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A review by lewismillholland
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller
3.0
In 2015, BuzzFeed recruited then-President Barack Obama to act out a video titled "Things Everyone Does But Doesn't Talk About." It opens with a young man slowly mouthing the word "Wed-nes-day" in front of a mirror, and then we cut to Obama struggling to say that the deadline to sign up for the ACA is February. "Febrerary. Fe-ru-ary." The back-and-forths continue, with both men alternately taking selfies and miming free-throws. The most iconic piece of the video is when Obama dips a cookie into a glass of milk, only to realize the neck is too narrow. He shakes his head and mutters, "Thanks Obama."
To some, it was a clever homage to a dank meme. To others, it was the end of an era, specifically to the subreddit r/ThanksObama which shut down that same day. "THE MAN HIMSELF USED THE DAMN JOKE," user kvachon posted. "CANT TOP THIS. WE'RE DONE."
Similarly, consider "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail." It's the end of the A.T. travelogue. The book is written with utilitarian intent, in the same sense as Animal Farm -- there's a purpose to the book, a purpose that is accomplished without deviating into poetic language or auxiliary ideas. And what it sets out to do it accomplished magnificently and, more importantly, with finality. Barring a fundamental change in Appalachian Trail, this is the end of the A.T. travelogue-style genre.
So what comes next? If a person hikes 2,200 miles, they'll likely have something to say. There's always room for amateur, hyper-specific accounts on trailjournals.com. And there's room for works on the emotional products of hiking (although "Wild" may have dominated that particular subgenre). And there's room for stories with the A.T. as a piece of the whole, rather than the focus. But any story that tries to succinctly yet comprehensively discuss the act of hiking the A.T. is now unnecessary. Thanks, AWOL.
To some, it was a clever homage to a dank meme. To others, it was the end of an era, specifically to the subreddit r/ThanksObama which shut down that same day. "THE MAN HIMSELF USED THE DAMN JOKE," user kvachon posted. "CANT TOP THIS. WE'RE DONE."
Similarly, consider "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail." It's the end of the A.T. travelogue. The book is written with utilitarian intent, in the same sense as Animal Farm -- there's a purpose to the book, a purpose that is accomplished without deviating into poetic language or auxiliary ideas. And what it sets out to do it accomplished magnificently and, more importantly, with finality. Barring a fundamental change in Appalachian Trail, this is the end of the A.T. travelogue-style genre.
So what comes next? If a person hikes 2,200 miles, they'll likely have something to say. There's always room for amateur, hyper-specific accounts on trailjournals.com. And there's room for works on the emotional products of hiking (although "Wild" may have dominated that particular subgenre). And there's room for stories with the A.T. as a piece of the whole, rather than the focus. But any story that tries to succinctly yet comprehensively discuss the act of hiking the A.T. is now unnecessary. Thanks, AWOL.