Best AT books? - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

I recently read an article that was reviewing AT books. In the article the reviewer stated that “the Moby Dick” of AT books has not yet been written. Big statement, no?

So I was wondering what you all thought were the best books about the AT - not books like Data Books, or Myron Suttons book, but instead a thru-hike memoir-type of book.

Here’s the list of AT books I’ve got, in no particular order:
Blind Courage, by Bill Irwin
Hiking The Appalachian Trail, edited by James Hare, 2 volume set
A Journey of Friendship, by Midnite + Out of Africa (forget how to spell their real names)
A Walk In The Woods, Bill Bryson
Appalachian Adventure (multiple authors)
Walking The Appalachian Trail, by Larry Luxenburg
A Journey North, by Adrienne Hall
Appalachian Trail, National Geographic (1972)
On The Beaten Path, by Robert Rubin
Walking The Dream, by Ellen Wolfe
Walking North, by Mic Lowther
You Won’t Get To Maine Unless You Walk In The Rain, by Buddy Newell
Ambling And Scrambling On The Appalachian Trail, by James Flack
A Season On The Appalachian Trail, by Lynn Setzer
As Far As The Eye Can See, by David Brill
And of course, Walking With Spring, by Earl Shaffer

A few notes about each:

The 2 Volume Hiking The AT, edited by James Hare, published by Rodale includes the story Campfires Along The Appalachian Trail, which is also available as a book.

Bryson’s book has a picture of an Alaskan Brown Bear on the front cover. Whats up with that???

Speaking of front covers, look closely at the front cover of Larry Luxenburg’s Walking The AT. You can clearly see some high tension wires. This is the lamest front cover on the planet! Why on earth did that make the front cover, when there are much better photos inside, taken by the same photographer (Micheal Warren)?

One book which is very hard to find, even though it has the longest title, is Buddy Newell’s book. I do have the address to the publisher, if anyone wants it I will post it asap. This is a great read, and has a sad ending.

Another hard to find book (meaning, you won’t find it on Amazon at all or on ebay much at all) is Walking The Dream, by Ellen Wolfe, she who hiked for Breast Cancer Research in 1997. I also have the address for that book, and will post it asap. This is a good read, but . . . the editing in places is kinda sketchy.

But that book is ten times better than Ambling/Scrambling by James Flack. The book almost made me want to hurl. I suppose it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. That’s what I get, I suppose.

A Journey North is great, but since it was published by the AMC, Adrienne Hall often goes off on ‘save the whales’ lectures. I fell like in places, when she’s talking about Fee Demo or Red Wolves, that I’m reading someone’s master thesis. At least Bryson was entertaining in those regards, but then again, Bryson didn’t finish the trail, and Hall, along with her boyfriend, did.

Setzer’s book is along the lines of Luxenburg’s, in that niether are about a sole thru-hiker. Setzer’s is better, in my opinion, also, Setzer’s book was set in 1996, which must’ve been a good year for AT books - four were published that I know of; Bryson’s, Setzer’s, Hall’s and Midnite/ Out Of Africa’s book.

The rest of the books are awesome - Brill’s, Rubin’s, Irwin’s and Shaffer’s are the cream of the crop. I haven’t yet read Mic Lowther’s book Walking North, but hear that it’s pretty good.

Any other suggestions?

Kineo Kid

#2

A couple of good ones: J.R. “Model T” Tate’s “Walkin’ on the Happy Side of Misery” and Cindy Ross’ “A Woman’s Journey”.

Lynn Setzer’s and Larry Luxembourg’s really are my favorites, though as you say, they are not journals, but are about what it is like to be a thruhiker. I suppose I’ve read so many journals by this time, most seem to blend together. The on-line journal, “Then the Hail Came” is one of the better ones, but there are lots of others on-line these days.

Spirit Walker

#3

although it’s a bit outdated. There is so much knowledge hidden
in each journal there.
And it qualifies as “Moby Dick” size.

Scamp

Scamp

#4

I’ve read many of them to get thru the dreary winters up here and will try a few more mentioned above. One I really enjoyed is “A Separate Place” by David Brill, about what happens after a thruhike, what changes occur in a persons life. He writes this 20 years after his thru. Wish there were more books like this.

kathy hay

#5

How about Ed Garvey’s books. Probably out of print by now.

Peaks

#6

give it about a year . . . I’m working on putting my journal into book form, and I’m having a BLAST reliving my hike!! I think the project is going well, and hope to publish within a year!!

yogi

#7

The first AT book I read was The New Appalachian Trail by Ed Garvey. It really helped to set the hook in my mouth so to speak. Part journal, part history on the trail and ATC. He finished one thru hike and most of another at 75 years of age. A great spocksman for the trail. I still see it in the big book stores, also available from the ATC I believe.

