MICHIGAN CITY - It didn't take Barry Veden and his wife very long to realize that what they'd set out to do more than a decade ago at a park in rural Georgia was more than they'd bargained for.

As they hiked up the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee toward the top of the range's highest point, known as Clingman's Dome, it became quite clear they weren't adequately prepared for the hike that lay ahead.

"We weren't wearing the right clothes and we just weren't ready for how difficult it was," Veden, a Michigan City author, said Sunday to a crowd at the Michigan City Public Library. "I learned on that first hike that there's a lot of preparation involved in this."

Veden appeared at the library to speak about his most recent book, "Coming of Age on the Appalachain Trail," a collection of short stories about the many hikes he's taken along the 2,160-mile mountain trail that traverses some of the East's most beautiful and dangerous mountain terrain.

It's the second book he's written in the past several years. It was put on hold a couple years ago, though, so he could write a historical book about the Battle of the Bulge, in which his father was a soldier.

Veden said Sunday the book, which features interviews with several soldiers who took part in the battle, was more important to get done quickly because of its historical relevance.

Several of the men featured in the book, called "My Heroes," came to the library Sunday to listen to Veden speak.

"It's nice to see some of my World War II guys here," Veden said.

While his World War II book capitalizes on historical facts and interviews, his most recent work is taken from his own experiences along the Trail, which traverses 14 states from Georgia to Maine.

From interactions with inquisitive black bears to mistakes made by a relatively novice hiker that should've been avoided, Veden's book puts readers on the trail along with the author.

He supplemented the book Sunday with descriptions of the need to wear proper clothing, plot a safe course and know just how much food and water to pack.

Veden said he likes to hike about 10 miles a day, although he's done 12 once or twice. To finish the entire trail in a year is a solid goal, he said, before explaining that some have made the trip in four months.

"Ten miles with a 40-pound pack on your back is a good day. That pack gets heavy," Veden said. "It starts to hurt. The longer you're on the trail, the stronger you get. But I'm not gonna lie, it's tough."

Veden said he plans to hit the trail again this spring with a friend. He said before his talk Sunday that no matter how often he hikes the trail, the great things about it never change.

"I was hiking and it felt like a group of Indians could've walked right by me," he said, recalling the history of the trail and the area it covers. "You really have to go there in person to really understand it."