STATUS

First published in 2007 by McFarland & Company; Nonfiction

PREVIEW

He told his seventh-grade English teacher he was going to be a park ranger. She urged him to become a writer. He did both, in that order.

Following retirement, he strapped on a backpack and did something nobody had ever done before – walked the 469-mile length of the Blue Ridge Parkway looking for his first book. He quickly found it at Boston Knob Overlook.

Like collecting seashells along a 41-day beach walk, he collected memories from half a career in a park that had stolen half his heart. The walk itself became an adventuresome story and the backbone on which to attach many of his ranger experiences.

It is a tale of tales, often lyrical, sometimes poetic, set in the unique bosom of the most visited unit of the National Park Service.

RECOGNITIONS

Publisher’s collection of Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies

Nominated for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award

Distinguished Book/Author – 2009 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

EXCERPTS

“The district ranger was prompt in meeting us, and before I could get unpacked and settled into the male dormitory — an old house trailer — he offered Patty a job for the summer collecting fees in the campground.” p.10

“The Blue Ridge Parkway could be described as a child of accidental conception, descending from the parentage of two previously established national parks.” p.39

“There was something about the personality of this park that caused the goodness of people to bubble to the surface.” p.56

“The curvy flats beyond the crest of the mountain came as welcome relief as I bored into the afternoon with my brain operating fairly in neutral. It is in those hazy moments of mental fibrillation that I become most startled, and the discovery of a huge copperhead lying in the grass near my path made my backpack instantly lighter.” p.124

“The wind blows through Fancy Gap when it blows nowhere else on the earth, and by the time I reached the Interstate 77 overpass, I was being battered by rain and wind speeds I had never before experienced… I could not be sure of its speed, but I felt like I was seventeen again, standing in the seat of my convertible MG Midget doing 70 mph.” p.164

“Hand-laid stone walls speak such visceral volumes of man’s relationship to the earth and each other.” p.173

“Suddenly, without warning, a formidable creature appeared on the foggy roadway and halted me in mid step. A little crayfish, mistaking me perhaps for an unmerciful rain god, stood in my path and, with both pincers held high in the air in the attack mode, defiantly dared me to step past him.” p.180

“Edgar appeared to be perfectly content to spend every day of his life in harmonious consortium with his fellow beings, making an honest living rather than a killing off of them.” p.181

“Cold weather had finally silenced the last of the noisy katydids; large numbers of fluttering juncos now whispered in their places.” p.222

“Drawn into the new scene ahead of me, I forgot it was noon and cold and stepped slowly and reverently across another threshold. This was a time to relish, not rush. Only the sound of a saxophone played a certain way could match the depths of my surrender once again to a park that had long ago captivated my heart.” p.229

REVIEWS

“Few are capable of duplicating the journey that The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot traces, but by soaking up Pegram’s highly descriptive prose that, at times, borders on pastoral poetry, readers will feel as if they are sharing every memory and mile. More than a travelogue, this book offers insight into how the soul of a road intertwined with the soul of an author.”
— Our State magazine, January 2008

“Tim Pegram does a great service to the less adventurous of us who can vicariously share in his colorful and entertaining journey.”
— Roanoke Times, November 25, 2007

“His vivid anecdotal accounts of the people he meets during both his hike and his career as a park ranger ring with a seasoned raconteur’s authenticity, and the unique perspective gained from his former occupation. Pegram’s memoir is creative nonfiction at its most compelling.”
— WNC (Western North Carolina) magazine, September 2008

“In many ways, reading this book is like taking a one-on-one nature hike with a ranger who sincerely loves what he is doing. Readers who haven’t been to the Blue Ridge Parkway before may be planning a trip after reading this book. For those who have already been there, this book brings to life remembered places and embellishes memories with fresh details.”
— Jefferson Post

“Pegram describes his breathtaking walk through the Grandfather Mountain section and declares, as an eyewitness to the event, the 1987 dedication of the Linn Cove Viaduct as the Parkway’s ‘grandest day’ thus far.”
— 2009 program book for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

FAN MAIL

“It is so important that we remember the history of one of our state’s most beautiful areas, and I applaud you for contributing your time and knowledge to this effort.”
— U.S. Senator (N.C.) Elizabeth Dole

“I picked up your book with special interest as I am the grandson of Stanley Abbott [first Parkway landscape architect & superintendent]. I would love to buy copies of your book that have been signed by you to give to family members.”                   — Leigh  Houghland

“There are times I can close my eyes and see you speaking, the memories of all the good people warm my heart with pleasant memories.”
— John Howard, former Parkway ranger

“Written in a personable, engaging style, this book is sure to become a treasured favorite of everyone who loves the Blue Ridge Parkway.”
— Kathryn Brett, former Parkway ranger

“I am too old to do what you did, but I enjoyed every step you wrote about and just wish I had done something like this in my younger years.”
— Bobbie Mooney, reader

“This book isn’t just about a hike. It is a tribute to the beauty and unique quality of this velvet ribbon of pavement — this thing we call the Blue Ridge Parkway.”
— Susan Roquemore, author

RELATED PUBLICATION

(stylish, signed copies available upon request)

TEN YEARS LATER: Walking the Blue Ridge Parkway, Again

In the tenth anniversary year (2013) of his original walk (2003) down the Parkway, Timothy walked it again, this time in the spring instead of autumn and northbound instead of southbound. This reflective piece was featured in several regional newspapers.