A Walk For Sunshine Book Review And ~~Giveaway~~

How to "think outside the box"-Take a very long walk in the woods

Bears, bugs, blisters and hilarious food cravings in an epic outdoor adventure story

Remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine for an extended period.

Experience what thinking outside the box really means. Jeff Alt takes you on an entertaining adventure over 2,000 miles along the Appalachian Trail in his new edition of A Walk for Sunshine (book and DVD).

"Thinking outside the box" has become the cliche catchphrase referring to a way of getting the creative juices flowing and coming up with new ideas to solve difficult tasks. Jeff Alt knows first hand that if you remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine for an extended period, thinking outside the box becomes the norm because you are physically outside the box.

- How does sleeping with a skunk, being chased by a bull, charged by a bear, suffering painful blisters, swarms of insects, and hilarious food cravings transfer to life lessons in the real world?

- Why does Alt insist that walking the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail was one of the best things he ever did?

Alt shares his "Life Lessons from the Trail" in A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160-mile expedition for charity on the Appalachian Trail

A Walk for Sunshine is a Book of the Year GOLD medalist, winner of the 2009 National Best Books Awards and a 2010 Bronze medalist in the Living Now Book Awards.

Alt's presentation is available on film: A Walk For Sunshine Appalachian Trail Show (© 12/09; www.jeffalt.com/media.asp ;
$19.95 DVD; ISBN: 978-0-9679482-5-6).

He explains how walking the Appalachian Trail changed him in profound, unique, and positive ways. Among
Alt's "Life Lessons from the Trail" are

- How walking the Appalachian Trail is 2,000 miles of problem-solving.
- Why everyone should go after their dreams now! The powerful aspect of humor and
- how celebrating the simple things can get you through the tough situations.

Another of his "Life Lessons from the Trail" is the importance of getting kids outside. This is more important than ever, especially with computer and video games replacing outdoor playtime and childhood obesity becoming a national epidemic. Alt explains how he has applied these lessons to his career, marriage, and raising his children. The expanded 3rd edition of A Walk for Sunshine includes hiking tips and gear suggestions to help anyone plan an "outside of the box" adventure with the entire family.

Alt made his original trek to raise money for Sunshine, the home where his brother with cerebral palsy lives.

Alt's journey changed the lives of Sunshine's residents with special needs by inspiring an annual walk that has raised over $180,000. For additional information, visit http://jeffalt.com/media.asp

Alt is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). His adventures have been featured in media nationwide including: ESPN, Hallmark Channel, the AP, CNN-Radio, NPR, and more.

Alt's award- winning books, A Walk for Sunshine and A Hike for Mike, have been reviewed in Library Journal, Chicago Sun Times and more.

In addition to walking the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, he also walked the 218-mile John
Muir Trail with his wife, and trekked across a 50-mile path of Ireland with his wife, young daughter, and extended family. His son was taken on his first hike at 8 weeks.

I have to admit that I was unsure of this book at first. It didn't seem like my cup of tea. I mean a book all about a guy walking.

Boy was I wrong, and I feel silly!!

I loved reading all about Jeff's adventures with the wildlife, the other thru hikers, and I especially loved how he got his name Wrong foot (all though it had to be painful!!)

I also got the pleasure of speaking to Jeff, and getting him to answer some of my questions and rants!! I had alot of fun. He is a very nice guy with an awesome sense of humor!!

Here are my questions/comments/rants!!!

Sarah- Do you hear from any of your fellow thru-hikers anymore??

Jeff- I keep in regular contact with several thru-hikers: Zeb, Kubiac, Piasa, Packrat, and Magaroni. We share a special bond and whenever we meet up, it's as if were back on the trail at a shelter picking up on where the conversation left off. I've met up with several other hikers once or twice since my journey (Foxtrot and Squanto come to mind).

Sarah- Were the people in Massachusetts friendly??

Jeff- Very friendly. A Massachusetts outfitter drove all the way up to Bascom Lodge, bought me dinner and exchanged a pair of boots I was having an issue with. A trail angel put Foxtrot and I up for the night in Dalton and fed us some ice cream and drinks. Dalton is one of the friendliest towns along the Trail.

Sarah- Did you cross anywhere near the Mohawk Trail?? (I asked this because he walked very close to my house!!)

Jeff- I need to verify the route of the Mohawk trail to be 100% certain. But, a quick google search indicates that the Mohawk Trail traverses Mt. Greylock which would intersect with the Appalachian Trail. I was so focused on the Appalachian Trail that I don't recall the Mohawk Trail and my journals make no mention of it. That's not to say I didn't encounter it.

