What are some good books about a thru hike? I really liked Bryson's Walk in The Woods, except for the fact that he didn't do a thru hike, just sections). I've also read On The Beaten Path. Any recommendations? (I'm about to go away for vacation- I need good hammock books about hiking!)

What are some good books about a thru hike? I really liked Bryson's Walk in The Woods, except for the fact that he didn't do a thru hike, just sections). I've also read On The Beaten Path. Any recommendations? (I'm about to go away for vacation- I need good hammock books about hiking!)

http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

I recommend David Brill's "As Far As The Eye Can See". He's an excellent writer, and the book was written in more of "enjoying the journey not focusing too much of the destination" style. It's much more than the typical "diary" book. One thing I liked about it is that it is divided into chapters by theme.. it's not a sequential diary.

Here is a list of the AT books I've read, with reviews
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/776194?shelf=appalachian-trail

IMO, I think the book by Lynn Setzer was the most realistic of what you are in for. I think the name was something like An Adventure on the Appalachian Trail, but I'm not sure. He was not a thru hiker, but he interviewed many who were, and relayed their experiences. To my knowledge, I read them all prior to 2000, and this one was the most realistic.

litefoot 2000

While the David Brill book is a good one, it ranks 3rd on my list....

1)"AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" by David Miller

2) "Walking for Sunshine" by Jeff Alt

3)"As Far as the Eye Can See" by David Brill

4) "Walking with Spring" by Earl Shaffer

Randy

Litefoot- would this be A Season On The Appalachian Trail?

"A Season on the Appalachian Trail" by Lynn Setzer. The author followed thru hikers during the 1996 season. I really liked this book especially where she interviewed them one year later and then 5 years later. Good Book.

I agree with HikerRanky...AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is excellent.

"On the Happy Side of Misery" by J.R. Tate is a classic and a very funny read.

I agree with HikerRanky...AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is excellent.

"On the Happy Side of Misery" by J.R. Tate is a classic and a very funny read.

These are two of my favorites also. Both are "must reads!"

I am currently about halfway through book #2 of "Through Hiker's Eyes." This set quickly jumped towards the top amongst my favorite AT books. At first, I was skeptical because of the length (each of the 2 books is 500 pages) but they are funny and very fun to read.

As far as I am aware, the only place to get these online is at
http://www.trailpeddler.com/

While the David Brill book is a good one, it ranks 3rd on my list....

1)"AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" by David Miller

2) "Walking for Sunshine" by Jeff Alt

3)"As Far as the Eye Can See" by David Brill

4) "Walking with Spring" by Earl Shaffer

Randy
i found "walking with spring " in a shelter and read it during my hike
and then left it in another shelter ..

also why is it whenever i say " i thru'd " someone is like " oh have you read that book .. what is it .. a walk in the woods " and it annoys the the crap out of me and then i say " no and i will never read it " FML i swear i never want to mention it again ...:mad:

Jan Liteshoe's trail journal is fairly well-known. I know I loved it and read the entirety of her (fairly prolific) journal in two days. I seem to recall that she later wrote a book which I have not read but assume to be a revised/edited version of her journal. As always, I could be wrong.

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=1076

Peter

I recommend reading about hikes which took place before 1980. Don't focus exclusively on newer books thinking the older accounts have less value today. It's important to have a sense of the AT's history when hiking it, otherwise something's missing from the experience and hikers don't fully appreciate what they're doing or what they've done.

The best things about the Appalachian National Scenic Trail are timeless. These timeless qualities are why it was created, why it's worth protecting and why people should want to hike it and tell others about their experiences.

I no longer read AT trail journals unless I hear of one I believe may be extraordinary. After about a half dozen, most begin to look the same.

The typical trail journal is little more than a tally of miles hiked, instances of "magic" scored and a repetition of trail names that mean little to the reader. I see little about how the AT has caused people to think or how it has changed them.

I see little about how the AT has caused people to think or how it has changed them.

I hope to get that kind of book done very soon. As you say, the other is pretty boring. It's on my To Do list to finish this summer and it's almost written (chapter and a half to go). Then have to get Paul Bunyan's parts into it. Then to a publisher, probably POD published at this point.

