Release Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-57869-053-4
LCCN: 2021902968
eBook: 978-1-57869-057-2 CLICK HERE to Purchase the eBook.
Booksellers and Libraries: Order Here.

SYNOPSIS

Celia Ryker’s Walking Home: Trail Stories is about more than mud, sweat, and blisters while distance hiking the Long Trail. Reminiscent of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Ryker’s mind wanders as her legs carry her forward, beyond a woodland path, to places and people she thought she had forgotten. Her grandmother’s spirit appears on Mount Baker. A lost cousin waits for her at the bottom of every ladder. Her late father’s words reverberate among the calls of barred owls. There were days when she didn’t see another hiker, but she was never alone. Celia began writing about a difficult hike and ended up writing about the people who inspired her throughout her life. These are her “trail stories.” 

PRAISE

“Reading Walking Home, my astonishment that a woman who had never slept in a tent and had balance issues would undertake an almost 300-mile backpacking trek on one of the toughest trails in North America matured into something deeper: an appreciation that being in touch with nature helps us be in touch with ourselves. I think you’ll enjoy this book. It’s great.”

—D.W. Allen, author of  Dappled Psychiatric

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“If you have ever wanted to become a hiker or a long-distance walker, there is no better way to begin your journey than by joining Celia in Walking Home. On her 59th birthday, after taking stock of her life, she sets her priorities. A lifelong hiker, she decides to join her love of nature with her love of Vermont, where she spends many months of the year. The Long Trail, a grueling 273-mile hike stretching the length of Vermont from Massachusetts to the Canadian border, known as the LT, is waiting for her. 

Celia was a walking child who fearlessly explored woods on her own, a small, self-taught naturalist. Throughout her life she had hiked many trails; but nothing like the one ahead of her.  She admits that she had never owned a backpack nor slept in a tent. She persuades a friend to join her and is delighted when she accepts. There is much to be done. She and Sandy begin their planning, down to the smallest detail. After seven months, they are ready. This is the story of that walk, its struggles and glories. It is also a goldmine of information for anyone willing to take this journey.”

—Felicity Vaughan Swayze, author of War Torn: A Family Story

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“Reaching heights of 4,394 feet at Mount Mansfield, she describes the scenic beauty of the land while also providing practical guidance. Duct tape applied to her walking sticks served as hand grips when walking uphill. She notes the value of putting most of her gear in a sealed plastic pack liner and provides cautionary advice about hypothermia.

A fascinating narrative.”

—Jennifer Belton, former White House Library Director (1978-82)

REVIEWS & IN THE NEWS

WDEV Radio, Vermont Viewpoint with Ric Cengeri, July 30, 2021: Rep. Peter Welch, Dowsing, Lake Memphremagog, “Walking Home”

WCAX Channel 3 News, July 5, 2021: Vt. author’s book on hiking aims to inspire those with health challenges

NewPages, June 23, 2021: Into the Unknown, a review by Anne Richter Arnold.

Steve’s Book Stuff, June 22, 2021: ARC Review: Walking Home: Trail Stories.

My Champlain Valley Local 22/44 News, June 17, 2021: ‘It’s about time to do it’: Memoir recounts woman’s 8-year effort to hike the Long Trail

VIDEOS

MEET THE AUTHOR

Celia Ryker’s first career was training horses, teaching and campaigning students on southeast Michigan’s local hunter jumper circuit. After thirty years she went back to school and switched to gardening and landscape design. When she began distance hiking her husband said, “She got to H in the alphabet and stopped. She went from horses, to horticulture, to hiking.” Beyond all of those, she writes. She has been writing all of her life and is now an author. Her first book Walking Home is a memoir about hiking Vermont’s Long Trail. It is a series of short stories brought together by a difficult hike. Celia and her husband Don live between Vermont and Michigan with their border collie, Flurry. Visit her website, celiaryker.com.