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A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 2nd Edition
 
 
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A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Jeff Alt (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)


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Kindle Edition $8.77  
Paperback $11.35  
Paperback, September 8, 2007 --  
There is a newer edition of this item:
A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 3rd Edition A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 3rd Edition 4.9 out of 5 stars (73)
$11.35
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Book Description

September 8, 2007
An entertaining walk along the Appalachian Trail, with bears, bugs, blisters, skunk bedmates, and hilarious food cravings. Alt dedicated his walk to his brother who has cerebral palsy. Alt's walk inspired an annual event that has raised over $100,000 for the Sunshine Home where his brother lives. As you walk along, you experience the success of turning dreams into goals and achieving them. Inspiring and humorous, Jeff's story sheds light on a simpler life. A Walk For Sunshine is an award-winning book and was featured on ESPN and Hallmark Channel. New to this edition: Epilogue focusing on Alt's life lessons from the trail with a focus on family, stewardship of the earth, and good health.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Jeff Alt (trail name: "Wrongfoot") first decided to hike the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, he intended to do it alone. As it turned out, several hundred others walked alongside him. Hiking the AT was a longtime personal goal of Alt's, but as he began to plan his trip he realized that he wanted his effort to somehow serve a greater purpose. So he decided to share the experience by turning his adventure into a fundraiser for the Sunshine Home, a facility in Maumee, Ohio that cares for 850 developmentally disabled residents, including his brother, Aaron, who has cerebral palsy. In the seven months leading up to his walk, Alt focused completely on fundraising and training, eventually raising $16,000 that allowed the home to buy much-needed communication devices, lifts, and walkers. He also inspired an annual fundraiser, "Walk with Sunshine," and is contributing part of the proceeds of his book to the cause.

In addition to finishing, Alt's goal once his feet hit the trail was "to share the spirit for which I was walking" with everyone he met, and this he certainly accomplished. In return, he learned a great deal about life from the colorful characters he encountered on the trail, while countless kind strangers offered "trail magic" in various forms, including food, lodging, and greatly appreciated laundry services. He also received overwhelming support from his family and the residents and staff of Sunshine Home, who helped him through quarter-sized blisters, fatigue, and even self-doubt during his 147-day trek. Charming, inspiring, and often funny, A Walk for Sunshine gives readers a good feel for both the logistics involved in undertaking such a journey and the culture of "thru-hiking" the AT. It's also a moving reminder that "living your dream is one thing, but sharing it lets everyone live it with you."
--Shawn Carkonen
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

Amazon.com Review
When Jeff Alt (trail name: "Wrongfoot") first decided to hike the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, he intended to do it alone. As it turned out, several hundred others walked alongside him. Hiking the AT was a longtime personal goal of Alt's, but as he began to plan his trip he realized that he wanted his effort to somehow serve a greater purpose. So he decided to share the experience by turning his adventure into a fundraiser for the Sunshine Home, a facility in Maumee, Ohio that cares for 850 developmentally disabled residents, including his brother, Aaron, who has cerebral palsy. In the seven months leading up to his walk, Alt focused completely on fundraising and training, eventually raising $16,000 that allowed the home to buy much-needed communication devices, lifts, and walkers. He also inspired an annual fundraiser, "Walk with Sunshine," and is contributing part of the proceeds of his book to the cause.

In addition to finishing, Alt's goal once his feet hit the trail was "to share the spirit for which I was walking" with everyone he met, and this he certainly accomplished. In return, he learned a great deal about life from the colorful characters he encountered on the trail, while countless kind strangers offered "trail magic" in various forms, including food, lodging, and greatly appreciated laundry services. He also received overwhelming support from his family and the residents and staff of Sunshine Home, who helped him through quarter-sized blisters, fatigue, and even self-doubt during his 147-day trek. Charming, inspiring, and often funny, A Walk for Sunshine gives readers a good feel for both the logistics involved in undertaking such a journey and the culture of "thru-hiking" the AT. It's also a moving reminder that "living your dream is one thing, but sharing it lets everyone live it with you."
--Shawn Carkonen
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

ENLIGHTENING and INSPIRING.


Blue Ridge Outdoors

"...There are numerous books on hiking the Appalachian Trail, but Alt tells the story best..."

-Maine Outdoor Journal

Alt reflects on how sleeping with a skunk, being chased by a bear, charged by a bull, blisters, insects, and weird food cravings changed him in profound and positive ways.


