Walking with Awareness

In this memoir, a father and his daughter, the latter wrestling with drug addiction, hike the Appalachian Trail together in search of clarity and peace.

Shuttle and Bell decided to travel along the Appalachian Trail for several weeks, equipped with little more than “fifteen pounds of dried bomb shelter food.” Neither was an experienced hiker or camper, but both were looking for the tranquility that sometimes only nature can provide—a sense of solace that the authors affectingly portray. Bell had spent the last four years in and out of rehabilitation facilities, but she’d relapsed again, and she was also reeling from the death of a close friend who died from an overdose. Shuttle’s life had been chaotic, as well; aside from his daughter’s difficulties, his son had serious cognitive issues, and his other daughter battled chronic mental illness. As they write of exploring the trail, Shuttle shares his philosophical view of life: Death and decision are the only absolutes of experience, he asserts, and one can take responsibility for one’s own choices, outsource them to others, or cling to ephemeral possessions: “We search high and low for answers, climbing mountains, hiking trails, reading books and seeking gurus. But almost always the answers are right in front of our eyes. Yet we look right through them. We look, but we do not see.” Readers may agree with much of this counsel, but many will find that it reflects wisdom that one can easily find in self-help books. The real power of the memoir is its deeply moving portrait of the pains of a chaotic existence, and the balm of managing those challenges with a loved one. As such, this is a book that is simultaneously inspiring and consoling, and it’s likely to especially appeal to readers who feel overwhelmed by the demands of domestic existence.

An unflinching and often affecting exploration of family life.