Mountain Lines: A Journey Through the French Alps

Writer and editor Arlan embarked on a monthlong, 400-mile trek through the Alps in southeastern France. Alone and physically unprepared for the challenges of these majestic mountains, Arlan persevered through lightning-filled tempests, falls, and self-doubt. Fellow hikers, as well as Arlan's friend Colin, who joins him for a week of terrible weather, make brief appearances and add interest to this day-by-day account. Physical comforts (food, hotel beds) and discomforts (extreme temperatures and sickness), take up a large part of the narrative. Never clear about why he is attempting the trail, the author refers to hiking as long, boring, and hard, and he finds little joy or satisfaction in finishing the daunting journey. Background information about the trail, part of what made Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods so interesting, is sporadic.