The News-Press, FL

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Dreams Shared Publications; 2nd edition (September 8, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0967948223
  • ISBN-13: 978-0967948225
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,417,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeff Alt's adventures have been featured on ESPN, Hallmark Channel, in the AP and more. Alt is a celebrated author and a talented speaker. Alt's book, A Walk for Sunshine, won the Gold in the 2009 "Book of the Year" awards sponsored by Fore Word Reviews, it took first place winner in the 2009 National Best Books Awards Sponsored by USA Book News and won a Bronze in the 2010 "Living Now Book Awards" sponsored by Jenkins Group. Alt is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). Alt has walked the Appalachian Trail, the John Muir Trail with his wife, and he carried his 21-month old daughter across a path of Ireland.

 

Customer Reviews

73 Reviews
5 star:
 (66)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (73 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A PLEASING SURPRISE. WHAT A GOOD READ!, January 27, 2008
This review is from: A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
What a great read! I must confess that this was one of those books that I found quite difficult to put down once I read the first few pages. As has been well covered in other reviews, briefly stated, this is the story of a young man who takes the challenge of the Appalachian Trail and hikes all 2,160 miles of it in one shot, to raise money for the Sunshine Home, a home for the developmentally disabled where his brother lives.

The concept of walking this trail, to become a through walker, has fascinated me for years. Age and health have more or less shut that door for me now, but I do enjoy a good story from those who actually made this wonderful journey. This is certainly one of those good stories. The author's enthusiasm, iron will, commitment and simple bright outlook on life are quite inspirational. Jeff Alt is not a professional writer. Actually, he strikes me as simply "one of us" and this is quite nice. I note that several reviewers have compared Alt's work with that of Bill Bryson, i.e. A Walk In The Woods. I personally could not make that connection. Where Bryson obviously walked very little of the trail, was sarcastic and down right hateful when writing about fellow walkers and the natives of the area, we get the complete opposite with A Walk for Sunshine. Alt has the ability to laugh at him self, has conducted himself as a gentleman, and, with a few justifiable exceptions, has mostly nice things to say about the people he meets, both on and off the trail. This is very refreshing.

I like the writer's apparent honesty. This was a very difficult trip. The author does not gloss that over one bit. On the other hand, he does not indulge in chest beating nor does he become one of those annoying "experts" that we all meet in places and situations such as this. Unlike some other writers who have written about their experiences on this trail, the author stresses that he did prepare himself, spending quite a long time in training and spent countless hours working out the logistics of the trip. If found all of this to be quite interesting.

Alt's relationship with his surroundings was quite well documented. What was difficult was identified as such, what was beautiful was also. It is obvious that Mr. Alt has a great respect for our wilderness and treated it as such. The author also had the valuable ability to laugh at himself, and you get the feeling that while he certainly took his mission to raise money for his cause serious, he never once takes himself that serious. Again, this is refreshing.

This is a very readable book, a true joy. I do recommend this one highly. I have no doubt I will give it yet another read down the road a bit.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AT hiking 101, September 12, 2001
By 
Alicia (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
This book was hard to put down! As a novice hiker, I could not wait to learn more about Jeff's adventures on the trail. The prospect of spending several months hiking and sleeping in the woods is overwhelming to me, but Jeff was able to write about it in a manner that even those who know nothing about hiking or camping can appreciate. Humerous, inspirational, and downright entertaining...and he's right about the rocks in Pennsylvania!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Even if You've Never Been in the woods before...., March 30, 2001
By 
"your_little_redhead" (Nowhere near Elsinore) - See all my reviews
You will love this book! An inspirational journey down the AT to raise money for a worthy cause. Alt's style will engage even the most reluctant of readers and will leave you wanting more. Anyone who is at all interested in the outdoors will eat this book up. I couldn't stop reading, and the miles kept flying by. If you like this book you might also want to try Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods'.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
several hikers, trail registers, next shelter, hiking poles, outfitter store, trail name, entire trail, other hikers
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Appalachian Trail, Springer Mountain, Hot Springs, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Mount Katahdin, Long Trail, Skyline Drive, Harper's Ferry, Sunny Daze, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, New Jersey, Hungry Bear, Delaware Water Gap, West Virginia, Jerry's Cabin, Port Clinton, Newfound Gap, Gingerbread Man, The Home Place, High Five, White Mountains, Broken Arrow, Mount Washington
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