This is the book that a lot of my friends asked if I have read when I first told them I was hiking the AT. It is the most popular book about the Appalachian Trail, written by renowned travel writer Bill Bryson, and I hear it is currently being made into a movie by Robert Redford. The book was quite enjoyable, funny at many points with several serious sections about environmental concerns. I have read some thru-hikers and would-be-thru-hikers dismiss it because it does little to offer any kind of insight or wisdom into what a thru-hike is actually all about. However, Bryson knows his audience. He was writing to the masses and they don't want those kinds of details. This is a book that anyone can enjoy. After the publication, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy reports that a spike in thru-hikers followed. This book is a great first exposure to the Trail. It may not be the best read for someone who has already researched a lot about the Trail, but it should still give you several laughs.
This was the only book I really wanted to read before heading out on the Trail. The title appealed to me. You can find all kinds of books about backpacking equipment, hiking methods, and the physical hardships that accompany long-distance hiking, but I realized awhile ago that physical strength is only a small fraction of the solution. Emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being play the largest role in whether or not we, as humans, will overcome any given obstacle. The author, Zach Davis, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2011, published this book in 2012 and already you can find rave reviews of it on just about every Appalachian Trail thru-hiking forum, blog, Facebook group, or website out there. Davis uses his own story of hiking the AT to paint an insightful portrait of the tactics one must employ and the mindset one must develop in order to tackle the inevitable onslaught of different difficulties that arise when walking so far and living in the woods so long. He classifies several mistakes thru-hikers (including himself) make and how to avoid them. These mistakes range from big and abstract ones such as embarking without a clear purpose or goal set in stone to small and practical such as beginning in March without a sleeping bag designed for cold weather. He also includes a handy gear check list written by a professional long-distance hiker which I reference often!
Since I'm in the Marine Corps I know all too well how annoying it is to lug all kinds of superfluous gear around in a bulky backpack. I've always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail with as little weight as possible and as a minimalist, the ultralight lifestyle appeals to me. This book has over a hundred tips on how to minimize the weight in your backpack, but I honestly don't remember very many of them. Some don't really pertain to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail specifically and others require specific kinds of gear or skills to create DIY items. I probably will only use one or two of the actual practical tips, but the book is really about creating a different kind of mindset. It is about getting hikers to question every piece of gear and to think creatively about finding/making/using gear in as many ways as possible. Overall, this book did well at getting me in the ultralight mindset before I started considering gear options, but I think it would be just as easy to find lightweight hiking tips online without picking up this book.
This book presents all of the timeless information one would need to get a basic understanding of what thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is about. Anybody who has already done research about the Trail will find no new information, but it could be a beneficial book for someone who has just begun to consider thru-hiking the AT and wants to have a general understanding of what it will be like. Of course all of the practical/logistical etc. aspects of the Trail have been written about to death, sometimes in excruciating detail, and websites are filled with highly opinionated people who write endlessly about what one should/should not do so sometimes it is nice to read a straight-forward take on what one needs to know about thru-hiking the AT before traversing that great mess of information online.
My wife borrowed this book from a friend who had it as a textbook for a backpacking class in college. I found it quite interesting because the author, who thru-hiked the Trail himself questioned over one hundred thru-hikers about various aspects of life on the Trail. He compiled all the information, calculated statistics, and interpreted the data so one could find out various useful information such as what was the most common injury for certain age groups or what kinds of injuries were sustained by hikers using different types of footwear. Unfortunately, the book is dated. The thru-hikers who filled out the questionnaires hiked in the late 80s. So, although the answers to some questions like, "What are the most difficult aspects of long-distance hiking?' might not change a whole lot, the answer to, "Which brand of backpack do most long-distance hikers prefer?" probably has changed quite a bit over the past twenty years. I think some hiker or some organization should send out questionnaires to thru-hikers every year to see how the thru-hiking culture changes throughout the years. If I heard that an updated version of the book was being published, I'd purchase it immediately. I've also considered getting contact information of the thru-hikers I meet on my own thru-hike so I can send them questionnaires afterward and compile the information on a webpage for future thru-hikers to use as a resource.
I first heard of Andrew Skurka when I relied on his online article about making your own stove out of a cat food can to make my own. When I saw that he had written an entire book about gear that was published just last year, I knew I should read it. Luckily, my library had recently ordered it for its collection. In this book, Skurka, explains what kind of gear people use for long-distance hiking. He discusses the pros and cons of the different options we have available these days. For instance, he writes about how the various fabrics used to make shirts each have strengths and weaknesses. He also explains how the technology of gear works so you can have a working knowledge of it when deciding which gear to purchase. The book also includes helpful info-graphics that give you a side-by-side comparison of the options for any given piece of gear, Skurka's own picks for several specific pieces of gear, and many small sections sprinkled throughout the book that contain relevant information such as how to take care of your feet. Although some people might not really enjoy all the technical writing about gear in this book, I think it is beneficial, although maybe not necessary, for any thru-hiker to know.
Since I hadn't read many memoirs of people thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, I decided I'd better pick up a few more. And I thought where better to start than with Dave Miller aka AWOL's, the author of the annually updated A.T. Guide (which, as I've read over and over again, is the best guide out there)? This book does not have the high entertainment factor as Bryson's book, but I don't think Miller was going for that. In fact, I don't think I'd recommend anyone who is not thru-hiking the Trail to read any thru-hikers' memoir, except A Walk in the Woods. That being said, people who are planning to thru-hike love this book. The fact that a middle-aged man leaves his job and his family (temporarily) to embark on an adventure of a lifetime is appealing. We see a lot of ourselves in him, since all of us have to give up our normal lives for a time, to answer the call to the Trail. Miller goes into the kinds of detail that will give the reader a sense of what a thru-hike is really all about: the experiences, the lifestyle, the terrain, the rain, the pain. Although Miller isn't philosophical too much in his recounting, I gleaned some gems from his story. He talked about how important it is to be an inspiration to his children, how he had to go on a thru-hike, because if he didn't they would see that he didn't follow his dream. They could of had a dad who stayed at home, sacrificing his own soul to maintain the status quo 9-5 job that isn't quite fulfilling enough. Another benefit I got from reading this book and other memoirs is a familiarization of the terrain. I now know names of certain mountains and features of the different states. I will know a little bit more of what to expect as I approach different places when I cast off my own work pants and go off to get lost in the mountains.
