On Trails

An Exploration

By: Robert Moor

Narrated by: Robert Moor

New York Times Bestseller • Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award • Winner of the Saroyan International Prize for Writing • Winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Award • “The best outdoors book of the year.”—Sierra Club

From a talent who’s been compared to Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, David Quammen, and Jared Diamond, On Trails is a wondrous exploration of how trails help us understand the world—from invisible ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet.

While thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert Moor began to wonder about the paths that lie beneath our feet: How do they form? Why do some improve over time while others fade? What makes us follow or strike off on our own? Over the course of seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the miniscule to the massive. He learned the tricks of master trail-builders, hunted down long-lost Cherokee trails, and traced the origins of our road networks and the Internet. In each chapter, Moor interweaves his adventures with findings from science, history, philosophy, and nature writing.

Throughout, Moor reveals how this single topic—the oft-overlooked trail—sheds new light on a wealth of age-old questions: How does order emerge out of chaos? How did animals first crawl forth from the seas and spread across continents? How has humanity’s relationship with nature and technology shaped world around us? And, ultimately, how does each of us pick a path through life?

Moor has the essayist’s gift for making new connections, the adventurer’s love for paths untaken, and the philosopher’s knack for asking big questions. With a breathtaking arc that spans from the dawn of animal life to the digital era, On Trails is a book that makes us see our world, our history, our species, and our ways of life anew.

©2016 Robert Moor (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Great to listen to while I was on the trail!

I listened to "On Trails" while backpacking the Minong Trail at Isle Royale National Park last week. It was a super interesting book that helped me pass several challenging days while hiking. I usually listen to the natural world while hiking in the early morning. However, as the sun rises and other chitchatting hikers join me on the trail, I will pop in an ear bud and listen to an audio book to pass the time. "On Trails" was great to listen to while I was on the trail. It made the miles and terrain pass quickly. The book has tons of super interesting facts and great personal stories. For example, who knew the same man that advocated the creation of the Appalachian Trail also was involved in envisioning the USA's Interstate Highway System! Or, that something like 85% of our roadways are on old Native American trails! These are just a few of the interesting facts you'll learn as you listen to this highly engaging book.