Only When I Step On It: One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike The Appalachian Trail Alone

The author, Peter, is very upfront and personal with his chronic pain from an accident. Gives those hope that have chronic pain there is a way to overcome the depression and frustrations with pain.Peter tells a heart wrenching story of his struggles and his recovery to being at peace.What an inspiring and great book!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I have read several other books about long distance hiking. I will say that the author's attitude and presentation of his struggles made all the difference in liking this particular rendition of hiking the AT. The book is not a how-to-hike-the-AT guide but is really about ways to persevere under adversity and to get out of your own way, essentially. I personally have daily chronic pain and was feeling down about this prior to reading the book. I feel a little better now after having finished it. I at least have a notion that it could be possible to help myself feel better.The book is well written, very straight forward and specific enough so that you get a good flavor of the AT and how it works. There are even beautiful photos, at least in the KIndle version. The message is very much that big things can happen when you do the little things first; one small step at a time. And there is nothing wrong with that. I highly recommend the book! Thank you Peter!

I've read a lot of books about Appalachian Trail experiences, and I found this one to be one of the most inspiring. It was really a very good story about perseverance and overcoming struggles. I subtracted one star because I think it just needed a little more editing. For example, the name of the shelter near the top of Mount Rogers in Virginia is Thomas ( not Thompson ) Knob. It was a good read.

I enjoyed this story of perseverance through difficult circumstances. Definitely inspiring, and a testament to the indomitable human spirit.

I’m not a hiker, but my daughter is a huge fan of the outdoors and hiking. She is dreaming of a 6 month hike. As a mother it terrifies me because she is going to do it by herself. After reading “Only When I Step On It” I’m not as worried. Peter shares so many details of how the other hikes give you advice and park rangers. The hostels are safe and helpful. I now know about tracking beacons in case she has trouble. I read this book in two days. I loved every minute of it. I love how Peter found his own way of doing the trail. Just like in life there is more than one way to achieve your goal. He thought outside the box to figure how to do it injured and more enjoyable. He is an inspiration to all about not giving up when life gives you a hard curve ball. He shares so many poignant messages about acceptance, true happiness and hope. I especially like how he shared that when we want to make change we expect it happen the next day. Life doesn’t work like that. We then get frustrated and disappointed when it doesn’t happen fast enough. He reminds us to pick a path and work towards your goal and don’t give up. Thank you for sharing your story Peter. Btw, I suffered with through chronic head pain from a dead nerve for 18 months. I can relate to how you felt. All you feel is pain. It robs you of everything. Thankfully, am mostly healed.

I made it through 300 pages and feel like I put in as much effort as the author. I kept slogging it out, thinking it would get better but I’m done. I can see why people have left strong reviews. The guy definitely has some intestinal fortitude. I was an avid marathon runner (18 including Boston three times) and then got Lyme disease and other complications. It’s been a long road back but I’m as fit now as I was 10 years ago when the saga started so I know about overcoming. But this book drones on endlessly about his challenges… A third of what he describes would’ve been more than enough. At times I wanted to give him four stars and at times I wanted to give them one and a half. If you are a serious/regular backpacker, wanting to read a book about adventure on the trail this is probably not for you. But if you want to read a very long tale of a guy overcoming a serious challenge, go for it.

I bought this on a recommendation of a friend. I am also going through a life changing injury that has stopped me from backpacking. This helped me to see that I must think outside of the box. Great book, and I have now purchesed for others.

I am fascinated with learning about the Appalachian Trail so I really enjoyed this book. It was a motivating story. He was able to hike the entire trail despite a very serious prior leg injury and chronic pain. He took his time, broke it into manageable days, and made accommodations that worked for his personal situation. I would have loved to have learned even more details about the experience. I have so many more questions about how to accomplish this journey. I feel like I could sit down with him and interview him for days. I will probably continue to read more books about the Appalachian Trail to learn even more. I truly enjoyed going on the journey with him and was sad to finish the book!

Loved this book, as someone with a disability I can relate with the struggles one goes through. Your grit,determination, and focus is admiring. I hope one day I will complete a thru hike until then I will enjoy reading everyone's journey's.

An inspirational book with plenty of funny and witty bits. It's amazing what someone can achieve with a positive mindset and determination. Many congratulations to Peter for what he has achieved and continues to achieve.

Not the first hiking book I've read about the Appalachian Trail, but certainly the first I've read that's been written by someone with a physical ailment. I'm glad the author took so long to write the book because it tied up loose ends. I enjoyed the descriptions of places and people, and found the photos excellent at conveying the moments he was talking about.

I thought this was a great book for many reasons. I appreciated this fellow's honesty and humor as well as his persistence, resilience, and dogged determination. His story held my interest from the first page to the last page as I hiked the trail with him. The book is a true inspiration for anyone regardless of what problems they are facing. Good stuff:))

Well written story about dealing with pain. Mr Conti engages the reader a draws you into his journey, hiking the Appalachian trail being fully fit is an achievement, doing it with a dodgy leg takes real courage. This is a real life story without any fancy embellishments, with a sprinkling of interesting Trail facts. Throughly enjoyed this.