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I Hike: Mostly True Stories from 10,000 Miles of Hiking
I never set out to hike 10,000 miles. It just sort of happened over the course of a decade. And so goes Lawton Grinter's compelling collection of short stories that have been over ten years and 10,000 trail miles in the making. I Hike brings the reader trailside with blissful moments on the highest mountain ridges to the mental lows of mosquito hell and into some peculiar situations that even seasoned hikers may find unbelievable.
Between jobs and in search of something more, Lawton Grinter spent the better part of a decade hiking America's longest trails. In doing so he came face to face with things that go bump in the night, the kindness of strangers, a close encounter with hypothermia and the absurd rights of passage common to the eccentric people that call themselves long-distance hikers.
Anyone who's ever stepped off the pavement will appreciate these humorous and sometimes agonizing accounts of trail life. I Hike will make you laugh, cry, cringe and leave you wanting to read more!
Between jobs and in search of something more, Lawton Grinter spent the better part of a decade hiking America's longest trails. In doing so he came face to face with things that go bump in the night, the kindness of strangers, a close encounter with hypothermia and the absurd rights of passage common to the eccentric people that call themselves long-distance hikers.
Anyone who's ever stepped off the pavement will appreciate these humorous and sometimes agonizing accounts of trail life. I Hike will make you laugh, cry, cringe and leave you wanting to read more!
Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2012
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440 people want to read
About the author
Lawton Grinter
3 books9 followersLawton Grinter is an author, filmmaker, forester, trail runner and veteran long-distance hiker having completed end-to-end hikes of the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail and two hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail. In addition to the “Big 3″ he has hiked the John Muir Trail & Colorado Trail in 10,000+ miles of long-distance hiking since 1999.
He currently co-hosts the monthly podcast The Trail Show and filmed, edited and produced the trail documentary The Walkumentary which covered his 2006 southbound Continental Divide Trail thru-hike. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife & fellow long-distance hiker Felicia "P.O.D." Hermosillo. His first book I HIKE is available now.
Most recently, he wrote the afterword for Michael Gurnow's soon to be released book, Nature's Housekeeper, due out in May 2015.
He currently co-hosts the monthly podcast The Trail Show and filmed, edited and produced the trail documentary The Walkumentary which covered his 2006 southbound Continental Divide Trail thru-hike. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife & fellow long-distance hiker Felicia "P.O.D." Hermosillo. His first book I HIKE is available now.
Most recently, he wrote the afterword for Michael Gurnow's soon to be released book, Nature's Housekeeper, due out in May 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 18, 2020
The author has hiked extensively in the U.S. – the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide and on the East Coast the famed Appalachian Trail. These are not for the leisure day hike people (like myself!). He describes traversing waist deep in rip-roaring mountain streams, bush-whacking through trails that had been flooded out.
The stories are theme related like the aggravation of thousands of mosquitoes or an ice cream eating contest at a grocery store. He recounts hitch-hiking to little towns several miles off the trail to get needed food (and mosquito repellent) and respite at inexpensive B&Bs from trail-friendly folks. One can only carry enough food for about a week at most when doing long-distance hiking. And there is of course rain – lots of it on the Pacific coast. There is a harrowing story of a hiker who was temporarily lost and search parties were started out by the National Park Service.
I never got an impression of the many wonderful places he back-packed through over the years – there is not much sense of history and geography. Also, we just get to know the trail nicknames of his companions and those encountered, but not a lot on their thoughts and motivations to undertake this massive long, long walk that in many ways will become the rewarding centerpiece of their lives.
The stories are theme related like the aggravation of thousands of mosquitoes or an ice cream eating contest at a grocery store. He recounts hitch-hiking to little towns several miles off the trail to get needed food (and mosquito repellent) and respite at inexpensive B&Bs from trail-friendly folks. One can only carry enough food for about a week at most when doing long-distance hiking. And there is of course rain – lots of it on the Pacific coast. There is a harrowing story of a hiker who was temporarily lost and search parties were started out by the National Park Service.
I never got an impression of the many wonderful places he back-packed through over the years – there is not much sense of history and geography. Also, we just get to know the trail nicknames of his companions and those encountered, but not a lot on their thoughts and motivations to undertake this massive long, long walk that in many ways will become the rewarding centerpiece of their lives.