Mike

#8

by Kelly Winters is the best AT book I’ve read so far. It’s an account of her personal journey and transformation on the trail. And it’s excellently written.

steve hiker

#9

Though not a narrative, this book, by Beverly Hugo (Maine Rose) has lots of vignettes and advice. Subtitle is Practical Advice from Hundreds of Women Long Distance Hikers; definitely worth a look.

CeCe

#10

I finished As Far As The Eye Can See, by David Brill, about his 1979 thru-hike. Finished it over a month ago, but it’s hard to write a review. It’s the best AT book I’ve read. What makes it different?

First, it tells of the trail and the people he met in 1979. I doubt you’d find some of these folks along the AT today. (Disclaimer: I have not done the AT yet.) For example, the rednecks who came a’drinkin’ and a’shootin’ at a Georgia shelter, the mountain woman who showed him how to hunt ramps, and the strange and funny account of the rednecks with their “bullet trick” at the tavern in Erwin. Most of these type folks have probably faded into the era from which they came, now extinct by the pervasive eroding effect of the media and its pressure for everyone to conform to American McCulture, not to mention the effect of a constant stream of AT thru-hikers through a previously much more isolated mountain culture and communities.

He writes very well of the changes the trail had on himself, from being deathly afraid of thunderstorms in gaps in Georgia when he started, to enjoying them later on. The transition from feeling like a visitor in the woods to a resident of the woods. And the change in values his hike had on him.

He tells of these guys Randell and Elmer, bohemian refugees from the 1960s who operated an organic farm and hostel near Hot Springs, NC. Anyone know if they’re still around? Still operate their hostel/farm?

A big difference is this book is written by subjects, not chronologically like the numerous journal-type AT books. Chapters are on “Fear,” “Seasons,” “Our Community,” “Bad Company,” “Critters,” and so forth. I find this a refreshing break from those books that generally read something like: “I got up at 6 am, cooked pop tarts, walked x miles up a MFer of a hill, saw curly joe and moe, stayed at x shelter, cooked slop tarts, tossed and turned under a leaky roof, got up at 6 am and started again.”

Don’t know what else to say right now. Read it. Got mine used (cheap) on Amazon.

steve hiker

#11

Elmer and Randall still live in Hot Springs. Actually Randall lives about 7 miles out of town on a small farm and Elmer runs and owns The Sunnybank Inn in town.
The best book is the one that will never be written

Wolf

#12

I know this is an old thread - but for those who enjoyed Model T’s “Walking on the Happy Side of Misery” - check out the “Trail Magic” video. This is the video filmed on the trail the same year by Lagunatic. You will see many of the hikers from the book, including Wahoola, Moleskin Meg, HippyHiker, EcoWarrior and others. Oddly enought, Model-T is not shown in the video although he was interviewed a few times as noted in his book. (There is one person at the very end who may be Model-T), but I’m not positive it’s him.

Mark

#13

I’m in the very beginning of that video, on Springer Mtn. I hiked with Lagunatic the year before. Another good video is “Sticking To It” by Suzanne Stroh who hiked in 91.

Wolf

#14

I have read many “how-to’s” and about 7-8 “narratives.” My favorites were also Brill’s book and Rubin’s book.

Also, to add to your list:

Appalachain Adventure - From Georgia to Maine - A Spectacular Journey on the Great Americal Trail

Published by Longstreet Press, 1995

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution helps publish this book as well as a few other news papers.

It is a great book with many great, color photos.

Dawg

Dawgtrekker

#15

Wolf - very cool, you have official celebrity status :).

Brill and Rubin’s are two of the best IMO, & I give the nod to Rubin. Setzer and Luxenburg both were very good as well.

I disliked Winters book, and to a lesser extent Hall’s - Kelly’s book had plenty of personal info I didn’t really need to know to enjoy the book (it was otherwise OK), and Adrienne’s wandred off the trail too much. Another good/bad book are the two by Jan Curran - he discusses religion quite a bit which wears thin rather quickly, but he also offers more detail about sections and history of the trail than other books do.

Just finishing “White Blaze Fever” by Bill Shuette - not bad, but not great…more of a trail journal, a start and stop tale. Walking North is next.

Mark

#16

Wolf,
Can’t seem to find that video in the usual places - any idea where i can buy it?

Mark

#17

No I don’t know where to find it.

Wolf