Hike Your Own Hike – Book Review

Francis Tapon: HYOH Book Review.

Available in Hardcore, ebook, and audiobook, ($9.99-24.99).

Francis might come off to some as the classic over achiever.  He speaks over 5 languages, graduated from Harvard Business School, co-founded a successful Silicon Valley company, has hiked the Triple Crown (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail) and has been too over 80 countries.  He also has written books, made movies and plans on visiting every country in the world so he can tell YOU about it.

If you read Francis’ book Hike Your Own Hike as I did you quickly realize he is not an over achiever but one of those special people who are never truly satisfied.  He’s filled with passion and lives life to the fullest.  There’s always something to see, explore or a lesson to be learned if your Francis Tapon.  I should know because I’m a little like him.  What sets us apart is he found the key to doing it for a living.  He’s a thinker and that thinking brought us Hike Your Own Hike.  In this book Francis tells us how to live simply, healthy, and financially through 7 life lessons he learned while hiking the Appalachian Trail.

The book is neither a trail journal, nor a self help book.  It’s a unique mixture of both.  Each chapter is a life lesson everyone can take something from.  Some of its common knowledge but it’s become lost to us in today’s seemingly crazy world.  Through a combination of quizzes, facts, graphs, and various quotes from people like Thoreau, John Muir and other great thinkers/authors Francis in his own witty and humorous way challenges us while also showing us the path to a better life.

The book starts by reminding us that happiness comes from within and one should “Hike your own hike”.  Francis tells us to follow our “fun compass”, make “inflection points” when things aren’t fun.  Life’s issues are broken down into major and minor trails as he mixes hiking terms with everyday life.  Through personal experiences and others he witnesses along the trail Francis is able to see these lessons, learn from them and skillful explain them to the reader using a combination of trail and everyday terminology that anyone can understand.  There particle lessons that can be easily applied to anyone’s life.

The seven life lessons are:

1. Hike Your Own Hike.
2. Beware of Summit Fever.
3. Hike with Passion.
4. Learn from Trail Lore.
5. Eat Well, Walk Hard, and Sleep Soundly.
6. Perform Trail Magic.
7. The Hike is Too Important to Take Seriously.

The first four build on each other and focus on how to live your life how you want to.  The fifth lesson teaches you how to take care of yourself so you have the mind and body to apply the first four.  Lesson 6 is about giving to others as a means to your own happiness and well being.  The last lesson reminds us to not take ourselves or life too seriously.  Learn how to laugh and how to make good decisions that will keep you hiking your own hike and balance in your life.

I didn’t see eye to eye with all connections Francis makes between hiking and real life but that’s okay because I’m “hiking my own hike”.  If you truly have questions about where you’re going in life or just want to become a more well rounded individual then read this book.  It’s a book you can read more than once and I bet you will.  Francis has put himself in a very small group living his life as this book explains.  He’s the guy everyone sees and thinks, “I wish I could live like him!”.  Then they dismiss the idea and move on with their life.  A life that is not what they want it to be. (They decide to take the blue pill, while Francis took the red one).  If they were to read this book they would see they could live like him.  Read it, practice it, live free.

For more on this amazing book you can checkout these links:

Francistapon.com

Youtube