A daughter retracing her father’s trek from the highest to the lowest points of the contiguous United States, Walk of Ages would have been an awesome article in an outdoors magazine. I liked the narrative perspectives of father and daughter however the redundancy slowed the story down some. For those not already intrigued with walking, trekking or hiking there may not be enough interest to hold your attention. Not that there isn’t ANY interest, just not enough. All said, Walk of Ages is a very sweet story that was a little long for the amount of information included.

A nice inspiring read. I enjoyed the alternating chapters, written by Withanee and Jim. I was easily able to follow their journey on Google maps which added a shared experience for me. overall a funny, inspiring and interesting read ( )

What a wonderful journey alongside the Sandwalkers! Withanee's writing conjured up memories of my own adventures with my dad (who was a firefighter!) in the Eastern Sierras. Instead of India Pale Ales and fried egg sandwiches it was Coors and sardines on saltines! This brief journey was a reminder of the importance of community, challenges and commitment. ( )

Jim Andersen made the journey from Mt. Whitney to Death Valley with three friends in 1974, back when he was thirty years old. They called themselves the Sandwalkers. Now, forty-three years later (in 2017) daughter Withanee wants to honor her father by retracing his footsteps across Death Valley as she turns thirty. She enlists the help of a coworker, her brother, and her boyfriend to accompany her on this epic journey.
With Walk of Ages only being 177 pages, and with a generous amount of photographs, the whole story can be read in one sitting. I definitely thought Withanee could have made it longer. There was so much potential for more. The landscapes are barely described in any detail. I wanted to know about their experiences besides a bum knee, blisters and beer. The different perspective of the same walk with memories from dad was interesting, but it would have been fun to have more narratives from others like Val or Shawn. What went through your mind when you kept making wrong turns and getting lost? What was it like to know you were going to propose to Withanee on this trip?
Confessional: I also want to know how many cases of beer the Sandwalkers Second Edition consumed on their journey. There seemed to be a never-ending supply on ice and I lost count of how many times they said they were motivated and/or powered by India Pale Ale! The craft beer scene has exploded since 2017. I am sure Withanee and Shawn have new favorites.
My only secret letdown was that Withenee and crew didn't follow the original trip as faithfully as they could have. Withanee talks about walking in her father's footsteps and while that was virtually impossible in some places, the Sandwalkers Second Edition took shortcuts to shave off miles wherever they could. ( )