The Weight I Carried: Hiking Through Grief and Healing on the Appalachian Trail

“A lifelong outdoorsman, coppersmith, builder, and father, Steven has spent his life shaping metal, wood, and stone. But nothing shaped him more than love and loss. After the death of his beloved wife, Sandy, he turned to the Appalachian Trail—a dream they once shared—as a way to reconcile his loss with his faith.

The 2,200-mile journey became more than a hike; it was a desperate reckoning. An abundance of hazards, from animals to broken bones and illness, delayed him. With grief and depression on his back, he dragged his past up and down each mountain, until in those last miles he felt whole again.

The Appalachian Trail is a journey that strips bare the soul and forces those that travel upon it to confront their losses, their weaknesses, their strengths, and, most importantly, themselves.

In this gripping and raw memoir, we follow Steven into the wilderness, as witnesses to his intimate reflections on a life lived hard and lived well. We see in Steven’s narrative our own struggles with love and loss. We recognize our own wrestling with the seemingly cruel and inscrutable nature of God. Through Steven’s unsparing soul searching, we can find self-forgiveness, and peace.”