Monday, October 26, 2009



Two months later I received the following email.

My Dear Mark



Many thanks. Derrick Booth














Post script



  1. What a fabulous story and (as mawkish as it sounds) the power of blogging. You've also awoken in me a desire to hit the road armed only with a tent and a portable stove... though I may wait until the summer before I put that into action...!

  2. What a lovely reply DB sent you and he must have been very touched to have received an email from a 'fan' after so many years.. I think he is much better off in California though - something I bang on about here now and then. I would love to retire there.

    As for backpacking - I am probably so far removed from the concept of a little pack of everything I need being carted around on my achy breaky back as to astonish the average person who loves that way of life - (goodness, with more use of French these days my grasp of English grammar is going down the proverbial pan).

  3. Those tent pegs look like very glam knitting needles! Sorry to bring it all down to a mundane level there!
    I am someone who often writes to authors whose books I have enjoyed as you know from a recent blog post of mine. It's as much a thrill for them to receive such 'fan' mail, as it is for us who get a reply.

  4. ah yes, the ever-escalating lure of good equipment. In five months I've bought enough kit for my horse to fill a small van. E.g. a bit, made of a specially forged metal alloy that tastes 'sweet' to the horse and rotates in a certain way, two saddles even though you can only ever ride in one at a time, a variety of rugs with a range of hoods and attachments and hi-tech waterproof/weight/warmth properties; and so it goes on. All costing a fortune and all bought with complete earnestness. My top Christmas present this year would be a 22-inch Albion dressage girth in black leather with elasticated buckles and crossed straps...

  5. I am somewhat Uni obsessed at the moment and I am currently trailing to london every week with a suitcase!! It's not full of clothes and make's full of bloody books and papers for the new job and they weigh a ton!! I can see why lightweight and walking go hand in hand!!

    What a lovely's great that he wrote to you and it's great that he's still making the most of his life!!

    C x

  6. What a fantastic story and a chance to meet some very interesting people. Isn't it funny how camping attracts people who have things to say and have embraced wild adventures.
    The backpackers handbook was the one that got me snapping my toothbrush in half when embarking upon my D of E Gold award around the wilds of Snowdonia. Anything to lighten the load.

  7. Ah yes this resonates! When I walked the Offas Dyke path earlier this year I went so far as to cut of the end of my toothbrush in search of the holy grail of weight reduction. So glad you heard from your author. What a great connection.