Three Hundred Zeroes Quotes

“All of the authoritative books on bears seem to agree on one thing: if you're close enough to a bear to cause it to change its activity pattern, you're too close, and in possible danger.”
― Dennis R. Blanchard, Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail

“Only on a few rare occasions, when I was either very tired or the weather was just terrible, did I sleep in shelters. The mice rule the shelters, and if there are no mice, that’s because there are lots of snakes eating the mice…take your pick.”
― Dennis R. Blanchard, Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail

“Thousands of grasshoppers were jumping everywhere; I felt like I was walking through popping popcorn. These critters made me conscious of my surroundings, since many snakes eat grasshoppers. When it comes to rattlesnakes and copperheads, the locals there have a saying that the “Third person gets bit.” The theory is: the first person gets the snake’s attention, the second person gets the snake aggravated, and the third person gets bit. There were only two of us, but I didn’t feel like testing the theory.”
― Dennis R. Blanchard, Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail

“A few birds sang in the distance; everything was still. We were truly alone. This was it, no turning back now. Even if we did, it was a long walk home.”
― Dennis R. Blanchard, Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail

“Have you ever dreamt about doing something totally foolish, something so absurd that perhaps you were afraid to tell anyone except possibly those closest to you? I harbored such a secret for most of my adult life — I secretly wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail [A.T.] from Georgia to Maine.”
― Dennis R. Blanchard, Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail