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  • Hiking Through

  • One Man's Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail
  • By: Paul Stutzman
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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Hiking Through cover art

Hiking Through

By: Paul Stutzman
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

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Publisher's Summary

After Paul Stutzman lost his wife to breast cancer, he sensed a tug on his heart - the call to a challenge, the call to pursue a dream. With a mixture of dread and determination, Paul left his job, traveled to Georgia, and took his first steps on the Appalachian Trail. What he learned during the next four and a half months changed his life and can change yours as well.

In Hiking Through, you'll join Paul on his remarkable 2,176-mile trip through 14 states in search of peace and a renewed sense of purpose. Along the way, you'll meet fascinating and funny people, experience trail magic, and discover that every choice we make on the path has consequences for the journey. More than that, you'll come away with a new understanding of God's grace and guidance, even in the smallest things.

©2012 Paul Stutzman (P)2015 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Appalachian Trail enthusiasts, hikers, and dreamers will find this story a compelling account of the physicality of coming to terms with life and its sadnesses." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Hiking Through

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Be preached at.

Gave the book a chance, listened to half of it. Too much talk about a Christian god, too preaching. The narrator doesn't have a nice voice to listen to.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Candid and honest portrayal

I liked the authors honest portrayal of his feelings along with the ups and downs of the hike

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An honest look at life

I'm interested in the AT, and I enjoyed listening to this while I was thru-hiking in Australia. The spiritual element was both encouraging and refreshing, adding an extra dimension to Paul's anecdotes.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Way too much God talk

The story is pretty good but there is way too much God talk that got heavier as the book went on

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Didn't finish.

Too many mentions of God for my liking, then when he said 'wacko environmentalists I switched off.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring, personal story

Enjoyable to listen to. Great adventure story.
The narrator sounds a like Kermit The Frog.
I would recommend this to adventurous christians.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great inspiration

The book is really inspiring. It makes you really think about life and how fortunate we are to have life. Something we so often take for granted. He shows us how often the hardest things in life are the very things that ground us and make us who we are. But most importantly he shows us how the hard times can be over come with time and a willingness to look deep inside ourselves. Simply a brilliant book.

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hiking

great book. very touching. you got a real sense of what it would be like hiking the trail.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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eat, hike, pray, repeat for 5 months

What disappointed you about Hiking Through?

I congratulate the author on his hike and personal journey. However, 5 months of sleeping eating and hiking honestly does get a little dull. I feel this book may only suit a unique group of hiking religious. I am a hiker but still found it very slow going. Then it takes a very strange turn when (spoiler alert) God speaks to him. I kept listening thinking there would be some valuable life lesson that I could learn but was disappointed. I thought the people he met could be explored a little more to add substance to the text. I also found it odd that he only interacted with male hikers and the only mention of a woman on the entire trail had no substance whatsoever other than being good looking and too useless to set up her own tent.

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