A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail

Winner of the 2003 Barbara Savage Miles from Nowhere Award and Winner of the 2004 National Outdoor Book Award

• A blend of romance, humor, and adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
• Written in "he said/she said" alternating chapters, this young couple each tell their own story

They're not sure which came first -- falling in love with each other or falling in love with the idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (the length of California, Oregon, and Washington). At the trailhead, the young couple was warned that there would be tears, that each would have to find their own separate pace, and that at times the tent would seem awfully small for the two of them. They were told that their biggest obstacles to success would be . . . each other.

Their first surprise: freeze-dried meals do funny things to your GI- tract. Their first fight: when Angela noticed that Duffy's long legs propel him along the trail faster than she can muster. But on they pressed -- encountering snakes, bears, and fellow thru-hikers with trail names like Crazy Legs and Catch 23. They baked in the deserts of Southern California, gazed awestruck at the snowy, serrated peaks of the High Sierra, and attempted to hide from Northern Washington's seemingly incessant rain. One hundred thirty two days of Pacific Crest Trail later, they made it -- blisters and all.

Author: Dustin (Duffy) Ballard, Angela Ballard
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Published: 09/19/2003
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 8.96h x 5.88w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9780898869026


Award: National Outdoor Book Awards - Honorable Mention
Award: IndieFab awards - Honorable Mention


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/28/2003 pg. 86
Booklist 09/15/2003 pg. 200

About the Author
Ballard, Dustin (Duffy): - DUFFY BALLARD is in the midst of his residency at UC Davis Medical Center, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an MD and Masters in Bioethics. He assisted his brother, Chris, in researching, writing and editing Hoops Nation (Owl Books, 1998). He has also written several health-related pieces for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Medical Broadcasting Company.Ballard, Angela: - ANGELA WALKER is a freelance writer and currently researcher/writer for a CD-ROM based educational program for women in low-income neighborhoods. She has written for GORP, Men's Health, Philadelphia Inquirer's Philly Tech magazine, Metro Philadelphia, Lacrosse and other publications. Prior to deciding to walk the length of the PCT, her hiking experience had totaled about 11 miles, including a 4-mile round trip on Turkey Mountain-a hike so easy even turkeys can do it, according to Angela.