WELCOME, READERS!
For access to complete maps and photos of the journey, please CLICK HERE. (The password is my preferred brand of forearm crutches, mentioned often in the book: eight letters, all lower case.)
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CRITICAL PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“An engaging, occasionally poignant trail memoir and reflection on overcoming personal challenges. Kirkpatrick is a skilled writer whose storytelling effectively blends a childlike awe of nature’s beauty with honest personal insights and an appropriate touch of dry humor.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A ruggedly inspiring memoir and a love letter to the American wilderness. Peppered with poignant reflections on his past adventures and the seminal milestones that led him to such a towering goal, the passionate writing reflects an uplifting degree of resilience that keeps one turning the pages. Unique among memoirs by thru-hikers, the book will be particularly relatable and encouraging to those who may not be in peak physical shape, yet still feel drawn to a new monumental challenge. Accessible and unapologetic, this humbly heroic read is a refreshing testament to the road, or trail, less traveled.” —Self Publishing Review
WHAT READERS SAY
“…a deeply moving and honest story.”
“…poignant, meaningful, and uplifting. It brought tears and deep emotions…”
“…amazed. I’ve never been an outdoor person, but you’ve managed to draw me in. It just keeps getting better and better…. “
“…excellent read – captivating and inspiring. I had a difficult time putting it down…”
“…so moving and well written. …all the elements of a great memoir. Loved the pacing, the insights of nature and life, the people you met along the way.”
“…such beauty, such eloquent descriptions, such clarity and emotion, that I’m completely captivated. The juxtaposition of scary and abject joy…”
“The vulnerability is raw, and exceptional. Although I’ve never been in that exact place, I can feel what you are feeling.”
“…your descriptive prose is often breathtaking. I love reading your adventures. It’s inspirational.”
“…loved the journey. You have combined the complex beauty of the natural world with the complex beauty of humanity.”
MEDIA
Earn & Invest: Darrow Kirkpatrick’s Not So Simple Path
A Modern Author’s Toolkit: Lessons Learned from Writing a Nonfiction Book
Beyond Male Ego on the Colorado Trail
Exploring the Colorado Trail with Darrow Kirkpatrick
Reached FIRE At 50: And Here’s Why He Still Keeps Climbing: Darrow Kirkpatrick
What’s NXT 24 w/Guest Darrow Kirkpatrick
How to Journey Beyond Fear with Darrow Kirkpatrick
Story
I hiked the rugged 500-mile Colorado Trail on crutches. My resulting memoir is a tale of life and personalities along the trail, backdropped by the incomparable but stricken environment of the Rocky Mountains. The backstory traces my climbing adventures on the big walls of Yosemite Valley, my battles with physical injury and mental illness, and my preparations for a section hike spanning six years. The book weaves outdoor adventure with themes of physical disability, mental illness, family relationships, environmental stress, and spiritual search.
At Philmont Scout Ranch as a boy I’m hypothermic but fall in love with the Rocky Mountains anyway. I dream of completing a long-distance hiking trail to prove I’m at home in the wilderness. As an adult I sacrifice that dream to raising a family and managing software development at a high-pressure startup. Then a nervous breakdown derails my career. With the support of family and a Buddhist teacher, I recover after a year-long sabbatical. Working again, I reach financial independence and retire to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the southern Rockies. At last, I can pursue my hiking dream. I choose the Colorado Trail because of its proximity, beauty, and rugged challenge.
But an ankle injury flares up and delays my preparations. Then I injure a hamstring. That trauma grows into disabling neuroprotective pain in my back and legs. Anxiety returns and panic attacks threaten. I lose another year. Then an intuitive physical therapist shows me how to overcome chronic pain. And a compassionate doctor urges me to start hiking with forearm crutches. After a year of training, I’m at last ready for the Colorado Trail.
When a furious mountain creek grabs a crutch tip and I’m nearly pulled off a log into the maelstrom, I’m reminded that a miscalculation in the backcountry could mean serious injury or death. My endurance is tested when I must hike nineteen miles through the night to reach a safe camp. The ultimate test comes when I’m separated from my partner in high winds above 12,000 feet and must face the night alone in freezing conditions. But abandoning the trail would mean losing a dream forever.
The Colorado Trail
THANK YOU, READERS!
For access to complete maps and photos of the journey, please CLICK HERE. (The password is my preferred brand of forearm crutches, mentioned often in the book: eight letters, all lower case.)
Trail Memoir 
3 responses to “My Memoir – Two Sticks, One Path: A Journey Beyond Fear on the Colorado Trail”
Looks like a good book for my husband to read as he has similar dreams :). Chronic pain is awful. I sure hope you found some relief.
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I read the first beta cycle and loved it. I strongly agree with the post that you can feel what this writer is saying and feeling. So much of it feels so real I feel I can touch some of the places and flowers and I loved learning about hiking and the lingo that hikers use, I thought it was really fun to learn about this new experience. I also feel that this writer is like an olympic athlete, overcoming many obstacles to achieve his goal, it is very inspiring to me.
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