Jeff Herald

Sole Searching Jeff Herald

"Sole Searching" is my way of paying homage to not only the grander and mental refuge that nature and the mountains have given me but also to the many persons who have and continue to add to the myriad of wondrous experiences found while on the trail. While some of my recollections are humorous and even downright silly, many share my truly profound love of the woods and hopefully convey the fundamental impact they have had on my life. My wish is that reading "Sole Searching" in some way, positively impacts your life.

John Muir said: "Whenever we go in the mountains we find more than we seek" This is your chance to go to the mountains, as Sole Searching takes you on a journey of geographic, historical, and deeply personal discovery. Observe the grander of some of the oldest mountains on earth, inhale the natural scents that only nature can formulate, and feel the spiritual elation resulting from simple efforts of self-reliance within such demanding yet magnificent environs. As a bonus, Sole Searching provides hope and inspiration to every out of shape, inexperienced, want-to-be outdoorsman wishing to find more than they seek. With a pack on his back, Jeff encountered the Great Smoky Mountains for the first time when he was 31 years old. It was early November and those mountains embraced him with the intoxicating perfume of fallen leaves, sights and sounds of swiftly flowing, clear mountain streams cascading over ancient boulders, the majesty of awe-inspiring, lofty peaks, and mysterious, deep plunging valleys. Each successive outing demonstrated that John Muir surely knew what he was talking about. Join Jeff and a few fellow and family trekking companions on most-times humorous, yet always insightful journeys of adventure and personal discovery spanning over twenty years. You quite likely will find more than you seek.