Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters

I have to say that "Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail," and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters by Winton Porter is in my top five books on the Appalachian Trail - speaking from a family member as opposed to a thru-hiker. This non-fiction collection of stories about real people, is a find not only because I scored an autographed copy on the used Amazon section, but also because it gives you a cross-section of the types of people who want to hike the trail and the people who help them along the way in the service industries such as hostels and rescuers.Author Winton Porter knows of what he speaks - he's been written up in Backpacker Magazine, been featured in You Tube videos and has been awarded the Georgia Author of the Year. And ... after all he is the owner of Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi, the first way station on the trail after Springer in Neel's Gap, Georgia, near Blood Mountain as well as an avid hiker. His story of how he came to own Mountain Crossings is interesting right off the start, due to the sacrifices and the loyalty of his family when he followed his dream to purchase the buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1940. My son, Loner, visited Mountain Crossings the October previous to leaving in April 2012 to do a test hike of his gear and to get a shake down. He was pretty much on the mark but also took advantage of every suggestion they made before setting off on his thru-hike. He also said the people were great. I highly recommend this book to family, friends and support folks so that they will encourage their hiker to stop in here of if they have a chance visit before they purchase their gear. I'd also advise them to take the advice of the experts during their shake down. No hiker should be embarrassed because everyone is new to this at first. All they have to do listen and they'll benefit from the years of shared experie3nce housed in this building. I'm glad Loner went there on his own and told me about it - because due to the fact that he listened and learned, he saved me a lot more worry than I would have had otherwise.The hub of Mountain Crossings is the store where hikers don't just come to restock, but for the first timers, its the opportunity to get a shake down where the highly knowledgeable Porter (who previously worked for REI) and his staff provide a service which has saved lives. One of the Mountain Crossings staff asks the hike to lay out the contents of their backpack and then the decisions on equipment and needs are made, eventually getting the pack weight down. The shake down also includes suggestions on whether a piece of gear will take them through the cold, keep them dry or keep them hydrated. The staff is known for getting a hiker's pack weight down to manageable proportions so they don't give up and get off the trail from exhaustion.Aside from the gear talk, the true stories in "Just Passin Thru" are gifts until themselves. They run the gamut from frightening and sad to hilarious, with one thing in common - these little of life on the Appalachian Trail are nothing like what you'd ever expect, even considering where they take place.Which brings me to another reason why the store is the hub - the people, not just counting the friendly, invested staff, but also the previous thru-hikers who always stop in as they pass by on their treks, some of them the 3rd or 4th thru, and some who come to stay a while. The ones who enjoy taking on jobs just out of their passion for the trail and their eagerness to see everyone who makes the attempt actually get to pose at the sign atop Katadhin.And boy, are they characters, from Billy Bumblefoot who sets off on searches for lost hikers at a moment's notice, or watches the hikers trailing in from a lawn chair set atop the Mountain Crossings roof line, to Pirate who lives under the stairs in the basement and volunteers to take care of the hostel.As hikers come up the trail to the stone buildings, they notice how the AT goes under a roof joining the store and the hostel. This is the only only location on the trail covered by a roof . And as each hiker walks up the stairs to the welcome sight of the shop's door in need everything from the rescue of friend back on the trail, to just hot chocolate and a snicker bar or two, they discover the best thing they find are the smiling faces of folks who have or will be sharing the same experiences.

This book is one of the best hiking books I've ever read and that is saying a lot as there are some amazing, truly inspired memoirs out there. It was also the first hiking book I've read that was not about hiking per se. Read further or read the book and you will see what I mean. Literally, I did not want to put this book down. I put it down to go to work, to get a shower and go to bed. Otherwise, I was reading it and finished very quickly. The reason for it is the characters. It isn't just a memoir. It's more like the cliff notes version of a years-long play that starred characters so memorable and believable that the best show must be envious. The story is told from the point of view of Winton Porter, the owner of the Mountain Crossings outfitter and hostel in Neel's Gap, Georgia on the Appalachian Trail. He introduces a collection of the more memorable cast members. One notable cast member is Minnesota Smith, the scientist who took the trail in part to look for love. Other unforgettable members of the gang are part-time resident of Mountain Crossings Pirate <a former Navy Seal who dresses like a trail pirate and helps around the hostel> and Billy Bumblefoot <a friend of Porter's who likes to sleep on the roof with his flute>. Believe me when I say you will not be able to forget these guys. There is adventure. There is romance. There are mysteries. Who can forget the dog who discovered a boot with human remains inside near the lodge which led to massive sweep of the forest by the local sheriffs, state police and the FBI? There is something for everyone in this lovable tale. The only bad thing about the book was it had to come to a close. Buy it in paperback or Kindle but whatever you do, read this book. You're going to like it.

My FedEx delivery man apologized for opening the original Amazon box because it had arrived at FedEx sopping wet and he had to repackage the soggy contents in a FedEx box. Of the six items in the order, Just Passin Thru was in the worst shape. The book looked as if someone had dropped it in a stream on the AT. For the first few days, I carefully read one soaked page at a time, waiting for each page to dry enough to be turned without tearing. Expecting an account of backpack-purging, tent-selling, hostel-running, first-aid-dispensing, lost-kid finding, argument-settling, and romance-fixing, the delays of wet-book-drying only added to the suspense.I had hoped that the book would tell me what it would be like to run an outdoor equipment shop and hostel on the AT. In that regard, the book lived up to expectations, but, now I know it would be crazy to run an outdoor equipment shop and hostel on the AT. Author Winton Porter must not want to sell his business. Ever.What Mr. Porter does seem to want to sell is outdoor equipment. Half of the book seems to be an unrelenting criticism of his customers' equipment. His obsession with equipment, coupled with his distain for ultralight gear, seems out of place in a book that is supposed to be about unforgettable characters who are just passin thru. For unforgettable hiker characters, Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is a better book.

Whether you're a long distance hiker or a weekend trail warrior, you'll love this book. The author brings the reality of AT hikers to life in this extremely well-written, readable collection of objective (and not so objective) observations. I'm not sure if the author intended for the book to be humorous but given the subject matter and his treatment of it, it couldn't help but be a smile-maker from cover to cover. I've covered my share of miles on the AT over the last 50 years and I believe that Mr. Porter has captured the essence and variety of those that ply the trail; an entertaining and worthwhile read for sure. . . . . .

I have read a few books about hiking the Appalachian trail and enjoyed them all. This book is a different perspective, being about the life and people running a store and hostel literally on the trail 30 miles in from the beginning at Springer mountain. It is written with humour and pathos and is a fascinating account of the first few years of running the place. I really hope the author writes more books and look forward to reading them.

Nunca fiz a AT e nem um caminhador eu sou. Na verdade, não podia ser algo mais distante: um executivo, urbanoide, carioca. Ainda assim, adorei conhecer um mundo diferente do meu, através de uma narrativa carinhosa e de personagens coloridos (uma das poucas críticas que faria é que alguns deles se misturam, talvez estejam ligeiramente mal delineados). O livro tem algo de James Heriott, um pouco de Bill Bryson e uma pitada de Peter Mayle.Me diverti muito com o livro e fiquei com pena quando terminei. Um dia ainda visitarei Mountain Crossings e espero encontrar o autor por lá.

I walked the AP trail, and, because it is only a couple of hours away From where my family come from, I have visited many times. Great book.

A neat twist on the usual hiking tale...Most books follow one person's journey- this book gives the reader a glimpse at many characters who "pass thru"(some more than once)