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When I debating what to call the book I considered many options. I asked over a hundred people to vote and these are the results:
When some see the subtitle of my book, "7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America," they might think that I walked from the west coast to the east coast (or vice versa). These same people are surprised that the book is really about walking north to south along the Appalachian Trail. They say, "But that's not 'across' America!" Let's see how the American Heritage Dictionary defines "across": PREPOSITION:
As you can see, nowhere in the definition is the idea of going east to west or left to right. So where do we get this idea that "across" implies an east-west or left-right journey? Crossword puzzles. Perhaps Bingo too. Crossword puzzles refer to left-right words as going "across." So some people just associate "across" with left-to-right movement. Of course, nobody will assume that when you say, "I went across the street," that you are are going east to west. According to the official definition, I used the term correctly - meaning I went from one side of America (the northern side) to the other other (the southern). Granted, the Appalachian Trail doesn't start at the very top of America (it starts in the middle of Maine, on its tallest Mountain, Mt. Katahdin). And yes, the AT doesn't end in the southernmost point either (it ends in northern Georgia). However, it's pretty close. Only the International Appalachian Trail crosses the entire distance from north to south. But few recognize that trail and I didn't hike it anyway. So why not just call the book, "7 Life Lessons from Backpacking the Appalachian Trail"? Because I don't just intend to hike the AT. In 2006 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey that goes from Canada to Mexico via the mountains of Washington, Oregon, and California. And then in 2007 I hope to yo-yo the Continental Divide Trail. After doing these three major trails, known as the Triple Crown, I intend to update my book with a new edition. The update will be minor - perhaps an extra chapter or two summarizing those two other trails. Or sprinkling sidebars throughout the book with anecdotes from the other two adventures. Because I already envisioned these updates, I wanted a subtitle that was generic enough so that it would work not just with the first edition, but with the future editions too. And I didn't want to say, "7 Life Lessons from Backpacking the Triple Crown," because few know what the Triple Crown is. Besides, I hadn't hiked the Triple Crown yet, so I couldn't write such a book! Hence, I stuck with the "7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America." It works for my Appalachian Trail journey, and it will work for the Triple Crown too. I just have to live with the crossword puzzle fans who decry that I didn't really walk across America. Maybe after I do the PCT and CDT they will let me off the hook. Unfortunately, those two trails also go north to south. Therefore, even though I will have walked over 10,000 miles in the USA, some will still say that I never walked across America. To those folks, I say, "Take a hike." |
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