October 11, 2013
Quotable:
There is true freedom on the trail. You answer to no one. There is no morning commute or climbing of the corporate ladder. There is no clock-punching or working your way into middle management. There is no multi-tasking. There is only the trail and the singular goal of reaching some distant border or ending point many months down the road. It's quite beautiful in its simplicity.
My backpack is loaded; it's time to hit the trail.
There is true freedom on the trail. You answer to no one. There is no morning commute or climbing of the corporate ladder. There is no clock-punching or working your way into middle management. There is no multi-tasking. There is only the trail and the singular goal of reaching some distant border or ending point many months down the road. It's quite beautiful in its simplicity.
My backpack is loaded; it's time to hit the trail.
November 29, 2014
Unlike most hiking memoirs, this book is not a diary that recounts a thru hike day by day. Instead, Grinter gives a greatest hits version, offering anecdotes from his more than 10,000 miles on the trail, including his four thru hikes. Each chapter tells a story, usually covering days or even weeks on the trail. Among my favorites were the Bears of Yosemite, the story of fellow hiker Lucky on the PCT, and the chafing problems on the CDT (hilarious with the shaving emergency of the German hiker). No one will be able to forget Grinter's story about Gator Boy (you might cry with that one). One final positive is that the author probably had to leave out so many great stories that we can hope for a second book in the future.
June 14, 2013
Lawton Grinter, aka "Disco", has hiked over 10,000 miles. The majority of these miles have been on what he calls, "through hikes", or hikes from one end of a trail to another. For example, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada. Each chapter tells another story from the trail and ranges from escaping bears in Yosemite, to coming upon coolers full of ice cold beer and soda left by a "trail angel". Having never given much serious thought to through hiking, I'm left feeling inspired to take on a bit of through hiking myself. Perhaps I'll start small with a portion of the Colorado Trail. Who knows...
January 24, 2021
I am very impressionable and am now convinced I could hike the PCT. NO I COULD NOT!!!!!
I couldn’t even currently survive on the west coast trail, but I’m demanding I MUST complete that before I consider a hike something like 18 times as long.
No no no no know your limits XD
Anyway, Good book 👍🏼
I couldn’t even currently survive on the west coast trail, but I’m demanding I MUST complete that before I consider a hike something like 18 times as long.
No no no no know your limits XD
Anyway, Good book 👍🏼
October 5, 2012
Even if you never plan to hike through anything wilder than the crabgrass in your yard, please do yourself a favor and read this book!
Lawton Grinter's love for the challenging activity that is "thru-hiking" comes shining through his clean, clear prose with humor and poignancy. He has a lot to say and he says it honestly.
Grinter introduces us to some amazing characters with their picaresque "trail names" (his is "Disco," by the way), to hiking rituals and traditions (Ch. 2 is the single funniest thing I've ever read), and to the majestic beauty and almost mystical power of the major trails in the continental U.S., including the ancient and honorable AT (Appalachian Trail).
There's something in this book for everyone, whether you can barely hike from one end of the mall to the other, or you're an experienced thru-hiker. I look forward to reading more from this delightful and talented author.
Lawton Grinter's love for the challenging activity that is "thru-hiking" comes shining through his clean, clear prose with humor and poignancy. He has a lot to say and he says it honestly.
Grinter introduces us to some amazing characters with their picaresque "trail names" (his is "Disco," by the way), to hiking rituals and traditions (Ch. 2 is the single funniest thing I've ever read), and to the majestic beauty and almost mystical power of the major trails in the continental U.S., including the ancient and honorable AT (Appalachian Trail).
There's something in this book for everyone, whether you can barely hike from one end of the mall to the other, or you're an experienced thru-hiker. I look forward to reading more from this delightful and talented author.
July 1, 2012
"I Hike", by Lawton Grinter gets 5 stars from me. It is not often that I laugh out loud while reading a book. It's even rarer that both my wife and I both laugh out loud, and that is what happened, not once, but several times as I read a few of the 12 "Mostly True Stories" on a recent camping trip, as a few of us sat in a circle illuminated by candlelight in a shelter in the Maine woods.
"Disco", as he known in thru- hiking circles, has assembled a most enjoyable book of what he considers the better tales from his more than 10,000 miles of backpacking on America's National Scenic Trails. I've been to a number of the places, and had similar experiences, and liked the vivid brushstrokes in his writing style.
