This entry has been moved from the "pre-trip" area to here.

As you may know, I made a resolution at the start of the trek to read one book for every 100 miles of trail I hiked. I did this in part because I love books (yes, I really am a bookworm), and in part so that I wouldn't get completely caught up with pushing for more and more miles each day. In other words, reading for me is a kind of "sanity check" and a way to ensure that I "hiked my own hike." I'd have to say this was a successful venture, as I was able to follow through on my resolution despite waning daylight and a much faster hiking pace in the later stages of the trek.

Here's a list of the books I read on the trek, along with a brief description of each book.

1. "Wildfire", by Zane Grey.
A gripping tale of wild horses and star crossed lovers set in the Grand Canyon area before it became a National Park.

2. "Dracula", by Bram Stoker.
The original vampire story set in the wild mountains of Transylvania and the jungles of London.

3. "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", by Jules Verne.
A professor of natural history gets taken on an underwater tour of the world's oceans by a mysterious man.

4. "The Circular Staircase", by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
An elderly spinster rents a cottage in the country for the summer, but gets caught up in a local murder mystery.

5. "The Three Musketeers", by Alexandre Dumas. Lots of swordplay, intrigue and derring-do set in 17th century France and England.

6. "The Swiss Family Robinson, or Adventures in a Desert Island", by Johann David Wyss.
A family gets shipwrecked on a desert island and manages to do much more than just survive. I read this while crossing the Mojave desert.

7. "The Aeneid", by Virgil.
An epic tale of the Trojans as they are defeated in the battlle of Troy, spend 7 years wandering the seas, engage in more battles, and finally found the predecessor of the Roman Empire.

8. "The Mountains of California", by John Muir. The founder of the Sierra Club describes every possible aspect of the High Sierras in eloquent fashion.

9. "The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", by Robert Louis Stevenson. London is stalked by a strange evil man being protected by one of its most stalwart citizens. Why such strange behavior?

10. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin", by Benjamin Franklin (of course).
One of America's most famous citizens tells the story of his life,mostly via letters sent to friends. Very interesting for the most part.

11. "My First Summer in the Sierra", by John Muir.
John Muir gets hired by a sheep farmer to supervise the shepherds taking his sheep up to summer pasturage in the mountains. Once you read this book you'll understand why John Muir considered sheep the equivalent of wooly locusts.

12. "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley.
This is a classic tale of a man who discovers how to create life, but then finds he can neither control nor abide the monster he has created.

13. "The Call of the Wild", by Jack London. A large dog gets taken into the far north during the time of the Klondike gold rush.

14. "Wuthering Heights", by Emily Bronte.
A tale of dark and wild passions set on the English moors.

15. "The Red Badge of Courage", by Steven Crane.
A young man learns about the meaning of courage and bravery while fighting in the Civil War.

16. "The Arabian Nights", collected by Andrew Lang.
These are the tales told by the lovely Scheharezade to the Sultan each night to persuade him to allow her to live for another day.

17. "The Black Arrow", by Robert Louis Stevenson.
A tale of intrigue and romance set in the time of the War of the Roses.

18. "The Prince and the Pauper", by Mark Twain.
A real Prince and a boy from the slums of London end up changing places and both get more adventures than they bargained for.

19. "The Lone Star Ranger", by Zane Grey.
An honest man gets branded as an outlaw in the early days of the settlement of Texas, and later gets recruited as a secret Texas Ranger to exterminate the worst band of bandits.

20. "Kidnapped", by Robert Louis Stevenson.
A young lad travels to Edinburgh to claim his inheritance and ends up being kidnapped by an evil uncle.

21. "Steep Trails in California, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and the Grand Canyon", by John Muir.
A collection of essays and letters about John Muir's travels to the places mentioned in the title. Includes accounts of his climbs of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Rainier.

22. "The Man Who Knew Too Much", by G. K. Chesterton.
A suave young man who seems to know all kinds of strange facts manages to solve a number of crimes that the police either can't solve or suspect the wrong person.

23. "The Hound of the Baskervilles", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sherlock Holmes gets called to solve one of the most difficult cases of his career.

24. "Death at the Excelsior", by P.G Wodehouse.
The elderly owner of a hostel for retired sea captains solves a crime that baffles both the police and a prestigious detective agency.

25. "The Life of Abraham Lincoln", by Henry Ketcham.
This biography of one of our most famous presidents aims to acquaint you with the real man - how he thought, what he felt, and what kind of man he was. The author definitely succeeds in meeting this goal. I felt like I was there in the room with him, sharing his agony and witnessing his strength of purpose and infinite patience. This is one of the best books I've ever read.

26. "The Laughing Cavalier", by Baroness Orczy.
This historical novel, set in Holland during the early 1600s, tells the story of one of the ancestors of the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel. The story is full of intrigue, daring deeds and romance, and is one of those books that is hard to put down once you start reading.

27. "The Scarlet Pimpernel", by Baroness Orczy.
Another historical novel set in the time of the French Revolution. A mysterious and very clever Englishman manages to help hundreds of French noblemen escape certain death, but a French secret agent is hot on his trail.

Entry 173 of 173
First  :: Previous  :: Next :: Last