AT Book question

[Programbo]

Has anyone read or are they familiar with Ed Garvey`s second book, "The New Appalachian Trail"..It appears it was written in 1998...As one who did most of my hiking back in the mid-70`s and is hesitant about what they trail has become I`d be interested to see Mister Garveys take on things if this is indeed what this book is about

[hiker33]

Garvey re-hiked part of the trail in '97, having planned on doing the whole thing a second time but changing his plans due to health reasons. He did focus on how much things had changed since his 1970 thru-hike. This was ten years ago, before the current ultralight revolution, so the information is again outdated to some extent.

For me, the book wasn't on a par with his first two works (this was actually his third as he extensively revised Appalachian Hiker in 1978.) I first read AH in 1974 at age 14 and it was the catalyst that got me interested in the AT and backpacking. The day-by-day account of his hike remains a classic. In the 1998 book, he commented frequently about the problems of old age such as constipation and prostate problems and less on the trail experience itself. It just wasn't as interesting a read.

Ed Garvey was a great guy. I met him on several occasions and had a beer with him at the ATC meeting in Williamstown, MA in 1991. As a trail advocate he is sorely missed.

[Kerosene]

I devoured AH soon after it was published in 1972 at age 14 also, just prior to my first section hike (northwest Jersey, April 1973). It was my bible for how to backpack.