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As a fellow New Englander who also went to a small Maine school and yearns to live in the woods of Vermont, I found a lot to like about this book. The author's narrative about his journey along the Catamount trail was repetitive at times (frequent musings about the cold, staying warm, continued surprises at the graciousness of strangers), the firsthand accounts were still fun.

I also enjoyed the interwoven story of Henry Knox, which I found interesting since I didn't know much about him or his journey from Ticonderoga to Boston before. There were definitely parallels between Knox's journey and the author's, but only loosely (e.g. missing one's partner, dealing with ever-changing weather conditions of New England). I wish there was some more reflection on the parallels between the two.

[SPOILERS] In the epilogue, we find that the author has decided to go to Utah with his longtime partner, and that New England will "always be there" when he decides to come back. He also dismissed his journey as not a soul-searching one, because he isn't that type of person. Wasn't that the point of your journey, or this book?

Overall a fun narrative of a wintertime journey through Vermont's Catamount trail, and an interesting history of Knox's journey prior to the Revolutionary War. However - if you are looking for soul-searching, this book does not really have it.