Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Dear Readers,
This morning finally feels like fall. I woke up shivering having left the windows open overnight. Later, as I onerously wrestled a cover off of a trailer I caught the scent of its contents and deeply inhaled into my core. The trailer is my small, mobile bookstore and I absolutely love the way it smells. It is crazy to say, I know. The amount of physical effort it takes to set up and put away all the books and merchandise and tents is daunting. Yet, as soon as the set up is complete, I have this amazing space where people come and talk to me about books, and writing, and bookclubs. It reminds me of hiking ascents, or finishing grueling workouts. I find so much reward at the end of a physically demanding activity. These posts occur less frequently, I am well aware. We have covered exactly zero miles on the Appalachian Trail in 2025, but until this company is out of infancy, this is where I am spending most of my free time, blazing new trails for myself and the family with a bookstore in tow.
We purchased an old horse trailer in May of this year and within 3 months it was converted into an adorable mobile bookstore with live edge shelves, and a bookcase on casters that is rolled in and out. Reflecting on those three months, I remember that absolute anxiety that literally would keep me up all night. How in the heck am I going to transport all these books on open shelves? What if I buy books no one likes? What if I don’t ever earn back the start up capital? All very legitimate concerns, but none that needed to be addressed in the middle of the night. As Labor Day approached, and the imminent opening of the bookstore, I began to become even more apprehensive about starting this business, but it was too late to turn around. With a lot of support from family and friends who donated books, and helped share on social media, we had a successful first day.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin
The last six or so years that I have been blogging has all been a reflection of my adventures, my setbacks, my growth. With each step, both literal on the trails and metaphorical, I feel more at peace with who I am, where I am and what I do with my time. In an ideal world, I would hike the AT with my booktrailer in tow. But for now, I have been incorporating walks and local nature trails into my routine. Not surprisingly, this was the number one way for me to keep that anxiety at bay. To date, we have been “open” for almost two months, and I have met so many interesting, bookish people. I hear the same two questions often – about whether or not I am a writer myself, and if I’ve ever considered inviting the (famous) writer Elizabeth Gilbert to my bookstore, since we share a name. As she once said, “You don’t have to be particularly brave. You just have to be a tiny, tiny bit more interested in something than you are frightened of it.” So I will write, and share and continue to dive deeper into the book world. In a way, taking a hiatus from the Appalachian Trail will push my creativity to write about more than just hiking, or trips. I hope you all still continue with me as my adventures reach out further than I ever anticipated when I started this years ago.
-Liz