You can tell the author of this thru-hike memoir is an English professor right off the bat by his style of writing, not that it is pretentious or difficult to read by any means. Again, he is a middle-aged man who has left his career and family for this grand adventure. He is very philosophical throughout the book and quite honest as he lets his personality and ultimately human's broken-ness shine through. This is what appealed me to this story the most. He writes about the terrain, the physical hardships, and all the rest, but he has come out on this journey to find something missing, to escape something, and yet he cannot escape everything. He still has his own self to contend with and the end of the story is the end of his hike, not his life. Realistically, he cannot draw any neat conclusions or find some nice meaning tied up in a bow along the way. Perhaps though, he learns (and we learn through him) that life will always be filled with regret, mundaneness, unresolved relationships, room for growth and it isn't about reaching a conclusion or an ultimate solution to a problem.
This is a beautiful coffee-book table loaded with wonderful photographs of the scenery of all fourteen states in all seasons. The professional pictures showcase the mountains in all their glory, trees on a hillside peeking through the morning fog, icicles hanging off a snow-covered oak, and every other magical kind of scenery you could expect to find along the Appalachians. Included with the photos is the full history of the actual Trail itself, how it came to be from the minds of a few men to the large organized volunteer force who blazed the way. The content itself is quite boring to read, but it did give me a greater appreciation of all the effort that goes into building a trail over two thousand miles long! From organizing volunteers, to fundraising, to assembling leaders to fight for legislation that would give them the land, it really is nothing short of a miracle that in the midst of a highly modernized country is a small continues footpath that spans from the deep south to the far north.
Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr DavisThis memoir was a refreshing break from the three other memoirs I've read, all written by middle aged men. This one is written by a young woman fresh out of college. It was an enjoyable read just to see an AT thru-hike through a completely different perspective. Her story describes well what the culture along the Trail is like, highlighting trail angels and the different types of thru-hikers one could encounter. I did find the lessons she learned trite, but that is exactly what I would expect from a young woman experiencing post-college, real-world stuff for the first time. It isn't a bad read, especially if you're a young woman who wants to know what it might be like to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
This book doesn't ever specifically discuss the Appalachian Trail, but given the title, I thought it might be a good read anyhow and shed some light on the mental, emotional, spiritual etc. beauties of walking. I shouldn't have expected that. I was disappointed in this book, thinking it could have been so much more. Mostly he discusses weird, and sometimes funny, historical exploits involving people walking along with his own personal history of walking in the places he has lived. It wasn't a bad book, especially considering it is about a mundane topic familiar to most human beings. It just really gave me nothing to think about in terms of walking the Appalachian Trail. Maybe if it was called the Lost Art of Long-Distance Hiking or Backpacking it would have been more up my alley.
Southern Appalachian Poetry
This is a great collection of poetry. Including work by thirty-seven different poets, there are several different styles and perspectives in this book, so if one doesn't quite move you, another will be sure to. The poems are uniquely tied together by common elements that reveal the culture of Southern Appalachia in some beautiful ways. Although it is in no way necessary it is nice to get a glimpse of the culture and history of the places you are traveling through. Instead of writing more I will share a poem that seems like it could be written by a thru-hiker.
Shenandoah
Flurries of dogwood, fields clouded with cows,
Floridians climbing the slopes slower than spring:
time thins with air, whole hours suspended
perfect as birds gliding the wind's high ridge,
the blue earth's turning speed enough. Whole
days
days
condense to a moment: the flame azaleas
and cardinals, the soft green curtain ridge
pleated between peaks, the vanishing points
soundless again under the sky's bright tiding
and remote as the blue relief of the heart.
-Michael McFee
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
My wife picked up this book from a shelter while thruhiking and I read it after she did. It isn't about thruhiking the Appalachian Trail, but about a woman's hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It is humorous at times like A Walk in the Woods, but also deeply personal, and so much more engrossing. There is a lot about the therapeutic nature of hiking a long-distance Trail and about the general culture and day-to-day aspects of Trail-life. Some of it is specific to the Pacific Crest Trail, but her story is so wild and full, I expect anyone who reads it will feel at least some tug to get out and hike a long-distance Trail for themselves. So if you need inspiration and like a good story, this book is a great, quick read. There is also a movie of the same name coming out in December, 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon. I'm sure, again, both the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail will see an influx of thruhikers this coming season.
My wife picked up this book from a shelter while thruhiking and I read it after she did. It isn't about thruhiking the Appalachian Trail, but about a woman's hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It is humorous at times like A Walk in the Woods, but also deeply personal, and so much more engrossing. There is a lot about the therapeutic nature of hiking a long-distance Trail and about the general culture and day-to-day aspects of Trail-life. Some of it is specific to the Pacific Crest Trail, but her story is so wild and full, I expect anyone who reads it will feel at least some tug to get out and hike a long-distance Trail for themselves. So if you need inspiration and like a good story, this book is a great, quick read. There is also a movie of the same name coming out in December, 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon. I'm sure, again, both the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail will see an influx of thruhikers this coming season.
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