The Trail Provides

If you have ever wondered what it's like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, The Trail Provides offers an in-depth foray into the experience. From detailed depictions of the environment to illustrations ofxa0hikertrashxa0counterculture, thru-hiking is thoroughly illuminated. While it recounts the very personal story of one hiker's experience on the trail, Smart's work also narrates a unifying theme that so many disparate personalities are seeking by walking those 2,600 miles. -Heather "Anish"xa0Anderson , authorxa0of Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home and Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail David and I share a desire and knack for taking a reader along on our journeys. In The Trail Provides , there is the external adventure of strangers becoming family, the continual steps taken, and a series of auspicious events. But it is the inward journey where I think this book shines. Insights abound, beginning with letting go of the old to make room for something new, seeing ourselves in how we see others, and even embracing our own insanity. Those who take up long-distance hiking are like David's permanently browned yellow shirt. The trail stays with us, even when we leave it behind. As you read this book, may you get a taste of this adventure and relate it to your own outlook on life, much like I found myself doing. -Mary E Davison, Triple Crown hiker plus other trails, author of Old Lady on the Trail and Aren't You Afraid? With a three-day seventh-grade campout his sum-total experience, David Smart takes us on an unfiltered, raw, adventure-filled trek in The Trail Provides . Smart was a self-described, 24-year-old "boy" caught post-college in a soul-crushing life when he setxa0out like Huckleberry Finn, subbing a 2,650-mile-long trail for Finn's Mississippi River. Sometimes a primer for what not to do , Smart grins, bears it, and learns. You can't help but root for David Smart as he makes his way from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail.xa0- Barney "Scout" Mann , author of Journeys North An honest, entertaining, easy-to-read narrative. He begins as an ordinary 20-something, grows immeasurably, and earns my hope that this is not his last book -Reg Spittle , author of Camino Sunrise and Trippin' Through My 60's I have read scores of thru-hiker accounts of their PCT experience.xa0As a result, it takes something special to make a hiker's memoir memorable. What helps set David Smart's The Trail Provides apart is his recognition "that the wilderness most in need of exploration was the one within me." I appreciated the underlying humility and, at times, a guileless and enthusiastic innocence that made Smart so sympathetic and his story so enjoyable.xa0Whether itxa0was his account of changing his attitude after days of discouraging rain in Washington by giving up all efforts to stay dry and jumping from puddle to puddle (a story we elected to include in Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader , Mountaineers Books, 2022) or his quest to walk the trail barefoot (under the influence of his fellow hiker and friend, Bradley), The Trail Provides is a refreshing and fun read that captures the magic of the trail. - Rees Hughes , co-editor of Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader David letsxa0you into the messy process of his spiritual birth, the painful wrenching feelings that come with defining yourself away from your friends, and the ups and downs of learning to choose adventure in the face of a world seeminglyxa0designed to stiflexa0it. You would have to take the more than half a million steps that he and the other thru-hikers took to truly understand, but the seed is here for the taking, and the truth for the sharing. Thanks for taking me right back to the edge of the razor, David. The air sure tastes good here. -Tanner Critz , author of End to Ending: An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Story I wrote this book to heal myself and those who read it. It's my best attempt atxa0channeling my trail experience to you—the insights gained, the mountains climbed, and the near-death encounters avoided—without you needing toxa0endure six months of walking.I believe that healing flows from becoming aware ofxa0the stories we tell ourselves. In this case, I wrote everything down for you.I hope these words benefit your life. Enjoy the journey. Cheers.