By Kathryn Reed

Who are Rockhopper, Peachy Keen, Green Bean and Numbnut?

They are much more than characters in a book.

These are trail names for some of the people who were hiking the Appalachian Trail when Jared Manninen was making the through hike in 1999. In 2011, Manninen published a graphic novel of his account of this 167-day, 2,160-mile journey.

Manninen lives in South Lake Tahoe and operates Makoto Press with his business partner Joe Daley out of Scottsdale.

While many graphic novels are often more like a comic book in nature, this would not be the way to describe “Mega ’99: Adventures of an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker”.

The black and white sketches complement the words in a way that photographs would not have been able to. It keeps the feel of the ruggedness of the trail.

While plenty of books have been written about this famous trail that goes from Maine to Georgia, this book gives an interesting twist – in large part because of its being a graphic novel.

But don’t let the word novel fool you either. This is not a novel. It’s really Manninen’s journal. However, the journal has 110,000 words (which required the use of eight pens) and the book has been condensed to 46,000 words. It’s the good, the bad, the funny, the lonely times on an expedition of this type.

For anyone who likes the outdoors, has thought about doing a major hike or likes to live vicariously through others, “Mega ’99: Adventures of an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker” is definitely worth a read.

As with most books, if you purchase it from the publisher or author directly, it’s better for those people. Just so you know, Amazon takes a 55 percent cut.

To buy “Mega ’99: Adventures of an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker” go online to Makoto Press.