We’re celebrating the launch of Mills Kelly’s newest book—A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail!

For more than a century, hikers have walked the Appalachian Trail. Young or old, experienced or novice, every hiker steps onto the trail with one common goal: to touch the wild. Some want to test themselves on a long-distance hike. Some merely just want to spend time with friends. Some want to see a bear, a snake or a bobcat for the first time.

No matter the reason, all hikers have shared a desire to find peace under the trees and to bathe in the richness of the Appalachian mountain ecosystem.

Spanning the entire history of the Appalachian Trail, historian and lifelong hiker Mills Kelly tells their stories—why they went to the trail, what they carried, what they ate, where they slept and how their time on the trail offered healing and grace.