brontherun's review against another edition
3.0
David Miller quit his job in Information Technology, said a sad see you later to his kids and wife, and set off to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. In becoming a thru-hiker mid-life, he was dropping the shackles of his cubicle job in search of a life-altering adventure.
I have never back-packed for more than a long weekend, so while I love hiking on the AT, my ability to appreciate this book is strongly connected to what he left behind in order to embark on this adventure. He recounts that, "Since leaving my job for the trail, I have received overwhelming support from former coworkers and friends who hold similar jobs. They are intrigued by the adventure, but what they can most relate to is the desire to abandon the cubicle, to walk away from unfulfilling employment." His office job with IT work sounds similar enough to mine that I could potentially be one of those cubicle prisoners who cheer on his escape from corporate drone life onto the trail.
Oh course, he also take a sabbatical from fatherhood/husband-hood, and personally that is difficult for me to fathom. However, his hike becomes so much more than a walk in the woods, and the lessons he learns are recorded faithfully enough in his journals and articles for a local publication that they translate well into book narrative here. This feels almost like an internal transformation, as well as the physical one that is played out on his body through injury, weight loss, and other trials. I appreciate his honesty with doubts about finishing and knowing when to persevere and when to cease an activity. His philosophy on this seems to be captured when he states, "Wisdom is knowing when perseverance will be rewarded."
I have never back-packed for more than a long weekend, so while I love hiking on the AT, my ability to appreciate this book is strongly connected to what he left behind in order to embark on this adventure. He recounts that, "Since leaving my job for the trail, I have received overwhelming support from former coworkers and friends who hold similar jobs. They are intrigued by the adventure, but what they can most relate to is the desire to abandon the cubicle, to walk away from unfulfilling employment." His office job with IT work sounds similar enough to mine that I could potentially be one of those cubicle prisoners who cheer on his escape from corporate drone life onto the trail.
Oh course, he also take a sabbatical from fatherhood/husband-hood, and personally that is difficult for me to fathom. However, his hike becomes so much more than a walk in the woods, and the lessons he learns are recorded faithfully enough in his journals and articles for a local publication that they translate well into book narrative here. This feels almost like an internal transformation, as well as the physical one that is played out on his body through injury, weight loss, and other trials. I appreciate his honesty with doubts about finishing and knowing when to persevere and when to cease an activity. His philosophy on this seems to be captured when he states, "Wisdom is knowing when perseverance will be rewarded."
roaming_rachael's review against another edition
5.0
Can you tell I'm obsessed with hiking nonfiction? A much more detailed account of the trail. The author now writes a highly recommended guidebook for the AT. Exceptional detail and also a realistic description of the struggles of life on the trail. A book that really makes you realize that it is quite a feat to hike over 2,000 miles, but also very much so worth it.
anitaofplaybooktag's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable read if you like reading about outdoor adventures. Miller is kind of the opposite of Cheryl Strayed (author of Wild), but the adventure is of the same nature. Miller quits his job and leaves his young family to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. The story details the highs and lows of the trip and the many characters he encounters along the way. He has a good way with words, and you really get a strong sense of what the trail was like. Despite the fact that he carefully chose and testing all his gear and was well prepared, he had lots of foot problems (blisters, infections, twisted ankles).
Of course, because he was careful and prepared, there really was less of a story to tell. There were many interesting small details, and the book kinda made me want to try backpacking, but there weren't truly huge obstacles that he overcame. All in all, interesting and enjoyable reading - - I kept picking it up - - but it became somewhat repetitive by the end.
Of course, because he was careful and prepared, there really was less of a story to tell. There were many interesting small details, and the book kinda made me want to try backpacking, but there weren't truly huge obstacles that he overcame. All in all, interesting and enjoyable reading - - I kept picking it up - - but it became somewhat repetitive by the end.
christoke's review against another edition
4.0
Hello Reader,
So first of all, I give this four stars because it was well written, it was insightful, interesting, and was enjoyable to read.
Now as to the book itself. This may come as a big surprise, but this book is written chronologically! (Sorry Christopher Nolan). It starts off with his reasoning for getting on the trail, and then jumps right in to his day to day life. This includes his basic route for the day, any troubles he encountered, and wildlife sightings. This also included the people he met along the way, all of whom were fascinating to learn about.
There's not really a huge amount to say about this book. I really liked it because I hope to Thru Hike in 2013, and for that purpose this book is wonderful. It gives you a very non-biased perspective as to how unpleasant and dangerous the trail can be, and doesn't try to glorify it in any absurd way. I really liked this, as I felt I got a very good perspective of what I would actually encounter on the A.T.
