TRAIL MAGIC (Brolga Publishing)

Going Walkabout for 2,184 Miles on the Appalachian Trail

Trevelyan Quest Edwards Hazel Edwards

Occasionally I read one of Trevelyan Edwards blogs when he was cycling through Ireland and on to Istanbul , and later walking The Appalachian Trail. But it wasnt until I read Cycling Solo followed by Trail Magic that I gained a true sense of his achievement in completing these journeys.

Trevelyan has a dry sense of humour and his observations are not of the usual travel article' kind:
Southern hospitality is real and people are friendly and gregarious once you show you arent a threat (and dont carry a gun).

We share his joy at the kindness of strangers the Trail Magic of an offer of a lift to town or the occasional meal provided to walkers by individuals and organisations along the way.

Trevelyans tendency to understate, rather than dwell on the enormous challenges he faced, meant it came as something of a surprise when we later read that he contemplated not completing the five month walk, but we cheer when we learn he did..

The Appendices offer some valuable advice for anyone considering tackling The Trail, whether it be those contemplating walking thru, those who are restricted by time and wish to consider doing just one or a couple of sections and even the fit retiree.

Trevelyan, or Trev, as he is known to his family and friends, is the son of well known writer, Hazel Edwards. When he returned from his travels they worked together on this combination of his blogs and memories. The result

makes both books a great read for young men and women who would like to have an adventure and those who are older who wished they had.

Pauline Luke

Writer

In 2012, Trevelyan Edwards walked the Appalachian Trail (running more than 3,500km along the eastern seaboard of the United States), which is a bit like waking up in Melbourne and deciding to walk to Jardine National Park in the northern tip of Queensland. Along the way, he discovers that nobody uses their real names any more, the food you carry is best measured by calories to the gram, and a thing called 'trail magic' exists.

This novel is formed from a series of blog posts and emails sent home to friends and families, and it has the kind of moreish quality that anyone who's ever fallen for a blog will know. Because Trevelyan was relying on sparse public computer access, there are some gaps in the trail narrative, and if he ever does something this crazy again, I'd highly recommend that a 500 gram tablet would be a worthwhile weight for him to carry. His relaxed writing style is highly readable and I found myself wanting more. But the length is perfect for a younger reader who likes orienteering, hiking and the outdoors.

Really enjoyable, readable book about an Australian man walking the Appalachian Trail in 2012. It was a compelling look into what it takes to do such a remarkable journeyit took the author about six months, an impressive and difficult feat. The culture of the trail was really interesting, such as Trail names and how the communities and towns located along the trails interacted with the hikers. The food stalls that church groups and former hikers set up were particularly remarkable, with the idea of paying back past kindnesses or trail magic. Late in the book, he talks about being relatively close250 miles out of a 2184 mile journeyand not feeling particularly invested in finishing. (Spoiler alert: he finishes anyway.) Its one of those moments that made the book for me: the difficult moments when we want to quit a big project are always some of the hardest to overcome.