Climb Beyond the Crest

A Visionary Tale On the Appalachian Trail

Separate yourself from the world’s hectic whirlwind and become part of an Appalachian Trail hike into enchanting wilderness. Buy into Don Defreeze’s personal narrative and be ticketed on a journey to supreme acuity. The thread is the hike while various trail segments jog thoughts ranging from philosophical to the practical, almost a discussion of reality’s nature. These ideas collectively create a frame of reference which walks the reader into symbiotic solitude and a personal challenge. Already hours into the hike, the adventure begins with Don resting beside the Appalachian Trail where he wrestles with a quandary. His decision nixes all considerations to scrub the hike and marks the start of an inspirational trek that weaves through a myriad of settings. Travel through various scenes of forest, streams, and mountains that initiate internal perspectives and external experiences. Accompany Don’s struggle to reach his goal as he also entertains a few trail-side meetings and recollected stories. After intense hiking, his journey and ideas culminate at a distant mountaintop as darkness falls. Alone, he’s subject to the unavoidable grip of night’s blackening onset which prompts a provocative examination of existence. His common-sense use of knowledge and ordinary clues define a vision, a model of reality which cannot be denied. It’s a view that can redefine how life itself is experienced. His acute claims are reinforced in rallying spirit at a roaring campfire to end this installment of the Please Read trilogy. Based on a 2001 spring hike, Climb Beyond the Crest is an adventure story with metaphysical overtures. Born 1959, Don Defreeze (BS Oneonta, NY) has interacted with a wide variety of people, both economically and educationally, providing him with a diverse bank of perspectives to postulate, each human has their own outlook. For Don, he lives and breathes outdoor adventure and has developed a hiking guide business to facilitate others. His life-long quest to seek the natural essence of all things is interminable—please read his conclusions. The Please Read trilogy begins with the book Please Read. It launches the hike while forming a historical foundation for the adventure. Climb Beyond the Crest fulfills the destiny of the present plight all face, mirrored by the hike. The final installment peeks at future ramifications of the vision instilled while the hike comes full circle.