'The idea is to give people a variety of places to hike both rural hikes and urban hikes,' she said. 'Hikes where they're doing trekking up hills and down hills, crossing creek beds, just to show them the variety that we have in the area.' Each trail listed in the book has a detailed description along with a map, directions and GPS coordinates and photos. Menasha Ridge Press' line of '60 Hikes within 60 Miles' turned out to be a perfect match.Ī naturalist herself with a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management from Purdue, York spent two years researching local trails and conversing with colleagues about their favorite places and nature sites in the region. York spent eight years searching for a publisher to take an interest in her project. So the Indiana native and now longtime Cincinnati resident decided to write her own. Most were too far away to do in a weekend or a day with her family. She owned three hiking books, one for each state surrounding her: Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

York's inspiration for writing the book came from the never-ending search for a single trail book that encompassed the Tri-State area that didn't lead her on trails that were hours away from her home. 'How awesome would that be as the child to, years later, have that piece of memorabilia and look back at the times you spend with your family?' York said. Tammy York at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Turns out the man spent years taking his young son on hikes and after each trail they'd write down their experiences together. The nearly 300-page book was folded in half, dropped in creeks, muddy and the pages were warped with written notes. One of her favorite moments was at a book signing, where a man brought a copy of her trail book that clearly was well-used. So it’s amazing how much of a connection it has brought.' 'There are people who have recovered from traumas that have happened in their lives or people who have reconnected with their family members,' York said. 'There are people who have proposed. Since publishing the first edition in 2009, and the second in 2014, people have approached her at book signings and events to share how the book inspired them. Over the years Tammy York, author of '60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Cincinnati,' has heard countless stories just like mine.

It ended up helping just as much as the weekly therapy sessions I was doing - and for a fraction of the price. Fortunately, I had good friends around and one gave me a copy of a local hiking guide as way to get me out of the house and out of my head. Watch Tammy York talking about the inspiration for writing her book in the media player above.ĬINCINNATI - Two years ago, I was going through some tough times, as life throws at you every now and then.

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