“I created a new soap opera tonight: ‘The Young and the Senseless.’ It is the daily saga of dashing young men and women who were sitting around in warm, clean, dry houses and eating good food, when they said, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail?’ Today’s episode features young, devilishly handsome George wringing muddy water from his socks in the hope that they will merely be damp when he wears them the following day. Tune in tomorrow for another episode of ‘The Young and the Senseless.’”

George Steffanos is a hero.  In 1983 he recorded one of the most colorful tales about hiking the Appalachian Trail I have ever read.  In his journal, Then the Hail Came, Steffanos describes his battle against all odds to not be a loser for once in his life.  His task?  To complete the AT as a thru-hiker.

I won’t spoil the plot of this book for you, but I recommend that everyone read this book if you are interested in the AT.  Steffanos has a psychotic wit about him that makes every turn interesting.  This book is available online at his website:

http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html