AWOL On The Appalachian Trail (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
I love a good outdoor memoir, and this is an excellent account of a man who quit his job in 2003 to hike all 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. David Miller has a straightforward writing style and is blunt about how punishing the trail can be; his woes during the hike included a sprained ankle, infected blisters, knee pain and blackened toenails.Despite such setbacks, Miller was a strong hiker and often covered more than 20 miles a day -- an impressive pace considering he was carrying a 35-pound backpack and that the trail has innumerable ascents and descents. He had some nice passages on why he chose to hike the trail and what the adventure meant to him:"Working a nine-to-five job took more energy than I had expected, leaving less time to pursue diverse interests. I grew to detest the statement 'I am a...' with the sentence completed by an occupational title. Self-help books emphasize 'defining priorities' and 'staying focused,' euphemisms for specialization and stifling spontaneity. Our vision becomes so narrow that risk is trying a new brand of cereal, and adventure is watching a new sitcom. Over time I have elevated my opinion of nonconformity nearly to the level of an obligation. We should have a bias toward doing activities that we don't normally do to keep loose the moorings of society.""It is easiest to characterize the AT in terms of its most challenging and spectacular features. Most people have experienced the difficulty of steep uphill climbs, rocky terrain, and pestering bugs. Likewise, spectacular overlooks and scenic waterfalls have universal appeal. But I have come to recognize that most of what is memorable and pleasing about my time on the trail is ordinary moments in the outdoors. Simply sitting unhurried in the shade of leaves is an irreplaceable moment. It is a joy in itself to amble through the woods for hours, even when views are limited to the dense trees surrounding me. It is fulfilling to be saturated with the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors. My fond recollections of my hike are full of unremarkable moments, like the smell of a dewy morning, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the blaze of a campfire, the soothing trickle of a stream, or the rays of sun through a maze of trees."From the Epilogue:"As a result of my hike, I am much more inclined to do things. I will have fewer 'should have dones,' even if it means incurring some 'wish I hadn'ts.' I have changed in smaller ways, too. I am friendlier and more patient. I worry less about money. I can get by with less. It is as pleasing to get rid of old stuff as it is to get new stuff. Excess is a burden, even when you are not carrying it around on your back."Sidenote: I am also a fan of Bill Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods," which is a more humorous take on walking the Appalachian Trail. However, those familiar with Bryson's book know that he didn't come close to walking the entire trail -- he only did a few sections. Part of the reason I enjoyed Miller's book so much is that it filled in the blanks on what the rest of the trail was like.
"Experience is enriched by reliving it, contemplating it, and trying to describe it to another person."David tells of the 5 months he quit his job, took on the name Awol, and hiked the AT from Georgia to Maine.Growing up, my dad would take my sisters and I on hikes to the Appalachian Mountain Club huts in the White Mountains. For a few days every summer, we'd hike (sometimes unwillingly), enjoy nature (or not, the summer it hailed), fill out our Junior Naturalist worksheets (no downsides here!), and spent quality time (or, on grumpier days, "quantity time") in the mountains. Each year was a different hut, a different hike, different weather, but one thing was constant: our encounters and fascination with thru-hikers. Rugged, hairy, able to hike more in an afternoon than our untrained legs could handle in a weekend, they were living legends. From these experiences, we grew familiar with the AT and were excited to see the headquarters in Harpers Ferry or the trail magic when we drove through the Smokies. But none of us has attempted (or, I guess, will attempt) a thru-hike. Still, every once in a while, I'll think about the trail, and follow parts of strangers' journeys on trailjournals.com. It was in the middle of this phase that I found this book on my family's shared kindle, and decided to give it a try.Like the journals of current thru-hikers, much of the story is Awol counting miles, naming peaks and campsites, thinking about food, meeting fellow hikers, and worrying about the unending aches inherent in a 2200-mile hike. Unlike the current journals, David has had time to insert minor foreshadowing and personal philosophies. And you can read through the whole trip without waiting for five months! It's a good compromise between the daily life on the trail and the overall impact of the trail and the hikers on each other. (Still, if you don't want to hear about popping blisters and losing toenails, this might not be your book.)In response to the book, many people have told Awol that he inspired them to hike the AT. His reply? "Clearly these readers have not paid attention to what I have written." Whether hoping to hike the trail or not, AWOL on the AT makes for a very good vicarious voyage.My favorite passage:"But I have come to recognize that most of what is memorable and pleasing about my time on the trail is ordinary moments in the outdoors. Simply sitting unhurried in the shade of leaves is an irreplaceable moment. It is a joy in itself to amble through the woods for hours, even when views are limited to the dense trees surrounding me. It is fulfilling to be saturated with the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors. My fond recollections of my hike are full of unremarkable moments, like the smell of a dewey morning, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the blaze of a campfire, the soothing trickle of a stream, or rays of sun through a maze of trees."Makes you want to take a hike, right?
What do You think about AWOL On The Appalachian Trail (2006)?
The best thing about this book is that my son would easily fall asleep when I read it to him. He focuses on tedious descriptions of the less-interesting aspects of hiking while glossing over or ignoring the interesting locations and their history. There were not enough pictures and those included were of poor quality and in black and white (at least in the kindle version). His transitions were jumpy and sometimes confusing. It was really just a log of events lacking any meaningful insights or interesting facts. At most this is useful if you are thinking of hiking the AT and want a feel for what it's like from day to day. If you want to read about the AT I would recommend A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson. This book just made me want to read that one again.
—Samuel
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail (2011) by David Miller is an account of Miller's thru hike of the Appalachian Trail (AT). On the walk Miller got the name AWOL. The AT is a 3500 km trail along the Appalachian range and beyond from Georgia to Maine. The book is very matter of fact. Much of the book reads like:"I got up, my feet were saw, I hiked ~20 miles, I met hiker Y,J,K and L. Most were great. I walked along the dramatic trail near M". Almost all the hikers are good folks, maybe two or three aren't. AWOL's feet get really messed up. But he makes it. If a detailed account of the trail and the tribulations appeals to you then this book will. There is surprisingly little about how his wife put up with his 4 month disappearance and why he decided to do the AT rather than, say, take a month off a year and hike it or hike the Camino or something else.This book is quite a contrast to Wild by Cheryl Strayed which is really mostly about Strayed with a little about her hike. Ideally a blend between the two that managed to express a bit more of the wonder of what must be beautiful hiking and the achievement of such a long hike would be great. Still, the book is quite enjoyable. It's not a masterpiece but it is clearly inspiring for a lot of people
—Pete
I'm a sucker for any long-distance hiking anything book. They give me a false sense of "I could totally do that," even though I get cranky if I don't shower every morning and the longest hike I've ever taken was 6 hours, and that was 16 years ago, and it was ONE time, and I'm pretty sure I complained the entire way. His matter-of-fact style of writing was really enjoyable for this type of book. It threatened to get a little dry sometimes, but I never got bored. I appreciate not having to listen to long winded explanations of the beauty of a certain stump of wood, or some rambling existentialism - they have their place in some books of this nature, but this is a succinct, anti-climactic, cut & dry "this is what happened when I walked a gazillion miles" journal thing. Can't complain, it was really interesting, he didn't overdramtize for the sake of suspense, just a solid, factual account of one guy's hike through 11 states. Worth the read if you're into this genre.
—Emma
