In the Real World I Hike: Transformation of Purpose and Self in Five Million Easy Steps - Softcover

Sisemore, Michael "SY"

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798739151360

Publisher: Independently published, 2021

Synopsis

I relocated to NH in 1999 after I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and have had many adventures since. While completing my Doctorate in Education in 2020 I decided to work on a manuscript that explored the transformations that many hikers experience while on long-distance hikes. In the Real World I Hike is the result. It is not a book on hiking exclusively, many complex topics are discussed including the transformation of self and purpose, pilgrimages, rites of passage, the social and essential selves, PTSD and veterans use of the trail as a means to understand their trauma and allow themselves an opportunity to heal, and the incredible growth I have witnessed in my daughter as she has become a highly competent and skilled young woman and hiker herself. We also examine liminality and how hikers who are isolated from the general society come to view the real world, can entirely re-invent themselves, and see the truth of what the real world should be. These stories are told through the narratives of a variety of diverse hikers and their unique experiences of personal challenge and growth. In the Real World I Hike also tells the story of one of the Appalachian Trail's most well-known characters, one of my closest friends who passed away in May of 2016, Baltimore Jack Tarlin (8 time thru-hiker). He was a part-time resident of Hanover, NH for many years and was a fixture at many local establishments. To my knowledge, this is the only accurate and personal narration of his own story of transformation from a young man named Adam Tarlin, to the Appalachian Trail legend known by thousands as "Baltimore Jack" Tarlin.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798739151360
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 247