ILL Adventure - Three Hundred Zeroes

This is the first book that I have Interlibrary Loaned and have actually read (others were just tests to try out my library's new updated service). Let the adventure begin!

Photo taken by Dorothy,
The Wielded Pen, 2014

Interlibrary Loan Information
Book: Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart of the Appalachian Trail written by Dennis R. Blanchard

Where Did It Come From: Chippewa River District Library System - Mount Pleasant, MI (Michigan!)

Condition: Near perfect. According to the CRDL catalog, this book has only checked out seventeen times. The pages are white, and you can see the natural wear on the edges of where previous readers put their thumbs. It goes to prove that we all tend to hold our books the same way.


Book Review 
Dennis Blanchard and his brother Tom promised each other that they would hike the Appalachian Trail after their military duty in Vietnam. Fast forward forty years and the adventure was never taken. Tom was killed in action and the rest of Blanchard's life took over. With his wife's encouragement, Blanchard makes true of his promise and as a celebration his 60th birthday he sets out on the trail at Sprinter Mountain in Georgia as a Northbounder - carrying Tom's Purple Heart Medal in a pocket.  Compared to the popular book A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, Blanchard (trail name K1YPP or simply K1) shares stories of encountering and befriending other hikers, his attempts to contact people with a ham radio, seeing all kinds of plant life, animal life and extreme weather, and simply life on the trail as a thru-hiker. Blanchard made it all the way to Virginia before having to return home just in time to be saved with a six-artery heart bypass; however, that did not stop him; as soon as he was able to he was back on the trail and finished at the top of Katahdin in Maine.

The writing started out a little dry (perhaps a side effect after reading Bryson's book), but soon I was drawn into ventures. It was interesting and actually refreshing to learn that Blanchard opted to use a hammock instead of the traditional tent every night. I loved meeting the different hikers and greatly enjoyed it when some would join Blanchard again (New York Minute is one of my favorites). The encounters with wild life, especially with practically every possible snake known on the A.T., would bring me back to reality after day dreaming of wanting to join the hike in real life. A number of photos taken by Blanchard are laced through out the book which adds to the quality and adventure of the book itself (more pictures are available online). I also greatly appreciated how Blanchard shared with the readers insight the hiker's fitness, hunger, and the weight loss while hiking the trail and how he noticed a difference between men and women. It makes me wonder how Bill Bryson and Stephan Katz managed with noodles and Snicker bars.

One true themes of the book was the discovery (or is it more rediscovery) of America immortalized as the Norman Rockwell America. In his hike Blanchard would visit towns and villages to resupply or have a zero day (a non-hiking day) and he would meet Trail Angels who were more than willing to help a hiker in need just because they want to. Reading vignettes of these Trail Angels is extremely inspirational (perhaps, if you cannot hike the A.T. you can instead have the magic of being an angel?!). The inspiring theme is that you should always follow your dreams. Even though it can have underestimated difficulties the smallest things can change your life forever and for the better.

Along with the recommended resources in the back of the book, Blanchard includes his email and web address for site and blog to learn more. If you are interested in Appalachian Trail in general or if you want to hike it in the future - read this book!

Bibliographic Information 
Blanchard, Dennis R. 2010. Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart of the Appalachian Trail. Sarasota, Fla.: Three Hundred Zeroes. ISBN: 9781450557467.

Addition Information 
Recommended Read Alikes
A Walk in the Woods written by Bill Bryson

Recommended Websites 
Three Hundred Zeroes (Dennis Blanchard's website)
Appalachian Trail Conservancy (the ATC preserves and maintains the A.T.)
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (National Park Service website)

Would I Buy It?
I do not say this often, but yes, I would.

Book covered taken from www.goodreads.com, 2014