BOOKS
Published
Read Time
3 min read
Share This Review
Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith Review: A Personal Memoir of Faith and Trail
Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail is an independently published memoir by Lon Chenowith, a pastor, church planter, and missionary, that recounts his long-held dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail — a dream that began in his teens and eventually became a series of real journeys testing both physical endurance and spiritual conviction.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who welcome trail memoir in which Christian faith is the central, structuring lens — particularly those drawn to the Appalachian Trail who want to experience it through the eyes of a pastor, church planter, and missionary for whom every mile is an act of spiritual devotion.
Worth it if
The devotional framing is a draw rather than a deterrent — if you are looking for AT memoir in the tradition of Christian pilgrimage writing, or are curious about the intersection of wilderness endurance and explicit faith reflection, this fills a genuinely under-served niche.
Skip if
Secular hiking enthusiasts or readers seeking a purely adventure-driven AT narrative should be aware that the Christian spiritual interpretation is pervasive and structural throughout, not a minor strand, and the book's independent publication means it lacks the editorial development of a traditionally published title.
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Covers
- The Author's Voice and Perspective
- Human Encounters Along the Trail
- Strengths and Distinctive Appeal
- Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Memoir rooted in a concrete, lifelong dream — the Appalachian Trail journey from Georgia to Maine — giving it a clear and compelling narrative spine
- Chenowith's background as a pastor, church planter, and missionary lends authentic authority to the faith-driven perspective that defines the book
- Specific trail episodes, including a preliminary hike with his sons from Amicalola Falls and a 276-mile stretch with seminary friends, ground the spiritual reflections in real, named experiences
- Fills a genuine niche for readers seeking Christian faith-oriented trail memoir, a less crowded shelf than secular adventure writing about the AT
What Doesn't
- The pervasive Christian spiritual framework is structural, not occasional — readers seeking a secular or broadly spiritual hiking narrative will find the devotional content a defining presence throughout
- As an independently published memoir, it does not carry the editorial development of a traditionally published title, which may affect structural consistency for some readers
Five Million Steps is a memoir rooted in a lifelong calling to the trail — and to the faith Chenowith carried on it.
What the Book Is and What It Covers
Back cover with synopsis, author biography, and barcode featuring a hiking boot on rocky terrain.
Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail is a memoir by Lon Chenowith, independently published in December 2020, in which he chronicles his pursuit of a dream formed in his teenage years: to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The book does not present a single unbroken thru-hike but rather a series of faith-infused adventures along the trail. One documented strand includes a preliminary hike with his two young sons beginning at Amicalola Falls — the traditional gateway to the AT's southern terminus. The title's "five million steps" refers to the sheer physical magnitude of the full trail, a figure that anchors the spiritual stakes Chenowith attaches to the undertaking.
The Author's Voice and Perspective
Chenowith brings a specific lens to the trail: he has served in Christian ministry across four states as a church planter, pastor, and missionary, and his family background is defined by outdoor life and international mission work. That background shapes the memoir's central argument — that the Appalachian Trail is not merely a physical challenge but a theater for encounters with the divine. Passages quoted from the text make this explicit: Chenowith writes of moments where "we touched the soul, and we touched heaven," describing them as evidence that "God was at work in this crazy project of mine." The memoir is plainly written from within a Christian faith tradition, and that spiritual framing is not incidental but structural to every section.
Human Encounters Along the Trail
Beyond the solitary spiritual journey, the memoir documents the relationships formed on the trail. One notable friendship described involves two seminary acquaintances — trail names Prune Picker and the Traveler — who had studied together in Texas and went on to hike 276 miles together across three separate stints on the AT. Chenowith frames these encounters as rare and meaningful, contrasting the solitude of the mountains with long conversations held in trail shelters under open skies. This interweaving of community and wilderness is a recurring element of the book's structure, suggesting that for Chenowith the trail is as much about human and spiritual connection as it is about mileage.
Strengths and Distinctive Appeal
The memoir's primary strength is its specificity of conviction. Chenowith does not treat faith as a backdrop; he positions it as the central subject, making Five Million Steps a distinctly different kind of trail memoir from purely athletic or naturalist accounts. Readers drawn to the intersection of outdoor adventure and Christian spiritual reflection will find a perspective that is consistent and unambiguous throughout. The AT itself — one of the most iconic long-distance trails in the world, stretching approximately 2,190 miles — provides inherently compelling scenery and challenge, and Chenowith uses the trail's known demands (weather, isolation, physical endurance) as the setting for what he frames as tests of faith and will.
Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
The memoir is most directly suited to readers who share or are curious about Chenowith's Christian faith framework; the spiritual interpretation of trail events is pervasive rather than occasional, meaning secular hiking enthusiasts seeking a purely adventure-driven narrative will find the devotional content a significant presence rather than a minor strand. As an independently published title, the book also lacks the editorial infrastructure of a major imprint, which some readers may notice in terms of structural polish. The audience best served is one that welcomes memoir in which outdoor experience and explicit faith reflection are treated as inseparable — readers who appreciate trail literature in the tradition of Christian pilgrimage writing, or those already familiar with the AT who want to see it through a pastoral eye.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith worth reading if i'm not religious
Probably not the best fit — the reviewer is clear that the spiritual interpretation of trail events is "pervasive rather than occasional," meaning the Christian faith framework isn't a minor strand but the structural backbone of the entire memoir. Secular hiking enthusiasts looking for a purely adventure-driven Appalachian Trail narrative will find the devotional content a significant presence throughout. If you're open to Christian pilgrimage-style writing alongside the outdoor adventure, you'll get more out of it.
what is Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith actually about
It's a faith-driven memoir by Lon Chenowith — a pastor, church planter, and missionary — about his lifelong dream, formed in his teens, of hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Rather than a single unbroken thru-hike, the book covers a series of journeys, including a hike with his two young sons beginning at Amicalola Falls, and frames the trail's physical demands as tests of faith and will. The title's "five million steps" refers to the sheer physical magnitude of the full 2,190-mile trail, which Chenowith uses to anchor the spiritual stakes of the undertaking.
does Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith have good trail stories or is it mostly preaching
There are genuine trail stories — including a notable friendship with two seminary acquaintances who go by the trail names Prune Picker and the Traveler, who hiked 276 miles together across three separate stints on the AT. The reviewer highlights Chenowith's portrayal of long conversations in trail shelters under open skies as meaningful and specific. That said, the spiritual reflection is structural, not decorative — Chenowith writes of moments where "we touched the soul, and we touched heaven," so the faith lens is always present alongside the adventure.
is Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith good for fans of Appalachian Trail hiking books
It depends on what you want from an AT book — the Appalachian Trail's real demands (weather, isolation, physical endurance) are all present as authentic backdrop, and readers already familiar with the AT will recognize the trail's known challenges. However, the reviewer positions it as distinctly different from athletic or naturalist trail accounts, best suited to those who want to see the AT "through a pastoral eye." If you loved purely adventure-driven AT memoirs, the pervasive Christian devotional framing will be a significant shift in tone.
should i read Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith
It's a strong fit if you're drawn to the intersection of outdoor adventure and Christian spiritual reflection, or if you enjoy trail literature in the tradition of Christian pilgrimage writing. The reviewer identifies the memoir's primary strength as its "specificity of conviction" — Chenowith never treats faith as a backdrop but as the central subject. The key caveat is that as an independently published title, it lacks the editorial infrastructure of a major imprint, which some readers may notice in terms of structural polish.
what makes Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith different from other hiking memoirs
The reviewer emphasizes that Chenowith's faith framing makes this "a distinctly different kind of trail memoir from purely athletic or naturalist accounts" — he's a pastor, church planter, and missionary who argues the Appalachian Trail is a theater for encounters with the divine, not just a physical challenge. The community element also sets it apart: relationships like the one with Prune Picker and the Traveler, who studied together in Texas and later hiked 276 miles together on the AT, are treated as spiritually significant encounters, not just colorful trail anecdotes. It reads more like Christian pilgrimage writing than a conventional adventure memoir.
is Five Million Steps: Faith Adventures along the Appalachian Trail by Lon Chenowith well written
The reviewer notes it has a clear and consistent voice grounded in Chenowith's ministerial background, but also flags that as an independently published book it "lacks the editorial infrastructure of a major imprint," which some readers may notice in terms of structural polish. The spiritual passages quoted from the text — like Chenowith describing moments where "God was at work in this crazy project of mine" — show a plainspoken, personal style rather than a literary one. Readers who prioritize tight editing may find it uneven, while those who connect with authentic, conviction-driven memoir will likely overlook that.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
abebooks.com
- 2
- Further reading
- 3
Related Reviews
Reviews of books we picked for readers who enjoyed Five Million Steps.
Reader Comments
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!