AWOL on the Appalachian Path
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(as of Dec 12, 2024 22:27:36 UTC – Particulars)
In 2003, software program engineer David Miller left his job, household, and pals to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Path. AWOL on the Appalachian Path is Miller’s account of this thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. Listeners are handled to wealthy descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a much less typical path by way of life. Whereas this e-book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it additionally supplies helpful passages about mountain climbing gear and planning. This isn’t merely a journey information; it’s a superbly written and extremely private view into one man’s journey and the insights gained by abandoning what’s snug and routine.
Clients say
Clients discover the e-book nice, entertaining, and informative. In addition they discover the creator’s writing model and element distinctive, swift, and descriptive. Readers admire the lifelike depiction of the Appalachian Path. Moreover, they reward the creator’s honesty.
AI-generated from the textual content of buyer critiques
Christine –
Great read!
Inspiring, encouraging, and informative! Traveling the AT with AWOL walks us through the struggles, the challenges, the celebrations. A lot of great insight for those who want to take a leap of faith!
P.J. –
An excellent look into one man’s thru-hike
After the last book I read, I had been looking for a book that really grabbed me and made me want to keep reading. Though I don’t ever intend on hiking the Appalachian Trail, I do like reading about it through trail journals and books. That led me to AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, a wonderful account of one man’s mid-life hike of the historic trail.It’s the second book I read on hiking the trail and it gave a very good account of the hike and what you encounter during such a long thru-hike.Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was well done and you could tell that the writer kept good details in his journal during the hike. It also probably didn’t hurt that he wrote a newspaper article every week or two during his hike.As for the book…THE GOODDetails! The best way I can describe this book is that it’s almost a play-by-play of his hike. The details are many and really capture the essence of a thru-hike like this. Remember, the Appalachian Trail is more than 2,000 miles long, so there are a lot of things to journal and encounter. Items such as animals, other wildlife, people, stopping in towns, injuries and everything else you can consider. Author David Miller really gives you the feel of what it’s like to be on the trail. From not shaving, to days without a shower — you can almost smell (ewww!) what it’s like to be a hiker. His tribulations with hiking shoes or dealing with hikers who seem to uppity to talk to other hikers, he gives you ever piece of what his trip was like.That makes it hard to put the book down.It took me about 10 days to finish the book. There were a few days in there that I didn’t read, but the book flowed well and it went quick. I looked forward to reading it each time I picked up my Kindle.Another positive to the book was it wasn’t all cake and candy. By that I mean, everything wasn’t “Oh yay! The Appalachian Trail rules and this was so easy!”Miller gets into the negatives of his hike. Such as being away from his wife and three kids for so many months. He takes us into the mind of a thru-hiker with the urge (though with Miller, it never seemed too big of an urge as he knew what he did to be able to hike and didn’t want to leave the trail). But it’s not an easy thing to do, mentally and physically. The amount of food he goes through and the constant, nagging injuries are things that he dealt with.He also shows what hikers have to go through each day. From hiking anywhere from 10-30 miles in a day, to the terrain, to having to hitchhike into towns or trying to get food and water while on the trail, Miller’s account of the hike is something anyone considering this hike should read.THE BADAs much of a positive as the play-by play is, it can also be a negative, though not in a major way. There were times that I wondered how much fun he actually had. If I’m on a trail for 4-6 months and am meeting so many people and staying in different spots, I’m going to have to have some fun. At times, Miller starts to talk about the good times, but then abruptly moves on to hiking the next day. I think a few more details and some good humor in parts would have given the book a little extra oomph.Outside of that, there’s not many negatives with this book. He offered a few opinions in the book that I think could have been left out and there were parts that I would have liked expanded with explanations, but overall there weren’t many bad things about the book.OVERALL THOUGHTSNot many books could get me to be interested in hiking 2,000-plus miles. The reality is, this is a hike I’ll likely never try to attempt as being on the trail for six months just isn’t something I’m interested in doing. That being said, his account of the hike really could get someone interested in thinking about this hike. From the amount of bears he saw to the nature and people he encountered, it’s a writer’s dream to be on that trail.But every batch of goods had bads, including weather, rough people to deal with or running out of key items (such as water). The physical and mental toll it takes on a person is something that everyone should consider.Still, as Miller shows in the book, it’s something that people from all walks of life have done and it’s something many people could do, if they put their mind to it. His account isn’t sugar-coated and he gives a real feel of what it would be like to take this thru-hike.I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys hiking, outdoors or just a good read about a real-life adventure.
