The Story behind the Book: Walks Far Man (Ostdick)
Today's book back story is about Walks Far Man: In Step with History on the Pacific Crest Trail by Jim Ostdick.
From the managing editor of MSI Press
Jim's story is a unique one and an inspiring one. After retiring as a teacher, he rode his bike from coast to coast and put out a book, then a second -- self-published -- about the experience. After that, he was ready for something equally challenging: hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and writing about the experience (and history and geography) of place. '
I met Jim when he started joining discussion sessions at The Literary Center, an outreach activity of MSI Press for the local writing community. He shared his experiences, but, as well, he learned more about the craft of writing for publication. We would have loved to have published Jim's last book, Walks Far Man but he had already self-published it before we knew about it. Nonetheless, we took it in as an affiliated book to help with promotion, something we felt the book fully deserved.
Jim and I had already begun the process of submitting the book for writing awards -- he would definitely have won some -- when a relative in Texas died. Jim traveled there for the funeral, returned home, and disappeared. It turns out he had died upon return, and since he lived alone, it took a day or two for someone to find out.
Jim's brother John contacted me about Jim's book and how to manage it since he had inherited Jim's copyrights. I believe he was rightfully proud of this book in particular and has kept it in print, which should delight future readers. Far from all books are worth the time invested in reading them. This one is.
Jim and my husband Carl, the co-founder and late typesetter for MSI Press, hit it off. Carl had spent his early years as a forester for the US Forest Service, and he and I had spent many hours backpacking the wilderness areas in Montana. Like Jim, at one point, Carl had taken off to hike a long trail, in his case, the Appalachian Trail. They were about the same age, and they died about the same time. Both are missed, but both have left artistic work behind as their legacy.
Book Description
Jim Ostdick is a retired Earth Science teacher and independent author who lives on the ancestral lands of the Amah Mutsun Ohlone near the central California coast.
In Walks Far Man: In Step with History on the Pacific Crest Trail, Ostdick recounts his Pacific Crest Trail hiking experiences in the context of a larger, more vibrant story, thousands of years in the making.
The Pacific Crest Trail in its current state is less than a century old. The land that the trail crosses was once home to bands of strong, inventive humans whose norms and values were strikingly dissimilar to the settlers and armies who vanquished them.
With that in mind, Ostdick’s intentions are threefold:
1) to identify and honor the indigenous tribes who occupied and traveled the lands traversed by today’s Pacific Crest Trail,
2) to draw appreciation and respect for the cultural traditions of these tribes, and
3) to describe, with humor and humility, his 2,650-mile walk from Mexico to Canada.
Ostdick began hiking the Pacific Crest Trail at Campo, California in 2001 and crossed the Canadian border in 2009. As his journey progressed, he began to feel empowered by a gradual synthesis of self, the Earth, the Sun and wind and stars, the raging rivers, the trickling creeks, and the effects of changing elevation. In certain locations on the trail, Ostdick sensed the presence of entities he came to call “Spirit Walkers” - companions of sorts – alive not in a physical sense, but alive in his imagination, in the way that thoughts are alive. Is it their history that he was sensing? What do they have in common – a solitary, quiet 21st century hiker passing through, and the elemental, rooted Spirit Walkers silenced by time?
Jim’s experiences were greatly enhanced by what he learned from this study. He hopes that others will benefit from this work, too.
For more posts about Jim Ostdick and his book, click here.
 |
Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, and Instagram.
Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Check out information on how to submit a proposal.
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.
Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.
Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment