Unlike Fletcher's books, this won't give you sore feet

Walking Home
by Lucy and Susan Letcher

This is the sequel to Southbound. The Barefoot Sisters reach the southern end of the Appalachian Trail, turn around and start back north. I enjoyed the first on so much that I turned around and got a copy of the sequel immediately. (I'd have done this even if it hadn't been free from the public library's Kindle downloads.)

At first there seemed to be too little walking and too much socializing. Instead of a travel memoir, it was simply a diary. They kept jumping off the trail to travel hither and yon, visit friend's houses, go to festivals, vacation in the Caribbean.... The trail was just a thread that held the story together.

But when they finally returned to their business--walking north to their home in Maine--their way was strewn with flowers. Less of the injuries, foul weather, and unceasingly knobby knobs blocked their way. The mountains in springtime are a lovely place to be, and the sisters deserved it after putting up with the dark and dead winter.

There was still an occasional creepy person, a place or two where the food was less than adequate, and way too many rainy days. But they got along. Their chief obstacle this time seemed to be the crowds--summer is a busy season on the trail, especially for northbound travelers. The shelters especially were crowded at night, and the day hikers abounded.

And everyone--nearly--had to obsess over the bare feet. As anyone who's ever had to put up with unwanted attention from strangers knows, people can be real jerks.