Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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'.

Jeff Alt has a mission: reacquaint the world with the beauties and the challenges of Nature and find inner peace and the source of human kindness. And if that sounds like a hopelessly impossible task for these times in which we live, then his A WALK FOR SUNSHINE just may change that. It is difficult, if not impossible, to read this entertaining and meaningful book and not rearrange mindsets as to priorities and the significance of living in the moment. Jeff Alt may not be an academically trained writer, or a student of philosophy, or a prophet sent among us to alert our attention to environmental issues and the importance of family, but in Alt's case, those 'restrictions' allow him to relate in more simple honest terms a life altering experience and stimulate each of us to find our own dream journey - and follow it!

The story is well summarized in all the reviews of this revised version of A WALK FOR SUNSHINE (and Epilogue has been added to make the events of the book more accessible to the novice hiker/reader). In 1998 Alt make the trek from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail of 2160 miles, on foot, surviving in the 'wilderness' to prove that he 1) could accomplish his dream of thru-hiking the treacherous trail and 2) to raise money for the Sunshine Home for the Disabled, a home that cares for his brother Aaron, a young lad with Cerebral Palsy. Like any fine journal the author writes of the agonies, the physical challenges, the struggles with sustenance among the wildlife and the extremes of Nature's seasonal changes while at the same time offering anecdotes both hilarious and heartwarming, moments when he bonded with trail partners and moments when Nature seemed determined to squelch his drive to complete his journey.

But complete it he did and now ten years later he gives us all of those moments day by day during his four-month long trek. His writing style is conversational: this is not the sophisticated poetic collection of entries of a Thoreau but rather the humanistic need to communicate the splendor of nature. As one would expect, along the way he does communicate with the Higher Being but in a way that is never preachy but rather wholly credible, given the near death challenges he faced. And in the end this journey, upon completion, gained much needed fundraising for Sunshine Home as well as fostering a changed man who sees the universe more clearly and shares his drive to protect our little globe.

A WALK FOR SUNSHINE makes a great bedside inspiration book, a thoughtful gift for friends and family who are struggling with apparent insurmountable odds, and an excellent reference for 'youths' of all ages. Grady Harp, December 07

A brisk mile around the block toting a water bottle is a just the right walk for me so reading about someone who enjoys a 2160 mile hike lugging a 50 pound backback is mind boggling. While I enjoy my comforts, a cozy bed, sweet smelling clothes, tasty meals, moderate weather etc. Jeff Alt, doesn't mind roughing it with a sleeping bag, sweaty duds, freeze dried food and braving the elements.

Reading Jeff's journey is awesome. I have the benefit of getting an idea of what it is like to walk the Appalachian Trail without actually having to do it. I mean something inside me wants to be adventuresome but the truth is I know I wouldn't make it past the first couple miles.
To successfully walk the trail you have to really want it. There is a lot of planning involved. Selecting just the right gear, arranging for the right amount of food.....the list goes on. Once on the trail you encounter a variety of experiences that you have to be mentally prepared for from wild animals (and people) to bad weather to health issues.
Jeff is pretty detailed about his experiences. He discusses the nitty gritty from smelly socks to foot blisters.

Though Jeff had a mission for his journey (to raise funds for The Sunshine Home, where his brother is a resident) you can read through the lines and know that he loves the discipline and conditioning of the trail.

The softcover 285 book is an entertaining read. I especially enjoyed the back section, Jeff's lessons from the trail. These were lessons he learned while walking. Lessons like the simplest things can serve the biggest rewards, go after your dreams now and more! He also includes a suggested reading list at the back of the book.

Kudos to Jeff for the great read, what he accomplished and the beautiful, positive way he shares his story.

Lee Mellott

This thoroughly enjoyable tale of an unselfish hiker who undertakes a thru-hike for charity is a must read for any hiker. The book is entertaining, moving, witty, and inspirational. Having read numerous books by thru-hikers, this one is the best. I hiked a section of the AT in Virginia several years ago, and after reading Jeff's story, I was motivated to again get back to the trail. Happy hiking!

Inspiration, dedication, and motivation are three words that come to mind. Not only did this man walk over 2000 miles he did it for a cause. Jeff retells his experience on the AT not leaving out any details the good, the bad and the ugly are all included. The book is a well written page turner. It was a quick and enjoyable read that made me realize that dreams can come true if you want them too!!

