John Illig's adventures published in 'trail mix'

Author: Ted Silberman

John Illig's love of the mountains blossomed out of his childhood summers at camp in the Adirondacks. Coaching collegiate squash gave him free summers to pursue this love and complete the hiker's "Triple Crown."

During three summers spaced six years apart, Illig hiked America's three premier mountain-range distance paths - the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails. The trilogy of books he wrote tells the stories of these hikes and the personal valleys and peaks that he encountered along the way.

As "Trail Ways, Path Wise" begins, the first in the series, begins, "The hardest thing about through-hiking the Appalachian Trail is getting to the start." Walking a 2,146-mile trail is a serious undertaking and requires months of free time to trek through the woods, forgoing a paycheck.

Illig's three books, "Trail Ways, Path Wise," "Pacific Dream" and "Man in the Middle" take the reader along on his northbound journeys across the country. The introspective narratives describe such tribulations as seeing a man killed by a car in Virginia and the strains on his relationship with his new wife, who accompanied him for the beginning of his trek up the Pacific Crest. Of course, there were many high points to his travels and the books also recount the joys he experienced along the way.

"The Appalachian Trail is hilarious because there are so many people of different ages and walks of life," said Illig. "Everyone has his or her own 'trail name' - a pseudonym that largely determines your trail ego."

"Sneakers" - the moniker Illig got from his unusual choice of hiking footwear - encountered many people on his hikes. When asked if he made any friendships that lasted beyond the trail, he said, "I made many lifelong friends, but they only exist in my memory."

"The hardest part is getting there," said Illig. "At times, there is some discomfort, but when it comes down to it, this is just walking. Coaching squash during the winters meant I had no firm commitments during the summer. At six-year intervals, I asked the director of athletics for special permission to take a mini-sabbatical and hike the trails."

After earning his degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Rochester, Illig moved to Maine and coached squash at Colby College for five years before moving on to Bates College for the next 11. While he loved the outdoorsy feel of the Maine schools, he jumped at the chance to come to Middlebury.

"Bates and Colby are great, but they aren't actually close to the mountains," said Illig. "When this position at Middlebury opened up I was eager to make the switch. This is my dream job - to be able to look out any window and see the mountains," said Illig.

Through-hiking the three trails was a great way for Illig to surround himself with the wilderness he so enjoys. "I love mountains," said Illig. "It's a great feeling to reach the top and have the views. I like walking more now that I'm older. The hikes were a great opportunity to be out in nature."

For Illig, being out in the wilderness was always the most exciting part. "I spent my whole life in New England, so it was pretty thrilling to be out West. The landscapes out there are otherworldly beautiful."

Illig is currently promoting his books at various college outdoors clubs and marketing them on TripleCrownTrilogy.com, where the first two chapters of each book are available online. When not promoting or coaching he is working on a new novel - his first professional foray into fiction.

When asked if there is another trail to conquer or if he plans to go back and rehike the first three, he laughed and quipped, "No, that's it. It's just potato chips and TV for me now!"

Of course, he spends much of his time in the great outdoors, but now he focuses more on his writing. Stop by the Vermont Book Shop in town or check out Amazon.com to get your own copy and experience the writing and the mountains that Illig loves.