
Only When I Step on It
One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike the Appalachian Trail Alone
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Narrated by:
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Peter E. Conti
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By:
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Peter E. Conti
About this listen
What if you could experience the thrill of an epic voyage through insurmountable obstacles without leaving the comfort of your own home?
It was 23 months after his accident, and Peter was still dealing with constant excruciating pain. He'd seen dozens of doctors and tried a myriad of medications, but nothing seemed to work. Faced with the impossible choice of suffering through the rest of his life, he had an unlikely epiphany, "If I could somehow hike 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, then my leg will have to be better."
He set a starting date three weeks out, cobbled together a novice's pack, and set off on a journey destined to change his life forever—though not exactly how he had envisioned it. From the bleakest breakdowns to hilarious adventures, Peter's story is equal parts entertaining, enthralling, and enlightening. Join him on the trail, one step in front of the other, as he searches for some way to heal his body and soul while struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, and depression.
Can listening to this audiobook really change your life?
- Discover how to overcome insurmountable obstacles one step at a time.
- Experience the joy and freedom of hiking the Appalachian Trail (while wrapped up in a blanket at home).
- Get a boost for your body and soul as you laugh your way through his hilarious antics and adventures.
- Enjoy the relief you experience as you walk with the author while escaping from your day to day concerns.
If you've enjoyed best-selling memoirs and biographies by authors like Cheryl Strayed, Bill Bryson, and Grandma Gatewood, then you'll enjoy this inspiring memoir about hiking the Appalachian Trail. If you're struggling to find hope and healing after trauma, you'll find encouragement to get back up. You might even find the courage to give solo travel a try yourself. Scroll up to buy this audiobook now!
©2021 Peter E. Conti (P)2022 Peter E. ContiListeners also enjoyed...
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Good Story
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Overall
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Performance
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If you are planning on (or just thinking about) hiking the Appalachian Trail, this book is for you. Planning an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is overwhelming. I know. I spent months researching every question I could think of before starting the six-month journey. Even after all of that research, there were countless mistakes I made. This book is everything I wish I would have known before starting. Inside is a step-by-step guide to efficiently plan for a successful thru-hike. Complete with personal tips and experiences.
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Overall
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Performance
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Just read WILD again.
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Story
From comedian Sally Chaffin Brooks comes a memoir about the thing she can't seem to shut up about— her life changing thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. 25-year-old Sally has no reason to upend her comfortable, conventional life to spend 5 months hiking the Appalachian Trail; no reason except that her charismatic best friend, Erin, asked her to come along. A woefully out-of-shape Sally quickly realizes she may not actually be prepared for the realities of thru-hiking— brutal weather, wrong turns, and painful blisters have her wanting to quit almost as soon as she starts.
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Must read for trail memoir lovers and everyone else
- By Christian Baer on 04-13-25
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The Trail
- A Novel
- By: Ethan Gallogly
- Narrated by: Jake Hunsbusher
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The Trail is a moving story of how nature helps us find what’s missing in our lives. The tale begins with Gil, who in the wake of his father’s death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father’s old hiking partner Syd on a month-long trek on the John Muir Trail. There’s just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike.
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Audible version - excellent!
- By JocelynF on 02-24-22
By: Ethan Gallogly
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How the Wild Effect Turned Me into a Hiker at 69: An Appalachian Trail Adventure
- By: Jane E. Congdon
- Narrated by: Andrea Gappmayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a terrific audiobook. It's interesting, well-written, and timely. It's the story of a textbook editor who retires, reads the popular book The Wild Effect and decides to hike the Appalachian Trail - and have an unexpected adventure! The tone is wry humor, tongue in cheek - the author has a great sense of humor, is perky, and as she learns in this adventure, is often in over her head! She is a very likeable character.
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Appalachian Trail ...personal memoirs
- By Sandy Grandma on 07-23-18
By: Jane E. Congdon
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Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart
- An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Carrot Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Carrot Quinn fears that she's become addicted to the Internet. The city makes her numb, and she's having trouble connecting with others. In a desperate move, she breaks away from everything to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be her first long-distance hike.
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Like an infinity of switchbacks...it just never ended
- By Anonymous User on 12-20-17
By: Carrot Quinn
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Lost on Purpose
- The Adventures of a 21st Century Mountain Man, Book 1
- By: Patrick Taylor
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Lost on Purpose is the nonfiction adventure narrative of a former technology executive who took leave of the real world to reinvent himself as a 21st-century mountain man. In October-November 2013, Patrick Taylor crossed the Rocky Mountains alone on foot. He passed through one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 to reach and retrace the route of Lewis and Clark in the winter. The sacrifices - vocationally, financially, emotionally - are measured against the benefits by the author in a refreshingly honest, humorous, and inspirational fashion.
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get lost, in this story!
- By Chris on 11-27-22
By: Patrick Taylor
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Balancing on Blue
- By: Keith Foskett
- Narrated by: Adam Stubbs
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Keith Foskett’s dream of escape started with a single step. When the long-distance hiker chose to backpack all 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail, he left ordinary life behind for five months. Enduring an incredible test of physical and psychological strength, Foskett was pushed to his limits....