Coming from a serious backpacking, camping family I was intrigued when this book was given to me. Mainly because I assumed it would be your average tale of back packing with a few interesting tid bits, but not much else. No I wasn't that interested in why the author decided to do this 2160 mile trek. What I wanted to know he wrote about and wrote so well about.

Like the lessons in equipment he learned, be it the boot inserts which were wrong, or the backpack that a fellow trekker helped him alter so it was more comfortable. Or how he over packed. He was also very wise, in working with his family members to assure that at certain post offices along the way would have new supplies waiting for him.

There is some great 'humor' as well. Ok maybe not humorous for non hikers, but very funny for those who have been there, done that. Like waking in the middle of the night in a mountain shelter to discover there is a sleepy skunk sleeping on your sleeping bag near your feet, that come morning has left. Or meeting fellow hikers who bring plenty of mouse traps, that they bait and set, so while sleeping in the hiker shelter (many of these are along the AT) you hear snap, snap, snap as one mouse after another is trapped and killed. Having discovered that mice are in just about every well known hiking area, I was pleased to read that the AT shelters have roof hooks where you can hang you back pack and thus awake without seeing a flurry of mice running to get away.

The author makes you feel as if you are actually with him on the trek, as he talks about the various friends he is making along the hike, be it Packrat, Zeb,Crash, or even one scary fellow named Sponge, who thanks to the author, was a good reminder that not all people you find on remote hiking areas are people you want to meet, which is why its very important not to be naive, but be really prepared mentally as well as physically for hiking. Oh and the Vegetarians...

For those of us who have never hiked the AT, but have done the Pacific coast hikes from California to Alaska it was so interesting to read of the authors encounters with horses, moose, bears, boars, and the various people who work hard to keep the hiking areas clear and safe. Reading about the varied weather he encountered was really interesting since I bet there are many people who don't realize that Tennessee, the Carolinas can get snow in the early spring. You can almost feel the cold sleet hitting his face as he hikes for a week and more in horrid weather. Or how his leg and ankle really got bummed up when trekking thru high snow without snow shoes. Or people leg coverings that would prevent rain from soaking your boots and thus soaks and feet. And duct tape. They may joke about the stuff, but between blisters and boots that blew out, he sure was glad he had some with him. And I am so glad he wrote about the seasoned hikers of the AT who over many years had tried the hike but never finished it. As well as those who had done the hike more than a few times.

So as I would read the book I would read a few chapters, look at the map at the beginning to get a sense of how much territory he had traveled each day, and then I would put the book down and do some things outside or inside, only to think of what could be next in the book, so as soon as I was done working I would grab the book and start reading again. There were even nights when I would go to bed, but be so interested in what was next, that at 1 am I would turn the light on next to the bed, sit up, grab the book and read more, until my eyes were just to tired to read anymore.

Also appreciated the Epilogue where the author speaks of the lessons from the trail. As varied as the value of humor,going after your goals and dreams now, not later, self motivations drives success, success comes in small steps, or how hiking can clear your mind and give you a whole new view of things. And how fragile our environment can be. He writes of this often when he shares how certain areas of the AT were well worn and had erosion issues. Or how the soil gets so packed down on some days when hundreds of hikers are in one area. Am glad he noted this since I live in the Sierras of California and know so many wonder volunteers who work hard to repair the thousands of miles of hiking areas we have. Consider becoming a volunteer. Pages 292-293 has his list of items he took along with some advise on what he took with him and why.

This is a must read book for anyone who thinks of hiking or had been hiking for any length of time. It is full of so much wisdom that could actually save you a lot of grief if you do plan on hiking. Sure hope the writer does another book because he such a gifted writer.

A Walk For Sunshine is the fascinating story of Jeff Alt's 2,160 mile hiking expedition for charity on the fabled Appalachian Trail. Along the way he was occasionally alone, and often accompanied for a time by his brother, family, friends, and more than 800 strangers. Alt dedicated his Appalachian Trail sojourn to his brother who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and the other 850 disabled citizens supported by a residential treatment home in Northwest Ohio. Completing his journey in 147 days, he was able to raise almost $40,000 for the Sunshine home as a result of his efforts. A Walk For Sunshine is a travel and hiking memoir that is absorbing, humorous, and an occasionally inspiring true life adventure travelogue.

Jeff Alt's adventures should be of interest to anyone who has pursued a goal or dream, suffered setbacks and challenges yet still come out victorious. Reading the book and seeing how he was supported throughout his journey is proof of the old adage: There is no honor in failure, only in never trying.