Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters

Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable CharactersAuthor Winton Porter had succeeded nicely in the outdoor retail business. His family liked living where his work took him Atlanta, Chicago, Salt Lake City. He did not open the door to strangers at midnight. He wore clean clothes every day. He did not eat Snickers bars for breakfast. But like many people, he stared out the window a lot, wanting something different. So that's why he cashed in his 401k and ransacked his bank account to become a backpack

Author Winton Porter had succeeded nicely in the outdoor retail business. His family liked living where his work took him--Atlanta, Chicago, Salt Lake City. He did not open the door to strangers at midnight. He wore clean clothes every day. He did not eat Snickers bars for breakfast. But like many people, he stared out the window a lot, wanting something different.

So that's why he cashed in his 401k and ransacked his bank account to become a backpack-purging, tent-selling, hostel-running, first-aid-dispensing, lost-kid finding, argument-settling, romance-fixing, chili-making shopkeeper deep in the Georgia woods, smack on the Appalachian Trail.

With humor and grace, Porter captures the daily reality show of his family's new life at the store--Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi. Among the parade of people who are Just Passin' Thru, some show up once and others appear again and again. Either way, the author masterfully introduces all of them to you in the pages of this remarkable book.

• "This book is gonna fly, dear friend, it's gonna fly "--M. J. "Nimblewill Nomad" Eberhardt, author of Ten Million Steps
• "Winton Porter is one real character recounting many other real characters. That's the true Appalachian Trail conversation, but he is a classic country storyteller. In his words you also get the sounds, the smells, and the scenes--smoothly crafted to get under your skin."--Brian B. King, Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• "I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. It's funny, poignant, inspiring."--Janece Shaffer, Atlanta Playwright

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
Published: 12/01/2009
ISBN: 9780897328494
Pages: 248
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.58h x 5.72w x 0.53d
Award: National Outdoor Book Awards - Honorable Mention