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Another great adventure!
- By Jim Lewis on 02-20-21
By: Keith Foskett
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Where's the Next Shelter?
- By: Gary Sizer
- Narrated by: Gary Sizer
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Where's the Next Shelter? is the true story of three travelers on the Appalachian Trail, a 2,000-mile hike that stretches from Georgia to Maine, told from the perspective of Gary Sizer, a seasoned backpacker and former marine who quickly finds himself humbled by the endeavor. If you long for the horizon or to sleep under the stars, then come along for the hike of a lifetime. All you have to do is take the first step.
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If You Liked AWOL, You'll Like This
- By Rebecca on 06-02-16
By: Gary Sizer
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Alone in Wonderland
- By: Christine Reed
- Narrated by: Christine Reed
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Christine discovered long distance backpacking while surfing the internet at work. She decided that day to attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. One adventure led to another and a few years later she set out on the Wonderland Trail in Mt Rainier National Park. Her Rugged Outdoors Woman persona started as a joke, a nod to the outdoor adventurer that she wished to be. But in the years since, she has come into her own as a backpacker, rock climber, and trail runner. This book is a testament to the decision to name who you want to be and make it so.
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a brutally honest story
- By LZ on 02-19-24
By: Christine Reed
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Grandma Gatewood's Walk
- The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
- By: Ben Montgomery
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than $200. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, atop Maine's Mount Katahdin, she sang the first verse of "America, the Beautiful" and proclaimed, "I said I'll do it, and I've done it."
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Inspiring story about a strong amazing woman
- By David Shear on 12-22-14
By: Ben Montgomery
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Nowhere for Very Long
- The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
- By: Brianna Madia
- Narrated by: Brianna Madia
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life
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not what I thought
- By J. Abrego on 04-16-22
By: Brianna Madia
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Ranger Confidential
- Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Julia Motyka
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The real stories behind the scenery of America’s national parks. For 12 years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
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Depressing from Cover to Cover
- By Drew (@drewsant) on 04-13-15
By: Andrea Lankford
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Free Outside
- A Trek Against Time and Distance
- By: Jeff Garmire
- Narrated by: Jeff Garmire
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A man walked into the woods, destined to spend eight months living in the wild. Exhausted and emotionally ruined living the fast-paced life of a successful young professional, it was all too easy to give up. The challenges came on the adventure of a lifetime. Months in the woods that would provide adversity, healing, and tranquility.
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Great story...hard listen.
- By Jomama on 10-16-20
By: Jeff Garmire
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Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Mexico to Canada
- By: Bruce Nelson
- Narrated by: Bruce "Buck" Nelson
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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One April morning I left the Mexico border and walked north on the Pacific Crest Trail. For five months I hiked through the California desert, the snows of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. My goal was to succeed in an epic challenge: to hike 2,650 miles and reach Canada before the October snows.
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Trail journal published for money...
- By Ronda on 07-04-19
By: Bruce Nelson
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Waking Up on the Appalachian Trail
- A Story of War, Brotherhood, and the Pursuit of Truth
- By: N. B. Hankes
- Narrated by: TJ Clark
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Nate Hankes returned home from his tour in Iraq unable to answer one simple question: Had his mission overseas been honorable? Determined to find clarity and forge a new identity outside of the US Army, Nate, alongside his brother, Ben, a recent college grad delaying his entry into the Great Recession job market, set out to hike the entire length of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail.
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not a trail story...a political opinion piece.
- By Lofton on 08-22-21
By: N. B. Hankes
What listeners say about Only When I Step on It
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- Ruth Zab
- 06-14-24
Perseverance
I appreciated Peter’s story of his injury and how hiking the AT helped improve his physical, mental and emotional health. His story provides inspiration and hope for those of us who would also like to thru-hike the AT but face assorted challenges.
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- Dean
- 08-11-24
Honest and real
I liked how it was easy to relate and see myself taking on an adventure like Peter did. Thank you for the inspiration! I to am in my 50s, suffer from depression, and just life in general. I plan on hiking the AT in hopes I can walk off 40 plus years of pain and anger. This book puts me a step closer and keeps me motivated for such a journey. Thanks again!!
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- Richelle's Music
- 09-13-24
Excellent, Inspiring, Meaningful True Story
I love this book and being part of Peter's journey through it. My copy is audible. I did need to slow down the speed on the narration but that was my only issue. The book is full of inspiring moments, and a true picture of difficulties on the AT. I appreciate the author's transparency and humility when acknowledging poor decision. I have a 18 year old friend trying to overcome injuries in a traumatic car accident. Will definitely share. Thank Peter, for sharing your life, struggles and victories. You have a remarkable outlook on life.
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- S. Williams
- 02-02-25
Inspirational listen
This not my normal type of book to listen to but it was decided to read for my book club. It didn’t take me long to get into this book, I just had to know how it ended. I loved how Peter was brutally honest with his physical, mental and emotional struggles both on the trail and back home. The very end of the book hit me personally in how I feel/handle some aspects of my family which pushed this book to high up on my “really great reads” list.
