Reviews

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller

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hollyemello's review

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5.0

slferg's review

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5.0

Not happy with his job, after talking with his wife about hiking the Appalachian Trail when they retired, Miller decided he would go ahead and thru-hike the trail. He began to get ready, getting in condition and trying to decide what gear he needed. He asked for leave of absence to hike, but was denied. So, he quit his job. The book is about his journey from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. It's about his experiences, the people he meets and the friends he makes on the Trail. He made a deal with his local Florida newspaper to write a weekly article on his trip and he joined the Appalachian Trail Journal website. He trail name is AWOL. He hears from people he follow him on-line while he is hiking. And he runs into other hikers who also journal and follow him as well. Almost everyone thru-hiking has a trail name, a nickname they are known by to other hikers.
He gives lots of advice about things he learned and picked up on the trail while hiking for anyone who might be interested in trying a thru-hike, or even hiking.

dspacenine's review

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4.0

Great retelling of an AT trail through hike. I think what fascinated me most was the recurring updates of other hikers that he met and re-set along the way, as well as the feel the reader gets for just how physically difficult this hike is. It's not something everyone can do, and taking the hike vicariously as a rapt reader I feel like I've lived part of the experience.

lucymcclellan's review

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4.0

I’m finally ready to bluff my way into an AT thru-hikers’ convention.

nadoislandgirl's review

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4.0

This book is to the AT what I expected [b:Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|12262741|Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|Cheryl Strayed|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453189881l/12262741._SY75_.jpg|17237712] to be to the PCT, that is, a kind of travelogue about the physical experience of thru hiking. Wild did not meet my expectations, being too much a memoir about sex and drugs. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail went the opposite way! So much daily minutia (like what he ate, how many miles each day, how many blisters he had), and hardly any big picture or emotional journey.

But on the other hand, perhaps the book was like the journey itself: long and full of the day to day repetitive actions that go with thru hiking.

All that to say, I did like it and would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in backpacking.

bibliomaineiac's review

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4.0

4.5 stars. I've read several tales of hiking the Appalachian Trail. This one is one of the best. I especially liked the end, as he described Katahdin. Having climbed the Hunt Trail (the part of the AT that ends at the summit of Katahdin), I understood some of his feelings, even though I didn't do the AT. It was nice to have a description of the mountain, as many times, other books only briefly describe the hike. Having listened to the audio book, I am likely to purchase the physical book, because it was so good.