Hiking Through

The winner of S. Dionne Moore's Promise Brides is Anne Payne! Congratulations, Anne!

Title: HIKING THROUGH
Author: Paul Stutzman
Publisher: Revell
March 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2053-7
Genre: Inspirational/Memoir

Memoirs are not generally a genre I enjoy reading, but HIKING THROUGH caught my attention. I’ve always been fascinated by the Appalachian Trail and one of my sons have mentioned wanting to someday hike the trail, so I thought this book sounded interesting.

Paul Stutzman’s wife, Mary, died of breast cancer – a disease I was unfortunate enough to get and battle, but so far, with the Lord’s help, I’m in ‘remission’. A year after Mary’s death, Paul quit his job as a restaurant manager and took to the Appalachian Trail to work through his grief, and his sense of abandonment by God. He started in Georgia on a rainy day, at the trail head.

HIKING THROUGH is a recounting of Mr. Stutzman’s journey, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and it is utterly fascinating. There were some things included that didn’t have much to do with the journey (did it matter that his parents left the Amish when he was three and became Mennonite?) but the information was interesting and did solve some curiosity I had about his last name. Most interesting to me, was the actual hike itself, and the experiences he had on the trip. Pictures are included which were great visuals.

HIKING THROUGH is a great book, one that my son requested to read (as soon as I get the review written), and one that will go on my keeper shelf when he finishes. Highly recommended. If you have any fascination about the Appalachian Trail, just happen to like memoirs, or have suffered the loss of a loved one to cancer and wonder how others got through the grief, then HIKING THROUGH is a book you’ll want to read. $13.99. 332 pages.