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Awol on the Appalachian Trail: Second Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: David Miller
Publisher: Wingspan Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $11.16
You Save: $4.79 (30%)
New (2) Used (1) from $10.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 35819
Media: Perfect Paperback
Edition: Second
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1595941096
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781595941091
ASIN: 1595941096
Publication Date: October 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
In 2003 David Miller, a 41 year-old engineer, quit his job to backpack 2172 miles from Georgia to Maine. His story is told here in Awol on the Appalachian Trail, an outstanding contemporary account of hiking on the A.T. It provides a vivid description of the Appalachian Mountains, the small towns threaded together by the trail, and people met along the way. Abundant photographs complement the book's exacting prose. This book puts the reader into the shoes of the long distance hiker, and draws parallels between lessons learned on the trail and challenges of everyday experience. It is entertaining and funny, insightful and informative. It is about liberation, motivation and perseverance. This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to break free from routine, anyone with a desire for adventure.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
Great Book - Inspiring April 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I just finished this book an hour ago. I grew up about a half mile from the AT near Hagerstown, MD and always enjoyed the trail growing up. I have recently decided to get back into hiking since I moved closer to home again and this book was a great motivator. It showcases what it takes to make it the whole way through the trail (something I have always contemplated) and all the feelings that come along with such an undertaking. Reading this book was time well spent. I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did - Thanks to David for writing it!
Conspicuous by His Absence March 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are even remotely thinking of an extended journey in the wilderness, you should read this book. If you are going to hike the Appalachian Trail, you must read this. David has laid down an all encompassing view of the long-haul wilderness experience, the awkwardness of trail alliances, the elation of meeting like-minded folks, the emotional price extracted by time away from family and home, the satisfaction of making it solo,from beginning to end under your own power. He does a fine job of relating the day to day life on the trail. It is informative, well-paced, and a fine story as well.
If you are not contemplating a journey of your own, AWOL is worth your time as a good read. It will show you a world that exists for those who make the decision to make someday happen. David did just that when he put his footprints on the trail from Georgia to Maine. He was good enough to share it with the rest of us.
By far the best book on the AT that I have read February 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Out of all the AT books I have read this one seems to really explain the true experience of the "trail". The author tells the good and the bad experiences and makes you feel like your walking with him and cheering him on at times and at other times like your experiencing the pain of the trail with him. GREAT Book a must read if your thinking of taking the hike the whole way or just for a weekend.
Betty
 Good for what it is, but limited in the big picture February 7, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
What I like about this book is that it gives a pretty accurate depiction of the experience involved in hiking the AT. The ups and downs. The ins and outs, including lots of info about the logistics associated with a thru-hike. What I don't like is that the author isn't terrible eloquent or reflective, although the book improves as it progresses. In this respect, I prefer something like "A Walk in the Woods" to this book since, while that book isn't as comprehensive as this book, it has a certain spirit that this book lacks. This book tends to be very matter-of-fact, describing specific mileposts in detail, but without adding enough of the "big picture." One of the most awkward aspects of this book is the way in which various events and characters are introduced without any clear purpose or resolution. E.g. "I met Bubba on the trail today" and that's the only mention of Bubba in the entire book. People appear and disappear and events happen and then are dropped without any clear rationale. Why did this mention of Bubba matter? What ended up happening to him? You passed him on the trail and....? (Note that Bubba is my own fictional re-creation of the type of character that appears in this book.) For casual reading, I would have preferred more detail about a smaller number of meaningful encounters/experiences rather than the exhaustive description that is found in this book.
But I like this book because it is so comprehensive in its description of what occurs on a hike of the AT. Even still, it lacks a certain summation about what the actual experience involves. After reading this book, you know the details, but you don't really get the gestalt of a thru-hike of the AT. Nevertheless, if you're thinking about hiking the AT, read this book since you'll learn a lot.
Excellent reading January 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I very much enjoyed reading David's account of his thru-hike.
One of the most interesting aspects of this book is David's personal story about how he made the commitment to complete his hike and how it impacts family, friends, and career. David shares the stories of other thru-hikers he has met on the trail and where they were in their life when they attempted to thru-hike.
I plan to hike the AT in the future, as soon as my job and family responsibilities permit. This book really helped me understand the challenges faced by the hiker on the trail and the challenges faced by their families that support them every step of the way.
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