The Blue Hill Public Library and Blue Hill Books are cosponsoring an author event with author Kathy Elkind for her new book To Walk It Is To See It on Thursday May 30 at 7:00pm in the library's Howard Room. 

In 2018, Kathy Elkind and her husband decided to take a grown-up “gap year” in Europe and walk the 1,400-mile Grande Randonnée Cinq (GR5) across The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.

At fifty-seven, Kathy has chosen comfort over hardship: Unlike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Coast Trail, the GR5 winds from village to village instead of campsite to campsite. She and Jim get to indulge in warm beds, delicious regional food every night, and croissants in the mornings. However, the GR5 is not all comfort. Walking day after day for ninety-eight days bring sickness, accommodation struggles, language barriers, and storm-shrouded mountains in the Alps. Meanwhile, Kathy finds herself reflecting on difficult topics—primarily, her struggles with dyslexia, overeating, and shame. But she also finds that the walking becomes a moving meditation and the beauty of the landscape heals; she begins to discover her own wise strength; and as the days unfold, she comes to the gratifying realization that a long marriage is like a long trail: there are ups and downs and it takes hard work to keep going, but the beauty along the way is staggering.

Written with raw honesty and compassion, and rich with dazzling scenery, To Walk It Is To See It will inspire you to lace up your walking shoes and discover your own path.

This program is free and open to all. For more information, please contact Kayleigh at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or call the library at 374-5515. 

Kathy Elkind’s love of cooking began as a teenager when she started making dinners for her younger siblings because her mother had no interest in good food. During the summers of her college years she was a personal cook for a family on Cape Cod. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with a double major in Environmental Studies and Geology, she ventured out West and ran a bakery in Bend, Oregon for three years. Kathy came back East to get her Master of Education and teaching certificate at Lesley University. For five years she taught elementary school before deciding to stay home and raise her two children.

Kathy returned to teaching reading at the Harvard Elementary School for four years. She also took classes on nutrition from Hale Sofia Schatz, author of the book, If the Buddha Came to Dinner. She started Elkind Nourishment and taught cleanse classes. But something was missing, so she trained to be an Eating Psychology Coach (now called a Mind Body Coach) and A Teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion. Kathy coached and taught for ten years.

Now Kathy has transitioned to writing and long-distance walking. She wants to experience many adventures in this short life. Kathy walked the GR5, the Andulacia Coast to Coast trail in southern Spain, two weeks of the Cammino Naruale de Parchi, and two weeks on Via Ellenica in Italy. Her list of future trails to walk is a mile long.