Linda Patton's review of "Racing Light, the Soft Power of a Day's Walk."  

Linda worked for 25 years as reference librarian for the Strozier Library at Florida State University.  She hikes avidly and maintains the Books For Hikers website.  This review first appeared in the Spring 2009 ALDHA newsletter.

Charlie Duane is a gifted writer, photographer and graphic artist whose photos reside in the National Archives and whose racing boat graphics have been displayed by the Smithsonian. His talents with words and photography are given another home in the pages of his book, Racing Light.

Charlie thru-hiked the Long Trail in 17 days, the Appalachian Trail in 97 days, and the IAT in 31 days. He then did a Springer Mountain to Key West road walk in 34 days, thus completing his walk of the entire East Coast. In Racing Light, Charlie tells of these four hikes in the unique form of a “photo-diary,” which combines images and text within the framework of one page per day, emphasizing the steady flow of time. As Charlie explains it, “the concept of hiking ‘one day at a time’ supplies the page-per-day design of the book, suggesting a concept of endurance applicable to other endeavors.”

But there is much more to this book than just the stories of Charlie’s hikes. There are also sections dealing with his life story and the dog who inspired his love of walking, the ways in which he made or modified much of his gear, his philosophy of walking and reflections on his hikes, and finally, “Why Hikers Get Fat: The Dirty Little Secret of Long-Distance Hiking”--which details his strategy for healthy post-hike nutrition.

What's the meaning of "racing light?" Charlie explains it this way: "At first the phrase referred to the greater distance that lightweight methods allowed me to travel each day. Then it referred to the intense awareness of nature obtained by being out on the trail longer each day. Racing light meant sunlight shining through tree leaves or reflections in moving water. Much later, while composing the book, Racing Light referred to a bright idea that comes to mind while walking." And soft power "refers to the vitality generated by walking for an hour per day, the same as driving a car charges the battery. The energy accumulated from walking effortlessly enables you to continue all day. A distance hike then becomes a series of day hikes."

Charlie is an ultralight hiker who carried a minimal payload in order to achieve maximum body fuel efficiency. He walked from dawn to dusk and seldom took rest days. To him, this perpetual motion "became a natural way of life and a transcendent journey." Charlie's transcendent journeys, as told in this book, should inspire anyone who harbors a dream. For them, the book ends with this advice, "You have the capacity within yourself to accomplish extraordinary things, if you listen to the whisper of your dream."