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readingjax's review
3.0
The hiking, amazing. The book, meh. That’s okay though, because Legend (trail name) is a hiker, not a writer.
bhoppenrath0607's review
4.0
Solid book. Better than most I’ve read about the trail but sometimes the descriptions get a little redundant. Overall, makes me want to do a calendar year triple crown.
n8ure's review against another edition
5.0
Epic Adventure and Amazing Story!
If you like hiking/backpacking memoirs you’ll love this one. An absolute epic and astounding adventure that kept me entertained the entire way. Well done!
If you like hiking/backpacking memoirs you’ll love this one. An absolute epic and astounding adventure that kept me entertained the entire way. Well done!
hmatt's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
2.5
My bias is really showing with this generous rating. This is a self-published account from someone who admittedly did not have plans to release it until there was social media pressure - and it reads like that.
I thoroughly enjoy following Legend's pursuits via social media/online channels, and because of this I guess I have a sense of... probably not his personality, but at least how he publicly addresses his audience. This same slightly-sarcastic, throwaway "voice" was really strong throughout the book, but I don't think it translated well to the medium.
The whole account reads like a series of blog posts strung together; which, I didn't do the research, but I'm assuming it is? Or at least something similarly repackaged. The writing style was unrefined, definitely unedited, and it lingered on certain events while completely bypassing others. There are so many throwaway comments that hint towards really interesting stories - that we never get. Similarly, there are short phrases where the narration becomes introspective, but these are never dwelled on - this is not amongst the more "philosophical" hiking accounts, and it doesn't really try to be. I wish there was less of the foreshadow-y "I would come to regret this in X hours..." filler text, and I wish he held back on explaining simple terms like "glamping" in a text that is so obviously for a niche audience.
One thing that I felt was done quite well is how the account makes you feel like you're alongside Legend for every hour of the 252-day-long hike. Days that are skipped in the account fade into the background. Towards the end, I was actively looking for these time-skips and could hardly spot them. A recurring theme I really didn't enjoy, though, was the often laissez-faire, bordering on entitled, attitude towards receiving "trail magic" or free support along the way. It upset me to read this over and over throughout the book. However, I decided that I'm going to think the best of Legend and assume this is either a poor expression of his feelings at the time in writing, or that his attitude has shifted in the time and ~20k miles hiked since this trip.
If you're already interested in the whole thru-hiking culture, and maybe you've read some of the quintessential accounts already and are fine with a straightforward, no-nonsense retelling of a white guy's CYTC trek, this'll get the job done. I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory or seminal text, though.
Also, one thing I didn't do but that would have been fun is following along with Legend's instagram posts from the corresponding time while reading.
I thoroughly enjoy following Legend's pursuits via social media/online channels, and because of this I guess I have a sense of... probably not his personality, but at least how he publicly addresses his audience. This same slightly-sarcastic, throwaway "voice" was really strong throughout the book, but I don't think it translated well to the medium.
The whole account reads like a series of blog posts strung together; which, I didn't do the research, but I'm assuming it is? Or at least something similarly repackaged. The writing style was unrefined, definitely unedited, and it lingered on certain events while completely bypassing others. There are so many throwaway comments that hint towards really interesting stories - that we never get. Similarly, there are short phrases where the narration becomes introspective, but these are never dwelled on - this is not amongst the more "philosophical" hiking accounts, and it doesn't really try to be. I wish there was less of the foreshadow-y "I would come to regret this in X hours..." filler text, and I wish he held back on explaining simple terms like "glamping" in a text that is so obviously for a niche audience.
One thing that I felt was done quite well is how the account makes you feel like you're alongside Legend for every hour of the 252-day-long hike. Days that are skipped in the account fade into the background. Towards the end, I was actively looking for these time-skips and could hardly spot them. A recurring theme I really didn't enjoy, though, was the often laissez-faire, bordering on entitled, attitude towards receiving "trail magic" or free support along the way. It upset me to read this over and over throughout the book. However, I decided that I'm going to think the best of Legend and assume this is either a poor expression of his feelings at the time in writing, or that his attitude has shifted in the time and ~20k miles hiked since this trip.
If you're already interested in the whole thru-hiking culture, and maybe you've read some of the quintessential accounts already and are fine with a straightforward, no-nonsense retelling of a white guy's CYTC trek, this'll get the job done. I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory or seminal text, though.
Also, one thing I didn't do but that would have been fun is following along with Legend's instagram posts from the corresponding time while reading.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Vomit, and Alcoholism
Tagging alcoholism not because there is alcoholism but there are a couple of references to the author getting in a car where he knew the driver had been/was actively drinking.
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