This book would make an excellent present for any hiker wanna-be as well as for the blistered veteran backpacker.
June 9, 2018
A collection of stories and a joy forever. Mr. Grinter pulled stories out of the memories of his many trails--Pacific Crest, Appalachian, Continental Divide, John Muir and others, and put them together in themed chapters. Who could resist chapter names like Ice Cream Headache, The Bears of Yosemite, Death by Bloodletting, Zee Vater? Reading them was almost as good as being there, and in the case of the mosquito episode, better.
It's not an instruction manual, but you do learn a bit--the difficulties of hiking in National Parks, some good remedies for chafing, what time of day to ford icy streams (morning). And you learn a lot about the wonders of trail magic, hot showers, and instant friendships. And you learn that it's best to ignore food challenges--
I had just paid someone five dollars for an ungodly amount of ice cream that I was going to try and devour in less than one hour. If I was able to accomplish this feat without soiling my pants, I would be presented with a tiny wooden spoon for my efforts and become part of an obscure club that no one outside of Pine Grove Furnace State Park or the thru-hiking community would have ever heard of or care about. Sounds brilliant.
In case you're wondering, he drank the coolaid--I mean, ate the ice cream. He wasn't even deterred by the sight of a fellow hiker running from the table to the bathroom, returning after 15 minutes, then flopping on the cement floor and groaning while clutching his mid-section.
I'll leave it to you to find out if he finished the carton. Read the book if you need to know all the gory details; otherwise, just use your imagination.
He also describes trail angels and trail magic, like coolers of free beer, soda and candy bars left at crossings--although there was one sad episode where a bear got to the cooler first. His bears are never a wondrous wild animal to admire; they're pretty much always a pain in the butt. I'm not criticizing him for that. If I'd been woken up four times in one night by people yelling and clanging pots to drive the bears out of the campground, I'd feel the same way.
The only thing that came off strange was that he almost never described the terrain through which he hiked. There were no Mountain Majesties, just uphills followed by downhills followed by uphills. There was no noisy birdsong at dawn, no awesome fields of flowers, no chipmunks--how can there not be chipmunks? Maybe he thought these things weren't worthy of inclusion or maybe he just didn't feel up to the writing of them? I know they had to be there--so where were they?
It's not an instruction manual, but you do learn a bit--the difficulties of hiking in National Parks, some good remedies for chafing, what time of day to ford icy streams (morning). And you learn a lot about the wonders of trail magic, hot showers, and instant friendships. And you learn that it's best to ignore food challenges--
I had just paid someone five dollars for an ungodly amount of ice cream that I was going to try and devour in less than one hour. If I was able to accomplish this feat without soiling my pants, I would be presented with a tiny wooden spoon for my efforts and become part of an obscure club that no one outside of Pine Grove Furnace State Park or the thru-hiking community would have ever heard of or care about. Sounds brilliant.
In case you're wondering, he drank the coolaid--I mean, ate the ice cream. He wasn't even deterred by the sight of a fellow hiker running from the table to the bathroom, returning after 15 minutes, then flopping on the cement floor and groaning while clutching his mid-section.
I'll leave it to you to find out if he finished the carton. Read the book if you need to know all the gory details; otherwise, just use your imagination.
He also describes trail angels and trail magic, like coolers of free beer, soda and candy bars left at crossings--although there was one sad episode where a bear got to the cooler first. His bears are never a wondrous wild animal to admire; they're pretty much always a pain in the butt. I'm not criticizing him for that. If I'd been woken up four times in one night by people yelling and clanging pots to drive the bears out of the campground, I'd feel the same way.
The only thing that came off strange was that he almost never described the terrain through which he hiked. There were no Mountain Majesties, just uphills followed by downhills followed by uphills. There was no noisy birdsong at dawn, no awesome fields of flowers, no chipmunks--how can there not be chipmunks? Maybe he thought these things weren't worthy of inclusion or maybe he just didn't feel up to the writing of them? I know they had to be there--so where were they?
March 3, 2020
On of the best hiking books I've read.
September 21, 2023
I enjoyed reading this author's trail stories and was impressed by his experiences.
February 5, 2024
Loved it. Enjoyed every story.
