Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail

From comedian Sally Chaffin Brooks comes a memoir about the thing she can’t seem to shut up about-- her life changing thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

25-year-old Sally has no reason to upend her comfortable, conventional life to spend 5 months hiking the Appalachian Trail; no reason except that her charismatic best friend, Erin, asked her to come along. A woefully out-of-shape Sally quickly realizes she may not actually be prepared for the realities of thru-hiking-- brutal weather, wrong turns, and painful blisters have her wanting to quit almost as soon as she starts. But out of loyalty to Erin, or maybe the sinking realization that her life needed upending, Sally sticks it out. As she and Erin trek from Georgia to Maine, they collect a ragtag band of hikers and together stumble from one hilarious (and sometimes scary) predicament to another. By the time she reaches Maine-- accompanied by Erin, their crew, and a guy she’s maybe (definitely) falling in love with-- readers will cheer for the stronger, more self-assured Sally that has emerged and wish they could start the laugh-out-loud, life-affirming adventure all over again.

Sally Chaffin Brooks is a writer, stand-up comedian, and podcaster. A reformed lawyer, Sally has released two chart-topping comedy albums (Brooks Was Here, Street Bird) and co-hosts the comedy podcasts The Ridiculist and Dumb Love. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son, and heads to the mountains as often as possible. Going to Maine is her first book.