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A review by hmonkeyreads
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller
4.0
This is the second memoir about hiking the AT that I have read in the last few weeks and this second title was worlds better than the first.
Miller is a 40 something cube dweller who decided to quit his job and thru hike the AT. He's a regular middle class guy with a wife, three kids, and a normal "happy" life. But he's miserable and he needs a shakeup and his wife agrees to let him go on this mid-life adventure. I admit, that as a 40 something cube dweller, I was sympathetic and invested in his story from the get-go.
Miller is good at making you feel like you are experiencing the hike along with him. I felt like I understood the terrain, the conditions of the shelters, the discomfort and tweaks associated with a heavy pack and the wrong (or eventually right) shoes. I learned more about other hikers, more about animals and trail conditions than I did in the other book. He describes both the beauty and wonder of the trail and the total misery of it in equal measure. He shares his uncertainty about his decision to be on the trail. He shares is uncertainly about some of the other characters he meets along the way. Most are benign and good companions but others....not so much. It made for very interesting story telling.
Overall, a very enjoyable read if books about hiking are your cup of tea.
Miller is a 40 something cube dweller who decided to quit his job and thru hike the AT. He's a regular middle class guy with a wife, three kids, and a normal "happy" life. But he's miserable and he needs a shakeup and his wife agrees to let him go on this mid-life adventure. I admit, that as a 40 something cube dweller, I was sympathetic and invested in his story from the get-go.
Miller is good at making you feel like you are experiencing the hike along with him. I felt like I understood the terrain, the conditions of the shelters, the discomfort and tweaks associated with a heavy pack and the wrong (or eventually right) shoes. I learned more about other hikers, more about animals and trail conditions than I did in the other book. He describes both the beauty and wonder of the trail and the total misery of it in equal measure. He shares his uncertainty about his decision to be on the trail. He shares is uncertainly about some of the other characters he meets along the way. Most are benign and good companions but others....not so much. It made for very interesting story telling.
Overall, a very enjoyable read if books about hiking are your cup of tea.