With no plans to hike the John Muir Trail ever again, I put away my gear and the “how to” books and decided that if I couldn’t hike the JMT, I would experience it vicariously. I searched the library and bookstores for books about other people’s experience on the trail. I found a biography by Gene Rose entitled “High Odyssey.” It tells the story of Orland Bartholomew, who in 1928, was the first person to travel from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite in the winter. His journey closely followed the John Muir Trail, which wasn’t officially completed until 1938. I read narratives written by people who hiked the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. I read wild and inspiring stories of climbing high mountains in faraway places. And in the process of reading, I learned something that a "how to" book could never teach me. I learned that pain, cold or hunger, feeling tired or lonely, fear and sometimes even danger are all normal parts of the experience. I learned that part of the joy of backpacking is experiencing and overcoming the challenges that come with it. And so, with a quiet determination and new attitude, I set out the next summer to hike the John Muir Trail. I am pleased to report I completed the trail in 13 days and my life was never the same. Today I have over 100 books in my mountaineering library...very few are “how to” books.