David Miller's Adventure on the Appalachian Trail: An Unforgettable Journey of Discovery

russell turner: Did read yrs ago .. just finished it again ..
says it all .
Really inspiring and honest.
Can’t wait to do it .
Hats off to your mrs too 👍

United Kingdom on May 25, 2023

Amazon Customer: Enjoyed every footstep,every up and down,think I will get my walking boots out and move a bit more , well done 👍

United Kingdom on Jan 14, 2023

B Frost: I'm into reading trail books. By that I mean the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appellation trail and the Trans Continental Divide and having read several, this is the best so far.
Such huge undertakings, monumental even, something we ordinary people can only dream of. The ever present dread of snakes or coming face to face with a bear.
You find you walk every step with the author, enter his thoughts and almost walk every step with them (in your mind only.)
AWOL, I found is a really pleasant guy, nobody bothers to describe their surrounds like AWOL does. At times his words almost reach the height of poetry. That's the higher accolade I can give you AWOL.
All in all, a great read. Walk on dear friend.

United Kingdom on Oct 23, 2022

Mike N: The top rated review for this book describes it as "mundane" because it repeats much of the same - he hikes, he sleeps, he eats.

My response to that would be: you're reading a book about a guy that hiked over 2000 miles. What do you expect him to do?

So yes, there is a certain amount of repetition, in that he does much the same things every day. This, to me, contributes to the fact that the book stands as a good description of what it is like to hike long distances, and the day-to-day description is interspersed with information about people he meets along the way, a bit of info about the AT itself, wildlife sightings etc.

I think when a book that describes something incredibly hard, almost always painful, and potentially dangerous makes you want to go out and do that something, well, then it can only be a well-written book. I personally found it uplifting, though perhaps that's something to do with the fact that I'm a 40-something in the IT world with a family - it certainly made it easy to relate to his situation, and the reasons for him going AWOL in the first place.

A pleasant read, but watch out - you may want to give up your job and go and hike...

United Kingdom on Mar 04, 2015

Danielle: Dieses Buch handelt von dem langen Weg vom Springer Mountain in Georgia bis zum Mount Katahdin in Maine, genannt "The Appalachian Trail", den der Autor David Miller mit dem Trailnamen AWOL (Absent without official leave)im Jahr 2003 in Angriff genommen hat.

Was dieses Buch für mich so besonders macht, ist, dass man jeden Meter mit AWOL am Weg ist. Er führt den Leser geschickt durch die Höhen und Tiefen einer so langen Wanderung, er teilt seine Sorgen und Freuden mit uns und versucht nicht, aufgesetzt etwas über die Geschichte oder die Kultur rund um den Trail zu vermitteln.

Emotionen kommen sehr gut rüber und auch die Erlebnisse mit anderen Menschen machen das Buch lesenswert. Die Unterteilung ist geht gewählt und wenn man schon ein wenig über den AT weiß, dann freut man sich mit Miller, wenn er die nächste Landmark" oder die nächste größere Stadt erreicht hat.

Gerade weil David Miller vor allem über die Herausforderungen schreibt, kann man dem Buch sehr gut folgen. Wie hoch müssen Essensäcke hängen, damit kein Bär dazu kommt? Wie viele Mäuse sind in einem Shelter noch aushaltbar? Was, wenn man eigentlich nicht mehr kann, aber keinesfalls...

Germany on Jun 11, 2013

L: OK. This is the fourth (fifth?) hiking book I've read, written by people who have hurt their feet. So read this!

I believe in boots, not shoes. Mid height, light weight Goretex boots. (Only one hook after the grommets on the foot). Also, a very light-weight gator. Worth the weight, IMHO. Your feet will stay drier, hence fewer blisters, and the extra height keeps the foot from sliding forward so much.

First, buy some  Smartwool Men's Hiking Medium Crew Sock  socks - both mid weight and lightweight. When your feet are swollen, you can switch to the lighter weight socks. Make sure they are nice and SNUG. They will not shrink.

Now, at night, when your feet are bigger, go to either REI or LL Bean, (and I think EMS) whose return policies are best. SAVE YOUR RECEIPT.

Look at the boots on display. Then look at your feet. Are your feet narrow? Maybe a  Vasque Men's Gore-TEX Hiker Boot  boot. Are they wide? A  KEEN Men's Targhee II Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot  would be a better choice. Of course, some of the better boots come in widths.

Pick a boot in about your size -these days, the sizes are all over the place. Sit down and...

United States on Jan 21, 2013

P.J.: After the last book I read, I had been looking for a book that really grabbed me and made me want to keep reading. Though I don't ever intend on hiking the Appalachian Trail, I do like reading about it through trail journals and books. That led me to AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, a wonderful account of one man's mid-life hike of the historic trail.

It's the second book I read on hiking the trail and it gave a very good account of the hike and what you encounter during such a long thru-hike.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was well done and you could tell that the writer kept good details in his journal during the hike. It also probably didn't hurt that he wrote a newspaper article every week or two during his hike.

As for the book...

THE GOOD

Details! The best way I can describe this book is that it's almost a play-by-play of his hike. The details are many and really capture the essence of a thru-hike like this. Remember, the Appalachian Trail is more than 2,000 miles long, so there are a lot of things to journal and encounter. Items such as animals, other wildlife, people, stopping in towns, injuries and everything else you can consider....

United States on May 09, 2011