Going It Alone: Ramblings and Reflections from the Trail

Join author Tim Hauserman on his solo journeys through the Sierra Nevada and the forests of Minnesota. Hauserman shares his experiences hiking by himself through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the United States. Along the way, he confronts his conflicting desires to be alone in the wilderness, then facing profound loneliness and fear once he is there. In a single instant, he goes from enjoying a shimmering mountain lake to being petrified by the sound of a bear crunching through sticks right next to his tent.

Hauserman hikes the John Muir Trail through rainstorms and challenging climbs, explores the Tahoe Rim Trail on a fourteen-day excursion, and travels to Minnesota to conquer the Superior Hiking Trail, where he is inundated with bugs, faces drought, and is eerily alone on the trail with not a single other hiker in sight for days. Going It Alone combines his self-deprecating humor, what he identifies as "Stupid Tim Tricks," and delightful descriptions of the natural surroundings.

Some might describe the wilderness as the middle of nowhere or as nothingness, but for Hauserman, it is everything. While his love for nature remains undaunted through these experiences, he also discovers that he has overly high expectations for his capabilities and that he cannot just wish his loneliness away. He eventually discovers that his long walks in the woods are less about hiking and more about learning how he wants to live his life.

Author: Tim Hauserman
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Published: 08/02/2022
Pages: 156
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.47lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.57w x 0.39d
ISBN13: 9781647790653
ISBN10: 1647790654
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | General
- Nature | Essays
- Travel | Essays & Travelogues

About the Author
Tim Hauserman is a freelance writer and long-term resident of Lake Tahoe. He has written hundreds of articles for numerous publications on travel, outdoor recreation, housing, education, wildfire, and a variety of other topics. Hauserman is the author of Monsters in the Woods: Backpacking with Children; Tahoe Rim Trail: The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians, 4th Edition; and Cross-Country Skiing in the Sierra Nevada: The Best Resorts & Touring Centers in California & Nevada.