June 24, 2024
A relatable and hilarious collection of stories from a true thru hiker's perspective
August 16, 2025
Bye. Gonna go hike the Appalachian trail and the pacific crest trail. I don’t want a job but I do need a lot of money
January 9, 2013
I hike by Lawton "Disco" Grinter is a fun fast read. I had no idea that there were so many people who walked the trails of this country from top to bottom (or bottom to top). These true hikers spend months on end walking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, or the Pacific Crest Trail or the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada. In I hike, Grinter shows a little of life on the trail, from choosing the right place to make camp and finessing a ride without actually asking for one, to trail names and how they happen (you don't get to pick your name - others give it to you). I enjoyed this book, and while I don't plan on hitting the trail anytime soon, I do wonder what my trail name would be.
January 2013
January 2013
June 2, 2013
Ever wonder what it's like to thru-hike one of The Big Three long distance trails: the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail? Lawton Grinter has hiked all three, and then some. Rather than give a detailed start-to-finish account of these long hikes, he captures the essence in a series of stories and experiences along the trail.
It's a quick read, and I'd recommend it to both hikers and non-hikers who are curious to know what it's like to be on the trail for months at a time.
Checkout my full review on SoCalHiker.net.
It's a quick read, and I'd recommend it to both hikers and non-hikers who are curious to know what it's like to be on the trail for months at a time.
Checkout my full review on SoCalHiker.net.
August 4, 2015
Great book. I've read a lot of trail journals, and I like the approach of this work. The author provides a set of his most memorable experiences from several hikes, instead of focusing on a single long hike.
Several times I found myself chuckling at one of his experiences, as I've had a similar experience... or I can easily visualize it happening to me! I would then try to imagine how I would respond to the situation before he told the rest of the story.
Overall very enjoyable. A couple of the stories didn't interest me, but most did. Definitely worth a read!
Several times I found myself chuckling at one of his experiences, as I've had a similar experience... or I can easily visualize it happening to me! I would then try to imagine how I would respond to the situation before he told the rest of the story.
Overall very enjoyable. A couple of the stories didn't interest me, but most did. Definitely worth a read!
August 30, 2012
Although I've never hiked with Disco, I can vouch for the veracity of his stories, because every one of 'em has happened to me too. Every former thru hiker can relate to these stories, every prospective thru hiker should read the book to see what he or she is getting into, and every armchair hiker should read it because it's so damned entertaining.
February 16, 2016
Best hiking book I've read, of course I've only read two. But still, I love the way Lawton breaks up the monotonousness of most hiking daily log books. He hits on highlights on various trips. Well done.
December 8, 2014
This book is great! It reminded me of stories we tell around the campfire.
The only thing I did not like is that the book is to short. I want to hear more of Lawton's trail tales. I'm ready for his next book.
The only thing I did not like is that the book is to short. I want to hear more of Lawton's trail tales. I'm ready for his next book.
January 22, 2015
For those interested in long distance hiking, Lawton Grinter aka Disco, relates his and his wife's experience hiking the long distance trails in the US. Disco is part of the podcast, The Trail Show which is how I found out about his book. Hikers and would be hiker, enjoy!
July 27, 2015
I've been weirdly obsessed with the idea of long distance hiking and this book provides a really great snapshot of life experiences - enough to let me know I'll never embark on a journey like this but I do love reading about it.
April 22, 2016
This book has a lot of great stories. The adventures on the trails can be both funny and sad. This book identifies some of the tough ones along with more wilder ones. It is a contrast in the three main US Trails but it is also a story of the hiker and what the hiker endures. Great book.
July 26, 2012
After reading I re-told stories such as "Zee Vater" and "Ice Cream Challenge" and really laughed at some of the stories. A fun easy read that you want to finish quickly when you start.
Read
September 15, 2012Great book
July 14, 2013
I liked that it was organized by topic, not by trail or trip. Many helpful hints too.
April 8, 2014
Good. A little stilted on the wordage but excellent stories told with humor.
March 31, 2014
Refreshing approach. Laughed and cried. Hope there's a greatest hits II !
May 7, 2015
A fun little book of hiking stories told with a wry wit by a veteran distance hiker. a good read.
January 25, 2016
A fun quirky read. I like that it hit on several different trail experiences instead of just one long hike on one specific trail.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews