"Hiking Alabama" 4th Edition Underway

Finally, research for the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama" Falcon Books) is underway and I'm really excited. The first edition was released in 2001 by a small publisher out of Virginia, Beachway Press. Back then there were some established trails in the state but many more were simply bushwhacking through the woods. Today, thanks to Alabama’s Forever Wild, ADECA, the Nature Conservancy, and the MANY non-profit conservation and trail building groups throughout the state, Alabama has become a major hiking destination with hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails leading you to some of the most beautiful landscapes you can find anywhere in the country.

Editions two and three of the book were simple updates. I was asked to only update existing trails and maybe add one or two. But now, a full-fledged re-write is underway and let me tell you, this time around it's difficult, not because the trails are difficult to hike but because there are so many. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of established hiking trails traverse the state leading us to waterfalls, canyons, beaches, black water rivers, swamps, rock shelters, and more.

I originally planned out a schedule of the trips I would take, planning every weekend that I would be on the trail between the day I signed the contract and my deadline, grouping trips together as much as possible. That schedule was quickly thrown out the window. Every weekend I find somewhere new and more interesting to visit.  

I'll keep you posted on my whereabouts and the writing process as I wing my way to the July deadline.

By the way, for those of you who have been asking, this new edition will be in color - color photos and maps.