Co-founder of HIKE for Mental Health Tom Kennedy has read just about every book he can find about the Appalachian Trail. Here he shares some of his favorites.

1. The Barefoot Sisters – Southbound – An Adventure on the Appalachian Trail, by Lucy and Susan Letcher
• By far one of the two best books I have read about hiking on the AT. If you are only going to read one book, make it this one. You will not be disappointed.
2. The Barefoot Sisters Walking Home – Adventures on the Appalachian Trail, by Lucy and Susan Letcher
• When I began reading these books I finished Southbound and immediately started reading this second one. Then when I finished Walking Home, I picked up Southbound and read that again.  When I was done with that, I again read Walking Home. I really like these books.
3. Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail, by Jennifer Pharr Davis
• The story of Jennifer Phar Davis’s first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, before she set the speed thru-hiking record in 2011 and was named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for 2012. A great book by a cool person.
4. Walking with Spring, by Earl V. Shaffer
• A tremendous book by the first person to thru-hike the entire AT.
5. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by David Miller
• A great read by a very funny guy.
6. How to Hike the A.T.: The Nitty-Gritty Details of a Long-Distance Trek, by Michelle Ray
7. Appalachian Trials, by Zach Davis
• A psychological and emotional guide to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.