beachbookbabe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.75
emilybergonzi's review
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.0
A decent read on the history of the AT, can be a little dense at times but worth it if you love the AT/history
kairosdreaming's review
4.0
*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.
One day I want to hike the AT, until then, I satisfy myself by reading books about it and the people who have traveled it, namely thru-hikes. This book is a bit different though, it's not about any one persons thru-hike, but more about the people who helped to build the AT in the first place, and their contributions to its preservation.
Starting with the man who mapped the mountains (Guyot), heading through the earliest hiking clubs and start of other trails(Taylor), to the people building the actual trail (Avery) and securing its protection (Nelson); there are a lot of people in the development of the trail itself. To be honest, I had never really thought about how the trail was built or when it was built or how much time it took. And those are questions I should have asked because the answers are interesting. While some thru-hikers are mentioned; notably the first (Shaffer) and the first woman a few years after (Gatewood), Bill Bryson and his best-seller also make the list because of impact.
The book was very approachable to read. Sometimes history, even on something as interesting as the AT, can get dry, and I appreciated that this book flowed smoothly the whole way through and provided narratives of the individuals lives in addition to what they were doing for the trail itself. The amount of work that's gone into the trail both to design and protect it is impressive. The author also speaks to environmental impact and demographics of the trail, which I thought were good callouts as well.
If you like reading thru-hiking accounts, give this book a try. It will make you appreciate the AT all the more.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
One day I want to hike the AT, until then, I satisfy myself by reading books about it and the people who have traveled it, namely thru-hikes. This book is a bit different though, it's not about any one persons thru-hike, but more about the people who helped to build the AT in the first place, and their contributions to its preservation.
Starting with the man who mapped the mountains (Guyot), heading through the earliest hiking clubs and start of other trails(Taylor), to the people building the actual trail (Avery) and securing its protection (Nelson); there are a lot of people in the development of the trail itself. To be honest, I had never really thought about how the trail was built or when it was built or how much time it took. And those are questions I should have asked because the answers are interesting. While some thru-hikers are mentioned; notably the first (Shaffer) and the first woman a few years after (Gatewood), Bill Bryson and his best-seller also make the list because of impact.
The book was very approachable to read. Sometimes history, even on something as interesting as the AT, can get dry, and I appreciated that this book flowed smoothly the whole way through and provided narratives of the individuals lives in addition to what they were doing for the trail itself. The amount of work that's gone into the trail both to design and protect it is impressive. The author also speaks to environmental impact and demographics of the trail, which I thought were good callouts as well.
If you like reading thru-hiking accounts, give this book a try. It will make you appreciate the AT all the more.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
maddyb001's review
3.0
The concept of a physical place's biography based on the people that formed it was interesting. Some of the chapters were more interesting than others. The author did a good job talking about the cultural impact of the physical trail and its ideals.
theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
gmd316's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
WHile democratic in its telling, feels like it is more of a biography on the FORMATION of the trail rather than the trail, its hikers, and history. There is much not much touched upon, and tends to focus too much on the government's influence and boring bureaucracy