The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“John Fayhee is the OG of literary outdoor writing in the modern era. His accounts of these several hundred hikes serve as contemplations on his life, trails, trucks and abiding respect for the land he walks upon. There is a lot of hard-won wisdom in this book. And, oh yeah, it’s funny as hell.”
— Tim Cahill, author of Hold the Enlightenment, Road Fever, and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh
M. John Fayhee is coming to Crested Butte to read from and sign copies of his latest book, A Long Tangent: Musings from an old man, his young dog & a quest to hike every day for a year.
The book covers a lot of ground, and a lot of time.
“As my 60th birthday approached, I decided to do something of relative note,” says Fayhee, who now lives in Silver City, New Mexico. “I had real-life responsibilities that did not allow me to, say, attempt to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I had to concoct a challenging scheme that I could integrate into my day-to-day life that would not incline my wife toward seeking the services of a divorce lawyer.”
The idea to hike every day for a solid year evolved from a similar, though less ambitious, endeavor undertaken the previous year.
“My 40th high school reunion was coming up fast,” he says. “I undertook a futile effort to drop a few pounds by hiking for what turned out to be 41 straight days. Even during my multi-month forays along the Appalachian, Colorado, Arizona and Continental Divide trails, I never went more than a fortnight without taking what is now known in backpacking circles as a ‘zero day.”
While sitting on a barstool one evening, Fayhee decided to expand that undertaking.
“I downed a few pints, scribbled some shockingly legible notes about embarking upon a quest to hike every day for a year on a cocktail napkin, walked out to my ancient 4Runner and bounced the idea off my dog Casey, who had been contentedly snoozing on the back seat,” Fayhee says. “Casey responded positively to the notion. So that was that. The next day, we bushwhacked to the top of a local peak and hiked for 366 straight days after that.”
According to Fayhee, there were only two rules: First, each hike had to be at least 60 minutes (though most were longer) and each had to take place out in the forest. Strolls around town did not count.
“The overwhelming majority took place in my backyard — New Mexico’s famed Gila National Forest, which is home to the world’s first legally designated wilderness area,” he says. “But there are many references to Colorado — where I lived for 24 years — intertwined into the narrative.”
Though Fayhee’s efforts were eventually successful, there were bumps along the way.
“I twisted my ankle avoiding a rattlesnake while jumping over a creek,” he says. “At one point, Casey went completely blind for a week for reasons we never determined. I mislaid my car keys while out on the trail. I mislaid my car while out on the trail. A cook at a restaurant died while preparing my lunch. There were logistical challenges galore.”
In the end, Fayhee and Casey logged an estimated 1,200 trail miles.
“A Long Tangent” — the preface of which was penned by Craig Childs — is not just a linear tale. It includes many interfaces with memory lane. Fayhee writes about mortality, hiking sticks, trail names, the relationship hikers have with their vehicles, mystery mountains, stinky socks, debilitating hangovers, poison ivy, stupidity, getting lost, getting found, the gentrification of the American West and, most of all, his love of hiking through wild lands with his dog.
“This volume is a stylistic potpourri, with some chapters as short as one line and some as long as 6,000 words,” Fayhee says. “This is the book I’ve wanted to write my entire life.”
Fayhee’s previous books include Up at Altitude: A celebration of life in the High Country, Bottoms Up and Smoke Signals, the latter of which was a Colorado Book Awards finalist.
In 2000, Fayhee helped resurrect the iconic Mountain Gazette. During Fayhee’s 12-year editorial tenure, numerous Gunnison County residents contributed to the magazine, including George Sibley, Molly Murfee and Dawne Belloise.
Fayhee, who was a contributing editor at Backpacker magazine for more than a decade, has written for Canoe & Kayak, the High Country News, REI Co-Op Journal, Overland Journal and many others. He was a long-time reporter/editor at the Summit Daily News.
“I am really looking forward to returning to Townie Books where I have done numerous readings in the past,” Fayhee says. “I am also looking forward to re-visiting the Eldo and Kochevar’s to talk about literature, philosophy and narrative technique. Or to just drink beer.”
His reading at Townie Books is set for Wednesday, September 27 at 7 p.m. Additional readings are scheduled for Frisco, Aspen, Carbondale, Steamboat Springs, Fruita, Durango and Telluride.
