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Blazing Ahead interview on 207
I was thrilled to join Rob Caldwell and Amanda Hill from WCSH6 TV’s award-winning show 207, broadcast from their studio in Portland, Maine. It is especially gratifying because I grew up less than 10 miles from the station, which has almost always been a part of my life. Read more…
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The Surprising Story of Antonin Dvorak, The Chicago World’s Fair and the Appalachian Trail
“In September 1893, a 15-year-old boy from Massachusetts spent the day touring the Chicago World’s Fair. He had traveled there by train with two of his older brothers to visit their father, who had spent the previous year onsite, preparing for the event. The family patriarch, Steele MacKaye (pronounced Mack-eye), had arrived in Chicago in 1892 with a plan so great it could not be contained within the fairgrounds. Read more…
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Read an excerpt of my latest book, Blazing Ahead
My publisher, Appalachian Mountain Club Books, had posted an excerpt from my latest book Blazing Ahead: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery and the Rivalry that Built the Appalachian Trail on their website. It will give you a flavor for my writing style and the fascinating tale of two complex personalities and how they—together and separately—created the world’s most famous footpath, the Appalachian Trail. Read more…
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The Appalachian Trail just turned 80 years old!
“On August 14, 1937, a CCC crew completed the final 2 miles of trail in Maine: a section on the north slope of Spaulding Mountain. What they likely didn’t know at the time was they had just closed the last remaining gap in the Appalachian Trail, which was now a continuous path from Mount Oglethorpe, in Georgia, to Katahdin, in Maine.” – Excerpt from Blazing Ahead: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery and the Rivalry that Built the Appalachian Trail, by Jeffrey H. Ryan. The effort to build the Appalachian Trail, was so all encompassing that its completion held little fanfare. Read more…
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The Appalachian Trail was a Start-up
The Dreamer The year was 1921. A 42-year-old forester and land use planner named Benton MacKaye came up with a remarkable, progressive idea — to build a super trail that would travel across a dozen states, from Mount Mitchell in Tennessee to Mount Washington in New Hampshire. He pitched the idea to a friend, who happened to be the editor of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. That October, the idea was presented to the world in MacKaye’s article, An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning. Read more…
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Free shipping on signed books through Aug 31
My latest book, Blazing Ahead, has just rolled off the presses and will be in stores soon. To celebrate, I’m offering signed copies of Blazing Ahead and Appalachian Odyssey with free shipping through the end of August. Read more…
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Radio interview on Wisconsin’s WRPQ Radio Show – Mornings at McFarlanes’
It was so much fun doing this two-part interview with host Rauel LaBreche, that I couldn’t wait to post it. Hope you enjoy the show as much as we did when recording it. Read more…
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“As featured in Forbes.com”
Thank you to travel writer extraordinaire, Everett Potter, for this wonderful article! Meet The Man Who Took 28 Years To Complete The Appalachian Trail So you’ve always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) but you just don’t have the time? Then speak with Jeffrey H. Ryan, the author of Appalachian Odyssey. His subtitle says it all: A 28 Year Hike on America’s Trail. Your read that right. Of course, he hasn’t been out on the legendary trail from Georgia to Maine the entire time. He “section-hiked” it, to use the parlance of avid AT hikers, one section at time. Read more…
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My New Ode to the American Road
Yes, I’ve been at it again. On last year’s road trip, I was repeatedly drawn to explore the many roadside attractions of yore that are disappearing by the day. What remains of these old trading posts, restaurants and gas stations says a lot about how we’ve changed. The family vacation (and almost all vacation for that matter) has been replaced by work. And even when we are going somewhere, the focus seems to be on getting there instead of stopping to make discoveries along the way. This trip I made the decision to go old school. Read more…
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My February newsletter is out!