C.Wallace –
Super Hike
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone. It’s suitable for all readers, young, old, and in between. It has a refreshingly positive tone. Many books and films that I have reviewed for this site just can’t shake an underlying cynicism. None of that here.It’s the memoir of David Miller, who spent about five months in 2003 covering the 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia’s Springer Mountain to Katahdin Mountain in Maine. He was a thru-hiker who covered the entire distance in one trip, in contrast to section hikers, or day hikers, who only cover a small portion of the trail. Some people cover the whole trail, but the journey is spread out over several years: a few days here and there. Also, Miller was a “purist,” meaning that he did not do things like hitch a ride on a nearby road to journey perhaps several miles further toward the end, claiming that he would come back later to make it up. (It seems that most who do this sort of thing never make it up.) Miller was also careful to double back and cover any of the trail that he may have missed if he had to hike off the trail to reach a shelter or a town.He worked as a computer programmer before this Super Hike. His employer would not grant him a leave to take the hike, so he had to actually quit his job, hoping the company would later hire him back. At forty-one, he was much older than a large percentage of the others who have tried this demanding task. He was married with three young children. Many marriages would be severely strained by such an extended absence. He was not rich, so for five months he had no income while he was spending significant sums for such things as gear, food, and shelter. (Sometimes he simply wanted to splurge by stuffing himself at a nice restaurant and staying at a comfortable hotel.)He also faced the daunting challenges of this trail, most of which traverses very primitive, rugged, mountainous terrain. Miller does not sugar coat anything. Challenges ranged from the very unpleasant but basically trivial to the life threatening.Miller suffered from blisters on his feet and developed a serious foot infection. He sprained an ankle and required medical attention.He usually covered at least fifteen miles a day, and frequently covered more than twenty. This would be tough even if one simply walked around a track in a city. He often walked through pounding rain and, on occasion, fierce lightning.Some of the hikers he encountered were surly. Some would not offer any help. One was eccentric, projected a menacing aura, and was likely a petty thief.But the majority of the hikers he saw were friendly and helpful. Miller typically shared a very primitive shelter for the night with a small group. Sometimes he would hike along with others. They shared their food with him. Many of the people who lived along the trail would welcome him to stay and eat in their homes for free. (There are thousands of volunteers who live around the trail who help maintain it.) Most of the people who charged for food and shelter did not charge very much and clearly liked the idea of helping the hikers.I thought this book was a terrific read. The prose flowed smoothly. Miller has a good sense of humor which he wove into his account. He demonstrated the hard way that much can be accomplished by people who are tough and persistent.
Phyllis Simmons –
Awesome Book
An interesting, thought provoking tale of an everyday guy hiking the Appalachian Trail. A really great book! AWOL you sound like a great guy!
W. Bradford Searson –
Truly Excellent Adventure Narrative
What a pleasure to read this honest and superbly written account of a genuine adventure. The book was hard to put down, and I found myself looking forward every night to joining the author on his next section of the Appalachian Trail.
bala –
Reading the book is as good as walking with author, excellent presentation. As usual I skip personal info, boils, bulges, pain and puss, but enjoy the scenery, view, data and minimal history. Felt better reading this than Brusons coverage of same AT. ð
Dale –
This book was amazing to read even though it full of reasons not to do the walk it truly inspires you to want to go and do the walk. An amazing read a must for all how want the Adventure
David Wright –
I am so glad that I discovered this book. I have always enjoyed hiking and was able to do quite a bit on the Bruce Trail while living in Niagara region. This story was inspiring indeed and would have convinced me to make a similar adventure except that at 78+ years of age, perhaps something a little less demanding.Thank you David Miller for sharing th.
Peter –
Didnât think Iâd become so engrossedâ¦.not usually the type of book I read. I do love physical activity and hiking. The authors diet on the trail made me squirm. Felt sad when the book ended. Iâd like to thank AWOL for such an enjoyable read.I need to remind myself that it was written about 20 yrs ago.
Davide –
A volte noioso, come l’AT del resto, stando a quello che scrive l’autore, ma ti fa venire voglia di provarci e, soprattutto, ti fa pensare che sia possibile farlo.