While the David Brill book is a good one, it ranks 3rd on my list....

1)"AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" by David Miller

2) "Walking for Sunshine" by Jeff Alt

3)"As Far as the Eye Can See" by David Brill

4) "Walking with Spring" by Earl Shaffer

Randy


i also agree walking with sunshine by jeff alt he has another good book called A Hike For Mike

Jan Liteshoe's trail journal is fairly well-known. I know I loved it and read the entirety of her (fairly prolific) journal in two days. I seem to recall that she later wrote a book which I have not read but assume to be a revised/edited version of her journal. As always, I could be wrong.

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=1076

Peter

Jan Liteshoe's published book is about her Thruhike of the Long Trail in Vermont. Very good book!!!

I recommend reading about hikes which took place before 1980. Don't focus exclusively on newer books thinking the older accounts have less value today. It's important to have a sense of the AT's history when hiking it, otherwise something important if not essential is lacking from the experience.

The best things about the Appalachian National Scenic Trail are timeless. These timeless qualities are why it was created, why it's worth protecting and why people should want to hike it and tell others about their experiences.

I don't read AT trail journals unless I hear of one I believe may be extraordinary. After about a half dozen, most begin to look the same.

The typical trail journal is little more than a tally of miles hiked, instances of "magic" scored and a repetition of trail names that mean little to the reader. I see little about how the AT has caused people to think or how it has changed them.

I agree about reading older accounts. Try to find the two volume set HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, edited by James R. Hare. They have the following chapters:
Myron H. Avery
Earl Shaffer
Gene Espy
Grandma Gatewood
Dorothy Laker's 3 thruhikes(200 pages of excellent reading)
Murray Chism and Edward Little
Betty and Walter Boardman
Owen Allen
Max Bender
James Fox
Chuck Ebersole
Raymond Baker
Garnett Martin
Jim Shattuck
Howard Bassett
Elmer Onstott
Everett and Nell Skinner
Bill O'brien
Albert Field
Andrew Giger

Eric Ryback(about 100 pages)
Jeffrey hancock
Branley Owen(ex Green Beret)
Richard Hudson
Charles Konopa
Edward Garvey
Bradley Greuling
Margaret Smith and Wilma Servisky
Art Smith
Thomas McKone
Robert Winslow
Brian Winchester
James Wolf
Ned Smith
Gene Fiducia
James Leitzell
James Rutter etc

Chuck Ebersole

I believe the Ebersoles' account of their hike published in Hiking the Appalachian Trail was entitled "Friendly white markers," a phrase I have sometimes used here.

I agree about reading older accounts. Try to find the two volume set HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, edited by James R. Hare. They have the following chapters:
Myron H. Avery
Earl Shaffer
Gene Espy
Grandma Gatewood
Dorothy Laker's 3 thruhikes(200 pages of excellent reading)
Murray Chism and Edward Little
Betty and Walter Boardman
Owen Allen
Max Bender
James Fox
Chuck Ebersole
Raymond Baker
Garnett Martin
Jim Shattuck
Howard Bassett
Elmer Onstott
Everett and Nell Skinner
Bill O'brien
Albert Field
Andrew Giger

Eric Ryback(about 100 pages)
Jeffrey hancock
Branley Owen(ex Green Beret)
Richard Hudson
Charles Konopa
Edward Garvey
Bradley Greuling
Margaret Smith and Wilma Servisky
Art Smith
Thomas McKone
Robert Winslow
Brian Winchester
James Wolf
Ned Smith
Gene Fiducia
James Leitzell
James Rutter etc

I'm up to Howard Bassett. I got my set cheap on Ebay, I just had to get rid of the musty smell...
Great books, though. Everybody eating out of cans and using external frame packs, some good photographs as well.

Click teach me about AT history (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805451/k.C463/History.htm) to read a page on ATC's website. The PDF linked at its bottom entitled Trail Years: A History of the Appalachian Trail Conference is highly recommended.

I'm up to Howard Bassett. I got my set cheap on Ebay, I just had to get rid of the musty smell...
Great books, though. Everybody eating out of cans and using external frame packs, some good photographs as well.

