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  • The Trail by Ethan Gallogly book cover
  • The Trail by Ethan Gallogly book cover
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The Trail

by Ethan Gallogly

A trek through grief and the High Sierra

$27.00 USD
$45.00 USD $27.00 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist

    Finalist; the source uses the singular award name “Next Generation Indie Book Award.”

  • Editorial selection

    Featured in Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2021

    Featured in Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2021.

  • Critical praise

    Unreservedly recommended by Midwest Book Review

    Described as “Unreservedly recommended.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A trek through grief and the High Sierra

After his father’s death and the loss of his job, Gil reluctantly joins Syd, his father’s former hiking partner, for a month on the John Muir Trail. Gil’s lack of camping experience complicates the undertaking, while the possibility that Syd may not finish the hike adds another dimension to their journey. Set across the High Sierra, the novel combines its fictional trek with trail lore and a backstory about the John Muir Trail’s origins. Maps and sketches accompany the route, linking the narrative to the terrain it traverses. Grief, companionship, and the search for meaning are woven into a story that also draws on the region’s landscapes and hiking culture.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Fiction readers interested in journeys shaped by loss and companionship
  • Hikers and armchair explorers curious about the John Muir Trail and High Sierra
  • Readers who enjoy novels incorporating trail lore, maps, and landscape illustrations

Themes

Grief and lossCompanionshipFinding meaningNature and hiking culture

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A Transformative Journey on the John Muir Trail

Winner of two literary awards and a Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist.

 

Featured in Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2021.

 

"Unreservedly recommended." - Midwest Book Review

 

Set authentically in the High Sierra, The Trail is a moving story showing how nature helps us find what's missing in our lives.

 

The Trail is fused with humor, philosophy, and trail lore. Woven in is a back story detailing the origins of the John Muir Trail: a 211-mile trail spanning the rooftop of the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States.

 

The tale begins with Gil, who in the wake of his father's death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father's old hiking partner Syd on a month-long trek on the John Muir Trail. There's just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike.

 

Former Sierra Club leader Ethan Gallogly takes you on a wild tour across the Range of Light, describing its glorious scenery in vivid detail while introducing you to a diverse cast of characters drawn from his own personal experiences as a hiker.

 

It's a beautifully crafted book, with 43 maps and sketches by acclaimed mountain illustrator Jeremy Ashcroft, showing the topography of each section in clear three-dimensional renderings and peppered with drawings of the trail's iconic scenery, like the Muir Hut, the Rock Monster, and Evolution Lake.

 

Whether you're a hiker, armchair explorer, or someone trying to find what's really meaningful in life-this book is for you.

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

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Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

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