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- Steve T
- 12-20-23
Amazing Story! I highly recommend!
I am so inspired by Peter’s story. I have spent many days backpacking on the AT and recognize a lot of the places referenced. I have already shared this inspiring story with several of my friends. Every time I think I can’t accomplish something, I will think about what Peter has gone through to come to terms with his situation and reach Katahdin!
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- V. Orner
- 01-24-25
Great Story
Mr. Conti is a brave man, but also humble and honest about his struggles. I enjoyed hearing about his adventures along the AT, some scary and some really quite amusing. There were times I thought he would certainly give up because of his unrelenting pain but his determination to achieve his goal was more about healing himself than making some kind of statement about his achievements, His family must be enormously proud of him.
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- D Williams
- 05-29-22
Inspiring story
This story is well developed, well written and inspirational. A real life, hard fought story of perseverance and accomplishment. I would list as a top 5 or top 3 of the dozens of AT hiking stories I've read or listened to. The only place for improvement is Peter's narration performance. Some missed words and awkward pronunciations are a distraction and the performance is somewhat flat emotionally. All in all a winner that I wanted to keep listening to and was well worth my time.
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2 people found this helpful
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- DamnYankee
- 06-13-23
I started out not liking it…
As an audio book read by the author, a professional public speaker whose voice, if he were present before me, would presumably be much enhanced by an engaging stage presence, Only When I Step On It is an excruciating account of an excruciating experience with excruciating pain. (I selected the audio book since I knew I would be spending as much as 60 hours on long car rides this summer.) Starting with the opening copyright statement I began wishing I had chosen to listen to almost anything else — even AM radio — instead.
Then why did I stay with the book? (And I will add that I’m glad I did.) I’m not especially interested in the Appalachian Trail. The mountain, Katahdin (the northern terminus of the A. T.), is a daily sight from my home in Lincoln, Maine, and from my family’s camp on Ambajejus Lake. I had lived in Katahdin’s nearby town of Millinocket for a quarter century before moving to Lincoln and had met many A.T. hikers. I’ve hiked portions of the A.T. that lie within and approaching Maine’s Baxter State Park. (I’m a Registered Maine Guide and wildlife biologist, so hiking the rest of the A.T. for the “wilderness experience” doesn’t hold any special allure for me.) I’ve read other, more entertaining and more enlightening, accounts of hiking the A.T., so I had no curiosity about that. I have never suffered with chronic pain, and consequently I have no curiosity or sympathy there. So what kept me listening?
Well, I had started a trial with Audible, and this was the first book I had chosen. As Peter Conti began narrating his story I became more interested in the clinical side of chronic pain, and I did begin to empathize with the author. Gradually I came to admire his determination and even felt as though I was cheering him on. I wanted him to do it. I am interested in people, and I have found that everyone has a story. I know that I can learn something useful, something encouraging, something humbling from almost anyone.
In time, as Peter’s experience unfolded, I felt as though I was present with him alone — paying attention perhaps in the way I would if he had cornered me after church when I had somewhere else to go, but also as if a higher power were suggesting that I listen nonetheless. For I understood that he needed to tell it, as difficult as it was for me to stay still and stay attuned, and that my role was to be his audience. It was not a suggestion that I would necessarily be enlightened or entertained, but that I was there so that he did not suffer, alone and ignored, in his pain.
I am the more human for it, the more patient, the more available to others. Sometimes I immerse myself too deeply into my own cares and interests and need to be reminded of my usefulness to the people close to me who live with chronic conditions. Indeed, I could some day land in that space myself.
Peter lamented that he could seldom find anyone to walk with him for long and with whom to share victuals and vistas on the A.T. His therapy lay in writing his story. A tale being told, like a symphony being performed, needs to be heard. This is not like listening to a suite by Tchaikovsky, though. OWISOI is more like the dodecaphonic oeuvres of Schoenberg — which also have their place in the world of music.
I was entertained nonetheless by Peter’s admissions of subterfuge and enlightened by his confessions of understandable emotions on his journey. And, while he did not escape the pain that set him on his course, I was impressed by the wisdom he shared at the end, especially what he called his superpower, summed up in two “A” words. I won’t forget that. And I deeply admire dear Joanna, Peter’s long-suffering wife, for sticking with him from the day of his serious accident to the end of the long hike and beyond. If not for her, Peter neither would have covered over 2,000 miles of the A.T. nor had a story to tell about it. Hats off to you, Joanna! And thank you, Peter, for telling it yourself. We can’t all speak like Ronald Reagan or sing like Elvis. I became familiar with your disembodied voice, friendly, brotherly, and authentic. If, hereafter, I hear that voice coming up behind me somewhere, I will know who it is.
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- Henley
- 09-12-24
Peter's determination
Thank you for choosing your path and sharing your remarkable story! I have only backpacked once in my life at age 60 with 4 lady friends. I loved the year we took training and preparing and I love the memories! I marvel at the daunting task that you achieved.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-22-24
A good different AT story!
I liked seeing his different way of completing the AT, and how he dealt with his pain… I hope to borrow some of these methods for my daughter who is in pain
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