Nate Hankes returned home from his tour in Iraq unable to answer one simple question: Had his mission overseas been honorable?

Determined to find clarity and forge a new identity outside of the US Army, Nate, alongside his brother, Ben, a recent college grad delaying his entry into the Great Recession job market, set out to hike the entire length of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail. 

Unpredictable weather, brutal terrain, straining health, and a fractured mind stretched beyond comfort by a wise but imperfect hiking companion turn this walk in the woods into an adventure of body, mind, and spirit. And in a world gone mad, this coming-of-age story reminds us that true clarity and peace can only be found within.

Advanced praise: 

“Like Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail is a tale of transformation and emergence from trauma and confusion into something closer to insight and clarity. Hankes writes from the heart, and his story is both powerful and important. I hope this book finds the large, passionate audience it deserves.” (Chris Ryan, PhD, author of Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress and host of the Tangentially Speaking podcast) 

“There are two battlefields described in Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail - none in Iraq and the other within the human heart and mind. Nate Hankes’ memoir is the perfect metaphor for the path that leads each of us from ignorance, fear, and suffering to true freedom, reconciliation, and awakening. This book will change your life.” (Darren Main, author of Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic)

“In his courageous exploration and dogged determination to make sense of his young life as an Iraq war combat veteran, Nathan Hankes offers us the raw, honest, and gritty perspective of one who is willing to question everything in the service of living a connected, empathic and meaningful life.” (Heidi Bourne, mindfulness educator and consultant, Pacific Mindfulness)

“Tim O’Brien wrote in his novel about Vietnam, The Things They Carried, ‘A true war is never moral.’ Nathan Hankes reminds us of that, but shows us there is a way forward: By bravely seeking truth, one step at a time, to understanding and redemption.” (Kevin Sites, author of The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won’t Tell You About What They’ve Seen, Done, or Failed to Do in War)

“Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail is a deeply personal and powerful tale of a young veteran’s journey to understand his role in America’s post-9/11 wars. This unique coming-of-age story is an incredible encapsulation of young peoples’ general disillusionment with American exceptionalism and the frustration that comes from questioning the status quo. I can’t wait to see where Nathan goes next.” (Allegra Harpootlian, ReThink Media)