Hello Friends,
As I continue to reflect over my experience of writing not just my Appalachian Trail story, but the personal stories woven throughout it, I realized it became more than just another hiking book—it became a memoir.
Allow me to share what I mean…
Somewhere along the writing journey, I realized I wasn’t simply recording a hike—I was preserving a life.
About the same time that I began taking writing this book more seriously, I also became fascinated with my own family history. I discovered names, dates, military records, census records, and old photographs. But what I longed for most were the stories.
I wanted to know who these people really were, what they loved, what they feared, what shaped them, and how God worked in their lives. Unfortunately, too often, those stories had been lost with time.
That realization changed the way I approached this trilogy.
I no longer wanted to write only about mountains, shelters, and miles. I wanted to preserve the moments that shaped me—the lessons, the laughter, the fears, the friendships, the unexpected Plan Bs, and the countless ways God faithfully walked beside me.
This memoir became my way of passing those stories forward—not because they are extraordinary, but because I believe ordinary lives lived with faith, curiosity, and perseverance can encourage others long after we’re gone.
If someday a future McKool family member opens these pages and gets to know me a little better, or even who their grandparents or great-grandparents were… or if a complete stranger finds hope in one of these stories… then this memoir has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would.
Writing these stories also became a reminder to me. Every chapter reminded me that God had been faithful before—and that He will be faithful again.
Explore the Facing Fear Through Faith Appalachian Trail memoir trilogy on Amazon.
P.S. Want to see the places that inspired this memoir?
You can view the accompanying Appalachian Trail photo journals here.