Crossing Arizona: A Solo Hike Through the Sky Islands and Deserts of the Arizona Trail

I've almost finished reading to the end, and have been transported onto the trail in this book. I've found this book to be extremely relevant and interesting account of Chris's walk along the Arizona Trail. I've learned some valuable facts about the trail, and what to expect. I've been using a few of the National Geographic maps to follow along while I read, and to locate the geographic points he refers to in the writing.Water is a prime concern on this hike, especially in the southern regions. The one thing I haven't been able to find is reference to any dates that would reveal the time of year he began his hike. It would help place the time of year and the availability of water during this time of year. I see no reason to give anything but a top rating to this book, I just love it!

I bought this book because I am (someday) going to do this hike. What a great adventure! Reading this book has made me put it a little higher on the "to do" list. Chris Townsend did a great job telling his story. It has not only been educational but a very enjoyable read that I highly recommend to any avid hiker.

This is a journal, not a 'how to' book, and as that is quite enjoyable. Only caveat is he's from a cooler climate than Arizona so is struggling in heat where we Arizonians are just getting started. A great read and very inspirational. Not only for those thinking about long hiking trips.

Well written with all the right detail. I'm too old to do the entire trail, but since reading this fun tale, I continue to do day hikes on more and more pieces of this great trail.

My husband is really enjoying this book

Honestly made me long for a through hike across Arizona. Well written, entertaining and informative. I could not ask for more.

I bought this book in Arizona. I traveled there from the east coast to do some desert day hikes. I have not backpacked much since my college days about thirty years ago, when I probably logged about 1000 miles.I enjoyed this book because the love Townsend has with the wild, and the connection he makes with the natural world in which he has immersed himself. If one does not appreciate that connection this book probably is not for them. The rhythm of the days, the logistics of the trip, and survival in an unforgiving environment are also of interest.

Like most tourists, Chris Townsend loves modern conveniences that make his life easier but detests similar amenities when they clash with what he considers should be an untouched wilderness experience. He lives in Scotland, and thus came to Arizona with the typical Brit attitude of "Look at how you colonials managed to muck everything up since we left." He's full of complaints about Americans who don't appreciate the wilderness, ignoring the fact that even the worst of Americans aren't as bad as the "horrible families" of Britain who consider it sporting to steal cars for a lark and then burn them out of pure meanness. These writers are boring, and Townsend's rants paint him as an insufferable toff. Sadly, he doesn't seem to appreciate the desert or forests in the same manner as writers such as Joseph Wood Krutch or even Zane Grey. He doesn't appreciate that we live in a messy modern world, with only a few gems of wilderness left. For example: Townsend cites efforts in the 1960s to dam the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon itself, and the noble efforts to stop it. Excellent. He ignores the alternative that was built with the connivance of the people who stopped the dam -- one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the nation which spews its pollution over tens of thousands of square miles of the Southwest. He also thinks Lake Powell should be drained. Maybe it's time to tear down the Forth Bridge as "unnatural." His arrogant rants are the equivalent of a Yankee tourist recommending Hadrian's Wall be torn down to restore the natural landscape. Of course, much of it HAS been torn down -- a look at any farmer's barns within a few miles of the wall shows how those Roman building stones were re-used. Anyone who's hiked off a trail knows there's no "untouched" landscape left. And, if you're going to stick to the trail -- this book is about hiking The Arizona Trail -- then you're in man-made country. Like all too many wilderness advocates, Townsend fails to appreciate the natural world for what now exists. It's like building a replica of a wooden ship; no matter how authentic you make it, it isn't the original. In some cases, it's better than the original. Likewise, the Arizona of today is not the Arizona of a century ago, nor five centuries ago. In some ways, it's better. Britain is filled with almost 60 million people like Townsend; all whinges, moans and complaints but never the initiative to do anything. Anyone with energy and ambition emigrates, which is why Australia is such a dynamic place. Those who stay home find fault with everything, and particularly with anyone who had the energy to leave. In brief, the book is the first of its kind so it's the finest yet available. Anyone who plans to do any extensive hiking in Arizona should read it. It contains enough Arizona details to be valuable, enough hiking information to be useful, enough rants to please the beads and Birkenstocks crowd, but far from enough cactus hugging to satisfy a desert rat. But then, how many readers are likely to be desert rats? Buy it, it's more interesting than those which haven't been published. It's not the type of book to take on a desert hike, but it's a good read before such a walk. Someday, an even better book may be written about The Arizona Trail, but if you plan on waiting that long the trail may be paved by then.

If you love backpacking buy this book, you will not regret it. A beautifully written and inspiring read that just leaves you itching to get away. Seriously, if you don't enjoy it I'll eat my hat!