Hiking Out" is a metaphor about traveling through life, living with and climbing out of depression. It's about hiking the external, but also the internal terrain. It's a memoir of inspirational non fiction short stories and essays about the author's life, his adventures, his earlier desperation and despair, and his life saving humor and positive sustaining philosophy. In the prologue of the book, the Grand Canyon is compared to an inverted mountain, a valley of depression. Hiking in is easy; the hard work is getting out. The book celebrates the joy and humor found in life from feeling better after the long climb back into the light. It's about the good people who inspired the author and helped him along the way.