Sarah- I have to apologize about your lost package that you mailed in Cheshire. I am a mail carrier by day, and hearing things like that makes me mad!!!

Jeff- Please don't apologize. I love the US postal service. The USPS was my logistical supply line. Mistakes happen and material possessions can be replaced. I vision 20 years from now, a package arriving at my doorstep (the missing box) and as I open it, I'm noxiously overwhelmed by the foul Oder of my boots cooped up in the box for 20 years.

Sarah- P.S you would never catch me working at that Post Office on top of Mount Washington!!!

Jeff- That was a funny location for a post office.

Sarah- I really loved how you made a point to say that you never came across a Moose in either Massachusetts or Vermont. In my 29 years of living in New England (Vermont, Mass and Conn) I have never once seen a Moose. I agree with your Bullwinkle conspiracy (even if you saw a Moose in Maine!!)!!!

Sarah- OK I have to ramble on about your experiences in New England sense this is my turf. lol. I am very glad you were happy with the Ben and Jerry's Outlet store. The seconds are ice cream only sold in Vermont. Ben and Jerry have a strict code when it comes to the standards of their ice cream. If too many pieces of cookie dough are in the pint, then it is considered a second. Nothing is wrong with the ice cream, it just has too much or too little of the extra goodness. The seconds are very much a perk of being a Vermonter. That is one of the things I miss about living there. Luckily I am only 20 miles from the Vermont border in Mass. We make special trips!!!

Jeff- I'm sure the fall foliage in Massachusetts is stunning right now. I love Ben & Jerry's. I spoke at the Appalachian Trail Conference last summer in Vermont and I made sure to get my fill of Ben & Jerry's.

Sarah- If you ever get a chance to head back to the Kennebac, it has awesome white water rafting!! I know you said you don't care for deep water (trust me I understand. I almost drown when I was a kid too) but Northern Outdoors (awesome resort) really looks out for you. It's alot of fun and very beautiful!!

Jeff- Thanks for the tip. I love whitewater rafting!

Sarah- How is your Brother Aaron doing today??

Jeff- Aaron is doing great. We just had our 13th annual Walk with Sunshine and he rolled along with us along with nearly 400 walkers. Aaron shares his big smile with everyone.

Sarah- How about your Wife, Beth and your children?? Have you gotten Beth to do more "wilderness hiking" with no beds in site??

Jeff- Beth and I hiked the John Muir Trail across the Sierra's of California. She's a regular camper/hiker now. We take the kids camping and hiking every summer and fall. This past summer, we spent two weeks camping in the Shenandoah National Park. Both of our children, Madison-6 and William-3 love hiking. Were all working on a hiking skit together for a wilderness convention. We are going to share tips with other families on hiking with children.

Sarah- Did Ron ever complete the AT trail??

Jeff- Ron completed his AT quest in 2009 in the white mountains. We met up with him to celebrate. Yahoo!!!

Sarah- Do you have any future long hikes planned?? The Continental Divide maybe??

Jeff- I've considered the American Discovery Trail and one day, I would enjoy walking the AT again with my entire family. Raising our children is my current exciting adventure.

I want to extend a big thank you to Jeff for sending me his book, and for letting me talk to him about it!!

He is also being extremely generous by giving one of my readers their very own signed copy of his book.

I know you will love it. Jeff has a great sense of humor that keeps you very interested!!

Entering this giveaway is really easy.

Mandatory Entry-

1. Tell me a goal that you have set, and accomplished!! It can be anything!! (+1 entry)

Extra Entries-

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Jeff's and leave a comment saying thank you and that I sent you! (I will check!) (+1 entry)

2. Visit Jeff's site and sign up for his newsletter. (+1 entry)

3. Grab my BRAND NEW button and tell me where it is (+2 entries)

4. Be an email subscriber of my blog (+2 entries)

5. Follow me on Twitter (+2 entries)

6. Tweet about this giveaway (+1 entry per day)

Example- Walking for Sunshine @SarahsBlogOfFun

7. Blog about this giveaway and leave link in your comments (+5 entries)

8. Vote for me Can be done daily. (+1 entry per day)

That's 16+ possible entries!!!


Giveaway ends on October 19th 2010 at 11:59pm. Open to US and Canada readers only. A valid email address must be in all comments. Winner has 48 hrs to respond or new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway was made possible by Jeff Alt.

* All opinions expressed are 100% my own. I was given a copy of the book to review as compensation thanks to Jeff Alt and Bostick Communications*