Momma bear is rumbling behind me while baby bear is staring into my eyes. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. I am directly in between a ferocious wild animal and her cub. “What do I do now?”

After surviving a life-threatening heart condition, author Dustin Waite answers this question while detailing the hilarious, raw, and real-life decisions on (and off) the Appalachian Trail, that led him to finally summit Mount Katahdin (background photo) and complete the entire 2,189-mile journey through the woods.