Two Sticks, One Path by Darrow Kirkpatrick

A ruggedly inspiring memoir and a love letter to the American wilderness, Two Sticks, One Path: A Journey Beyond Fear on the Colorado Trail by Darrow Kirkpatrick is a tale of fortitude, achievement, and living free on your own terms.

After a nearly lethal encounter in the Rockies when he was young, the author returns four decades later to complete the 28 segments of the legendary Colorado Trail. Patching the 500+ miles together over the course of 6 years, and supported by two Sidestix and some loyal fellow adventurers, his journey is about far more than backcountry bravado. Peppered with poignant reflections on his past adventures and the seminal milestones that led him to such a towering goal, the memoir sits at the junction of intimate personal storytelling and philosophical wisdom.

The passionate writing reflects an uplifting degree of resilience that keeps one turning the pages – despite being slowed by hamstring injuries, scheduling mishaps, and the gnawing self-doubt of middle age, Darrow embarks on each stage of this epic hike with a renewed spirit. The interspersed sections from earlier trips and trials in life add essential context and flavor, from panic attacks and dot-com unemployment to spiritual enlightenment and marital hiccups, offering a full picture of the author’s perennial tenacity, without being overly self-referential and still offering universal insight beyond his personal trials.

Unique among memoirs by thru-hikers, the book will be particularly relatable and encouraging to those who may not be in peak physical shape, yet still feel drawn to a new monumental challenge. Accessible and unapologetic, this humbly heroic read is a refreshing testament to the road, or trail, less traveled.