperback)

Reading this book inspired my boyfriend and I to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (which we completed in October, 2005). Angela does such a fantastic job of telling her story. It's entertaining, funny, and a great read.

I'd highly recommend this book for both for PCT hikers and for anyone else who wants to read a wonderful story.