Young Adult Novel

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#1

Hello Hikers!

I live in the Pacific Northwest and have a great love of trails. I have done many day hikes and a handful of weekend trips (portions of Wonderland, sections of the PCT, Olympic NP, etc.) Nothing too physically or mentally taxing, though, and certainly nothing close to a true long distance hike.

I would give my left pinky to be able to do the AT, but with kid and work obligations, I can’t foresee it happening anytime soon.

That being said, I am planning on writing a Young Adult novel centering on a young woman planning to thru-hike the AT and all the drama in her life surrounding the attempt. My question for all of you have attempted or completed the AT:

Do you feel that even with significant research, reading any and all books and trail journals I can get my hands on, and my own limited experience, that the account would potentially fall flat and inauthentic? Granted, this is fiction targeted towards tweens and teenagers (and ideally get them interested in hiking). However…

Basic idea here: Is it possible to write about the AT without having yourself experienced it? Would it be tacky? Would it be a disservice to all of you who have taken the leap?

Thanks for any input!

Hikin’ Momma

#2

It could depend on the person you write it in.

I could imagine a good novel coming from research, including reading journals and conducting interviews. Though you are not able to thruhike the AT at this time, perhaps you could bite off a small chunk at a time, perhaps on hike each on the southern, central and northern AT. Stay at different hostels, get to know the Trail Angels and the outfitters. Having raised two kids by myself, I know full well the time and energy requirements placed on a parent and understand if any or all of the foregoing are unhelpful to you. Primarily, it seems most about passion for the task and attitude, both of which you seem to have in abundance. Good luck:)

Nimblefoot

#3

Bill Bryson did fairly well with his book “A Walk in The Woods” and he only hiked a tiny fraction of the trail (he hiked slightly over 200 miles - a mere 1/10th of the distance). He got a lot of flak from some hikers for having not thru-hiked the A.T. but this was probably due to jealously more than anything else since his book far outsold all other A.T. books.

My one recommendation would be to field the book out to some A.T. thru-hikers to get some input during during the revision/editing process.

I say go for it!

freebird

#4

If writing the book is your passion, absolutely go for it! Even if you had thru-hiked the AT, your opinions, experiences, and advice would likely differ from most other peoples’. It’s just that unique an experience. So, do your research, fashion your own story, and hope you motivate kids to go out and discover the real adventure of a thru for themselves. Inspiration, alone, is a worthy enough goal to legitimze the project. Best of luck and let me know how I can help!

Matt

#5

There is actually a book called ‘Cinnamon’ for young adults. It’s written by the mother of a female AT thru hiker who basicall dramatized her daughters journal (and changed some names). I think she’s working on a PCT book now. I’m not saying there isn’t room for two. You might want to pick this one up though.

Apple Pie

#6

As a young adult and children’s librarian, I was excited to see your post about your ideas for a book based on hiking the Appalachian trail. I haven’t read the Cinnamon book, but I have read another book for older children called “Halfway to the Sky” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Her book gives a pretty good description of the beginning of the trail in Georgia. Although the main emphasis on the story is not the hiking, ( it is about family problems) it has enough description of gear, planning, etc. to give the reader a good feel for actually hiking the trail. You might want to read that one also.

Lots of the older kids, 5th grde and up, really like outdoor, survival type stories. Of course, romance is always a winner!!! Don’t know what direction you are leaning. Good luck!

Feel free to contact me if I can be of help or answer questions.

Janet

Janet

#7

Great!

Thank you all for the input; it really helps. I definitely plan on having some first hand conversations with hikers, particularly for confirmation that certain scenes would even be possible or likely on the trail. After I get some connections, finding some readers/editors of the draft is a fantastic idea as well.

Also, I think that at least a section hike is probably essential. I could hopefully manage a few days to a week. I feel I should meet at least a few Trail Angels, Hostel Owners, Townsfolk, etc. in order to fictionalize them well. Maybe Shenandoah?

The story and characters are so alive in my mind (to the point of distraction) that I have no fears that they will be quite vivid… I just want to make sure that the trail is also a realistic and vital character.

Thanks for the tip on “Cinnamon”. What a fascinating twist/dilemma (if you can call it that) of having something so “real world” as 9-11 happen while on the world of the trail. I have an 8-hour flight coming up in two days; I think that that would be the perfect accompaniment.

You are all awesome!

Hikin’ Momma

#8

Stephen King wrote a novel “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” This was about a young girl who got lost in the White Mountains, she was not necessarily hiking (or thru-hiking) the AT.

But as far as a total fictional thru-hike ‘memoir’, a reporter for the Bangor Daily News, Brad Viles wrote a book based on a fictional thru-hike.

I hated it. The way it is written is really lousy—too artsy for me—but what really turned me off is that Brad Viles actually thru-hiked the AT! I’d MUCH rather read his account than his fictional, first person balderdash.

My advice, being a writer:

Put it first person, in-the-moment style. Meaning like an actual journal. Don’t be artsy, and please for GOD’S sake DON’T try to make the next WALDEN or THE MAINE WOODS. Too many have tried and failed utterly.

And also, a good rule of thumb when editing (because I’m geussing right away your book’ll be self-published) edit = original manuscript minus 25%. Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, in other words.

Hope this helps!

Kineo Kid

#9

It was gripping to hear stories of people who had hiked the AT sitting around the fire at VVR when I hiked the John Muir. Since the AT is in such a developed part of the country and the trail crosses roads in so many places, there are a lot of trail angels and consequently endless stories of trail magic: beer left in coolers in the stream with a note to take one and leave the rest for other hikers, weekly pasta feasts put on by a trail angel who adopted a particular hut, New Year’s party complete with pavillion tents, heaters, buffet, and booze put on by a techno millionaire, unpublicized, illegal Greatful Dead concert in a field in Vermont… Everyone I have talked to who through hiked the trail has “at least 70” stories of trail magic. You’ll need that. And the stories you use will date the narrative. Trail angels have eras.

My experience of the AT as a young woman who grew up hiking in Vermont is that it would be scary to do alone. There are too many fringe characters who seem to live in the woods to feel confident and too many shelters (people share lean to’s) I would be hesitant to approach alone. And that would make a young woman miss the fun. Maybe times have changed in the last 35 years, but back then locals sniffed out pairs of young women and hit on them too. Too much fear of violence… Unless she were a superhero…with the ability to repel negativity and Model Mugger training or some such self defense course. I’d love to read that!
Best of luck, and post when you write it. Looking forward to reading it.
Natasha

Natasha

#10

Another YA book you might want to check out is Coming Back Alive by Dennis J. Reader. It is about two teenagers who run away from home after suffering great tragedies–divorce and parental death. They go to the CA Trinity Alps and live in the wilderness for several seasons. As a teenager, I loved loved this book–wilderness, escapism, romance, and adventure.

Jon

#11

It sounds like you’ve got an interesting topic for a book. I would probably buy it if you get it written and published. Please be sure to include tons of gratuitous violence and sexual situations. Should it get opted as a movie big explosions would be great too!

Cheers

Hollywood Joe