Review: AWOL on the Appalachian Trail

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book for one of my kids but ended up reading it myself. It is essentially a journal (a solidly well-written journal) of one man's hike of the entire Appalachian Trail. I started out with a "not particularly interested in this" feeling but quickly found myself fully invested in this man's determination to do the AT. The injuries, the oddballs encountered along the way, the AT culture and economy - these were all thought-provoking. However, the daily debates in the life of the mind in which he is consumed when he is fighting with himself over whether he should (for example) do that extra 3 miles or pitch a tent....this was gripping. If you have goals, if you are trying hard to achieve something which is tough and which makes you weary to the bone, then you know this mental battle, too. There is a voice telling you to quit and a voice telling you to look for solutions and carry on. This book will definitely inspire you to go the distance!

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