A Long Way From Nowhere: A Couple's Journey on the Continental Divide Trail. Dieser Artikel ist nicht verfügbar.A Long Way From Nowhere: A Couple's Journey on the Continental Divide Trail

What is it like to hike the length of the Continental Divide Trail? For Matt and Julie, also known as Optimist and Stopwatch, life on the trail meant twenty-seven days without seeing another hiker, six bears encountered within fifteen hours, two sets of maps, a GPS, and a compass to find the trail, and both wildfires and massive flooding to add to the adventure. Hiking the trail also meant a dramatic shift in perspective, a strengthening of love and friendship, and a redefining of the journey. This is the story of the couple's 3,000 mile walk on the Continental Divide Trail, through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Both Optimist and Stopwatch play a role in narrating the story, revealing how differently they both think and act in the face of challenges but also how well they work together to complement each other. Few people know about the Continental Divide Trail and even fewer have hiked the entire length of it, creating an air of mystery surrounding the trail. Optimist and Stopwatch explore the many layers of the trail life on the Continental Divide Trail as they make their way over desolate terrain, eventually finding solace in the very aspects of the trail that made them question their desire to ever take on such a challenge.

Both Ohio natives, Matt and Julie have traveled much of the world together, all the while finding a way to incorporate an adventurous twist. In addition to the Continental Divide Trail, together they have completed the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Colorado Trail (2007, 2011, 2012). When they are not hiking they are usually running, constantly striving to push the boundaries of distance and time from the mile up to 100 miles. Matt is undoubtedly the impetus and ideas guy behind their adventures, while Julie is the logistical mastermind that keeps them both grounded and prepared to take on every adventure. They currently live in Seattle, Washington. To read more about their past, current, and upcoming adventures, as well as to view pictures from all their thru-hikes, visit their website at urbyville.com. Julie’s other works include The Trail Life: How I Loved it, Hated it, and Learned from it, a book about her first long-distance hiking experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail, and Between a Rock and a White Blaze: Searching for Significance on the Appalachian Trail.