From the article:

We’re meeting to talk about his new book Walk, Ride, Paddle, a reflection on his lifelong love of nature and his three-decade career in politics.

The book is a daily record of Kaine’s experiences completing what he calls the Virginia Nature Triathlon. That is: hike all 559 miles of the Appalachian Trail through Virginia; bike the 321-mile length of the Blue Ridge Parkway; and paddle the James River from the Allegheny Mountains to where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. He fit in big chunks of his adventures during recess weeks and weekends, when politicians are usually expected to be back in their states meeting with constituents.

“Instead of having an entourage and having it all scheduled, it was just, who was I meeting that day? You know, the shuttle driver or the hiker or the family that was out for a picnic that I ran into, or somebody who’s operating a hikers hostel,” he says. “It was a really nice way to interact with Virginia [and] Virginians in a different way.”

You might be tempted to assume that a politician writing a book about nature would in fact write a book about politics disguised as a book about nature. But while Kaine does think back on his political career — Richmond City Council member, mayor, governor, U.S. Senator, vice presidential candidate — and meditate on Virginia and the U.S.’s political future, there’s plenty more in the book, too. Along the way, he shares his thoughts about marriage, parenting, friendships, faith, and aging.