I was just poking around Google.com and found this nice comment about the book from Steve, in Dublin, Ohio. Steve is a ham radio operator, and he writes on his blog about the book:
Thanks Steve!
Perhaps the most asked question on the Appalachian Trail is:“Why are you hiking the whole thing?” It is a good question and one that I kept asking myself during the hike.
My relationship with my brother was certainly a strong inspiration, but there we other influences at play as well. My love of the outdoors, accomplishing something that I didn’t really think I could do, and a fondness for meeting interesting people were all factors.
It certainly wasn’t my first visit to Appalachia, over the years I had motorcycled or bicycled through much of it. However, walking the trail has no parallel. Moving quickly on a motorized vehicle, or even swiftly on a bicycle does not present an opportunity to actually stop and talk with someone face-to-face. Walking means more than just a possible hand wave, it can mean a hand-shake and personal contact.
Long periods of solitude in the forest can loosen up the tightest lips and before long talking to perfect strangers seems pleasingly natural. Except for the moments of sheer terror in the book, most of the time is spent lost in thought or; I hesitantly admit, talking to myself. Of course there were times when I was hiking with others and engaging conversation would ensue, but as a rule, I was alone.
Walking along a forest path offers so much more solitude than even the most solitary street. Signs are rare and other than the path itself and any blazes marking the way, there is almost no sign of humanity. Deep thoughts creep into one’s mind; memories of things long forgotten come to the forefront. How does the brain do that? An image or thought that hasn’t fired a neuron in fifty years will all of a sudden dominate the mental conversation. I found that so amazing, time and again.
In this age of fast-paced, instant communications, it was so cathartic to be removed from that and find myself engaged in conversations in my own mind and with those that I met along the way. Take a walk in the woods,I highly recommend it. You may not find the answer to why you’re taking the walk but you may find that it is the journey that matters, and not the destination.
Yesterday, 3 March, Jane and I visited the Orlando, Florida Amateur Radio Club. I was invited to give a slide presentation on my hike of the Appalachian Trail. The club’s members were an enthusiastic and enjoyable audience and I think we all had a great time. I concluded that I have way too many slides and information to cram into a short presentation time, and I’ll have to work on that for future presentations.
How does one cram six months into forty minutes? It isn’t easy. Fortunately, a number of members did pick up a copy of the book and will be able to get the “whole story” at their leisure. One fellow, Dan, not only bought a copy of the book, he won the door prize, which was also a copy of the book, but I have to admit, he didn’t look disappointed.
Thanks to Diana, “Walky Talky” and others that are leaving comments here and on Amazon.com. I can’t begin to tell you how it pleases me to see readers enjoying themselves with this story.
Dennis “K1” Blanchard
It’s been hectic since the book has gone “live’ for sale. To those of you that have already placed orders: thank you! Hopefully, when you get the book and have a chance to read it, you’ll post comments here. I can’t begin to tell you how much work this has been and if you enjoy reading it and get something out of it, then I’ll feel I’ve accomplished my goals.
The web site has had some improvements. The photos page now has 160 photos. The order of the photos approximately follows the chapters of the book, so if you see something in the book that looks interesting, you can probably find the color version of it on the web site.
The photo quality of a black and white photo in standard book print is very low quality; higher than newspaper, but certainly not like a coffee table photo book. This is one of the trade-offs of trying to keep a book’s costs down and still come up with reasonable quality. Unfortunately, when I was completing the hike, it never dawned on me it would be a book. If there is a life’s lesson there, it would be: always keep good records and take high quality photos. During most of the hike I had the camera set for medium grade photos. I assumed I would be putting them on the web, but didn’t consider that most publishers want at least 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch) photos. In some cases I had to convert the images to achieve 300 DPI, but something gets lost in the translation.
It’s 2 am, time to get some sleep. Once again, thanks.
Dennis, “K1” Blanchard
I suspect many are unfamiliar with hiking or hiking on the Appalachian Trail and may wonder about the title. First, let me define a Zero Day.
On the Appalachian Trail, whenever hikers take a day off from hiking, they hike “zero” miles. This has evolved into defining that day off from hiking as a “Zero Day”; hence the title: THREE HUNDRED ZEROES.
The book went on sale today, 21 February, 2010. This is my first adventure in the world of self-publishing. Please bear with me as I feel my way and make all the mistakes a newbie to this world makes.
Check out the web site for the book at: ThreeHundredZeroes.com, If it entices you, you can order the book on a secure site at the eStore:
https://www.createspace.com/3428889
At some point along the way I’ll discuss what it takes to self-publish a book, I think you’ll find it interesting.
Feel free to comment on things. I do listen to well-placed suggestions. Comments show up in the right-sidebar.
Thanks
Dennis R. Blanchard
Welcome to the Three Hundred Zeroes blog.