Books. I just can't get enough of them. So much so that I wish we could get this cloning thing down.

Just imagine: One of me to go to work, another me to play outside, yet another just to hang out in a comfy chair and read books. OK, and maybe one more me to sample the brews of the world.

Occasionally I'd have a staff meeting with all my cloned me's to review and coordinate this multi-faceted life thanks to the wonders of DNA research.

Oh, but I digress...

I was up in Bangor recently visitng with my friends at Epic Sports, owner Brad Ryder and crew. If you're in that neck of the woods, do stop into the downtown store. They've got a great operation going and tons of outdoor gear and even more local hiking and paddling knowledge.

Anyway, you know I couldn't leave the place without buying something. So, as if driven by some unseen force, I found myself in the book section. And was immediately drawn to a book on the Appalachian Trail (duh!). So I bought it, of course.

Dreaming the Appalachian Trail is written by Brad Viles, an avid hiker and Maine outdoors writer for many years.

It's a good read, albeit a quick one (it's but 72 pages long), and I recommend it for anyone with an insatiable thirst for all things Appalachian Trail.

Viles has written the book as a "backpacking" novel, although I'm not sure just why. The book might have read better as a straight-forward journal of the adventure. But I applaud Viles for trying.

The main character, Viles really, is named Ivy B. Mann. Ivy is tired of waiting for the spring that never seems to come to Maine, and so heads south to Georgia and the Appalachian Trail in search of it.

Mann finds spring alright as he walks northward on the trail, and gives himself a name change: "Maine-tainer." He also encounters, or tries to anyway, a number of odd characters as well.

The search for the elusive Clay Dep (pronounced Deep), apparently the keeper of spring, is an odd chapter. Mann nevers does find him.

Then there's Topo Man who, rather than carry the AT guidebook and maps in his pack, has them tattooed over his body. And must go through some wild contortions to read portions of the maps in out-of-the-way areas on his flesh.

Despite the occasional strange characters and bizarre happenings, Vile's--Maine-tainer's--love for the trail and the experience shines through. And by the end he has not only found spring, but a whole new appreciation for the gift of life and living.

Give it a good read. I bet you'll enjoy it, too.

And speaking of reading, I've got a whole stack of books waiting patiently for some page-turning time. The occasional night at home just isn't enough. Gotta have some more extended trail time I guess.

I really do think that cloning idea is the way to go...

What's on your outdoor adventure reading list???