And... that's it! If you are interested in hiking the A.T. (thru-hiking or not), this should interest you. If not, it's still a good book, and if you have nothing better to do, you should give it a read!
Enjoy!
So first of all, I give this four stars because it was well written, it was insightful, interesting, and was enjoyable to read.
Now as to the book itself. This may come as a big surprise, but this book is written chronologically! (Sorry Christopher Nolan). It starts off with his reasoning for getting on the trail, and then jumps right in to his day to day life. This includes his basic route for the day, any troubles he encountered, and wildlife sightings. This also included the people he met along the way, all of whom were fascinating to learn about.
There's not really a huge amount to say about this book. I really liked it because I hope to Thru Hike in 2013, and for that purpose this book is wonderful. It gives you a very non-biased perspective as to how unpleasant and dangerous the trail can be, and doesn't try to glorify it in any absurd way. I really liked this, as I felt I got a very good perspective of what I would actually encounter on the A.T.
And... that's it! If you are interested in hiking the A.T. (thru-hiking or not), this should interest you. If not, it's still a good book, and if you have nothing better to do, you should give it a read!
Enjoy!
ferrisscottr's review against another edition
4.0
The Appalachian Trail goes from Georgia to Maine and this book is David Miller's account of his 2003 hike on the AT.
Admittedly one of my life goals is to hike the AT and this book was a birthday present from a friend who also dreams of hiking the AT and it also means that I'm the target audience for this book.
It was good. We get to follow one persons hike over a five month period covering 2,172 miles. There are ups and downs, injuries, trail magic, towns, bears, rattlesnakes and lots of hiking partners.
We don't get a lot of insight into David Miller though. I'm still not sure why he left his family and friends and job to spend five months in the woods. I'm not sure if or how the hike changed him. It would have been nice to get to know him better. This book really focused on the trail and not so much on him (and that's fine).
If you weren't already interested in hiking, the AT, living in the woods etc. then I'm not sure I would recommend this as a book for you to read. But if that type of thing is of interest to you then this is a pretty good book.
Admittedly one of my life goals is to hike the AT and this book was a birthday present from a friend who also dreams of hiking the AT and it also means that I'm the target audience for this book.
It was good. We get to follow one persons hike over a five month period covering 2,172 miles. There are ups and downs, injuries, trail magic, towns, bears, rattlesnakes and lots of hiking partners.
We don't get a lot of insight into David Miller though. I'm still not sure why he left his family and friends and job to spend five months in the woods. I'm not sure if or how the hike changed him. It would have been nice to get to know him better. This book really focused on the trail and not so much on him (and that's fine).
If you weren't already interested in hiking, the AT, living in the woods etc. then I'm not sure I would recommend this as a book for you to read. But if that type of thing is of interest to you then this is a pretty good book.
richiew3's review against another edition
3.0
I would say 3.5. It's quick and enjoyable. Makes me want to get on the trail.
odustin's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read of a hikers adventure of thru hiking the Appalachian trail. If you enjoy hiking this would be up your alley. On multiple occasions I caught myself daydreaming of back when I would backpack with friends. It wasn't a monumental read like Edward Abbey's Desert Solitare, but was a good causal hiking read and I quite enjoyed it.
fictionalkate's review against another edition
5.0
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail was the book I wanted to read about thru hiking. It covered the highs and lows (and I’m not talking about the elevation although it covered the mountain peaks and valleys too) of the 2000+ miles journey from Mount Springer and Mount Katadin. In this book I got to read about the missing toenails and the injuries which occur but also got a good sense of the community one might encounter on the trail. We got to follow Awol as he walked through fourteen states and we also got to be there as he faced hardships too. Also included are photos of wildlife he encountered as well as stories of the people he trekked alongside. I think this book is what I wanted the classic Bill Bryson AT memoir to be. I got a better sense of why people walk the trail as well as daily life out there. It’s hard going and even when you’re prepared and have good support it’s still difficult. This take on the trail is a modern version but it’s also more focused on human experience and the mundane qualities of hiking rather than a more romanticised view of trail life. I liked Awol’s style of storytelling. It felt more relatable and matter of fact about the journey he was undertaking. If anything it was almost underwhelming with regards to emotion - I’m sure being separated from his family for so long was difficult but it was never overly focused on and overall the book was fairly emotionless in a way. I also enjoyed how it was a full story. This book started just before Awol arrived in Georgia and we got to follow the entire way to Maine. I was hoping that reading this would cool my enthusiasm towards long distance hiking adventures but if anything it whet my appetite just a little more. I enjoyed every moment I spent vicariously with Awol on the trail and would definitely invest in his annual trail guides if I was ever to venture onto the Appalachian Trail.