Up on Cove Mountain

Adventure, Tragedy, and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail

“An extraordinary portrait of the AT.” Outside

34 years after hiking the Appalachian Trail, Earl Swift returned, haunted by a tragedy that befell two of his fellow hikers .

“A deeply personal meditation on death, aging and nature.” New York Times

“A masterpiece of the trail.” Radical Grammar

A helluva book. John Grisham

In 1990, a youthful Earl Swift backpacked the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia, a transformative experience that colored every aspect of his later life. He emerged from his hike across the rugged, sky-high roof of fourteen eastern states a sharper and more organized thinker, a better problem solver, and a committed outdoorsman.

But he also left the AT with baggage: Early in his odyssey, he spent time with a couple of other southbounders, who were friendly, capable, and doing everything