The Brief Wondrous Life of David Stewball Ackley

In 1999, a man from Iowa took on the trail name "Stewball" and began a hike up and down the Appalachian Trail. David "Stewball" Ackley made a home in Hot Springs, North Carolina, a stop along the A.T., and found love and life in the small mountain community. In 2008, he joined the Obama campaign in nearby Asheville where he volunteered every day through the presidential election. Afterwards he set out on another thru-hike of the A.T. and sent regular emails of his journey to his family...
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In 1999, a man from Iowa took on the trail name "Stewball" and began a hike up and down the Appalachian Trail. David "Stewball" Ackley made a home in Hot Springs, North Carolina, a stop along the A.T., and found love and life in the small mountain community. In 2008, he joined the Obama campaign in nearby Asheville where he volunteered every day through the presidential election. Afterwards he set out on another thru-hike of the A.T. and sent regular emails of his journey to his family and friends. The Brief Wondrous Life of David "Stewball" Ackley is a collection of his humorous and entertaining dispatches as he battles with mosquitoes and twisted ankles, bares it all for Naked Hiking Day, and offers advice in hiker log entries titled "Hanna Montana's Hiking Tips" writing with magenta markers: "U might think that the hard part is behind U, but the most challenging aspect of Ur journey is still ahead." Stewball lived with depression for most, if not all, of his life. After his second thru-hike he returned to his birthplace of Des Moines and, sadly, took his own life at the age of 40. His notes illustrate both the beauty of his experience, and, towards the end, his struggle to keep going. With his family's permission, his emails have been collected for everyone to read -- a look into Stewball's brief and wondrous life.