It's hard to believe that for years I went out backpacking carrying one of the volumes. Them's heavy! What's hard to believe is that I also carried them back and didn't burn them as I usually do with books on trips. Being library books probably had something to do with it. Now I just copy a couple chapters, front and pack, and take these out to read and burn.

Can't believe no one has mentioned Model-T's "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery." It and Bryson's book are my two favorites. Others already mentioned are great too, in any AT library.

I just finished another one that I enjoyed: "A Road More or Less Traveled" by Otis and Roberts. Two Tennessee boys (school teachers) hike SOBO, a couple of years ago. My wife just picked it up for me at Neels Gap week before last.

Frankly, I would also recommend a book about 80 years old: Horace Kephart's "Our Southern Highlanders."

Rain:sunMan

.

A different read is Robert Alden Rubin's ON THE BEATEN PATH.

I agree with most of the choices above, especially those that are not mere descriptions of day-to-day activities. An exception to that is WALKING WITH SPRING because Shaeffer's day-to-day activities were so very different than those of today.


also why is it whenever i say " i thru'd " someone is like " oh have you read that book .. what is it .. a walk in the woods " and it annoys the the crap out of me ...:mad:People are just interested in your hike, and the only thing they've read about hiking on the AT is Bryson's book, so they mention it to you. They are just being polite.

Bryson's book rang true in many spots and was a very good read. You might like it. Don't get hung up on the fact that he didn't hike the entire trail and is not a thruhiker. He has a lot to say.

Of course, if all you want is a daily description of what someone ate and how many miles they walked every day for five months, then trail journals is the place to go.

My favorite is J.R. (Model T) Tate,

"Walkin' on the Happy Side Of Misery"

I like his sence of humor and the way a spins a story reminds me of my Grand-Paw.

Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery is my favorite.

Blind Courage by Bill Irwin is not your traditional Thru Hike read, but its very relevant nonetheless. I found it to be inspiring.

These are two of my favorites also. Both are "must reads!"

I am currently about halfway through book #2 of "Through Hiker's Eyes." This set quickly jumped towards the top amongst my favorite AT books. At first, I was skeptical because of the length (each of the 2 books is 500 pages) but they are funny and very fun to read.

As far as I am aware, the only place to get these online is at
http://www.trailpeddler.com/

I second tripp's recommendation Through Hiker's Eyes... it records Larry "Baro" Alexander's 2006 thru hike. The book really spends alot of time developing the relationships he formed along his journey and does so in a humorous fashion.... really a good read!

In addition to Walking on the Happy Side of Misery by J. R. "Model T" Tate, I also encourage you to look up Paul "Mags" Magnanti's Hike My Hike Damn It! It will tell you all about how you're doing it wrong. ;)

Model T, Jan's and David Brills books are my favorites however I'm currently about 1/2 way through the Barefoot Sisters and am enjoying it GREATLY!

geek

Another vote for Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery (http://www.amazon.com/Walkin-Happy-Side-Misery-Appalachian/dp/1401020410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247890143&sr=1-1).

I also just finished Southbound (http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Southbound-Lucy-Letcher/dp/0811735303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247890321&sr=1-1) by the Barefoot Sisters, which I really liked. They write well, and hand-off sections seamlessly (and they're not quite as obsessed with Snickers bars like Model T is!).

i also agree walking with sunshine by jeff alt he has another good book called A Hike For Mike

it was a good thing he did raising all that money and all, but i didn't really think the book was written to well.

In addition to the books, can someone tell me what kind of camera is best? I hope to start hiking the AT this fall, I have books and maps that I'm reading thru, but none of them suggest a camera. No video, just something that takes quality pictures. Suggestions are welcomed.

Ive read two books for school about a thru hike and i loved them both. My favorite is White Blaze Fever by Bill Shcuette. (last name might be spelt wrong) my next book was On the Beaten Path by Robert Alden Rubin

If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be Model-T's Happy side of Misery. Followed by Bryson, Jan Liteshoe's Lynn Setzer's, in no particular order. As Far as the Eye Can See was good too. Can't forget Bill Irwin's Blind Courage. So many good books out there to read. Also, online there is http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html by George Steffanos. A very good journal from 1983.

In addition to the books, can someone tell me what kind of camera is best? I hope to start hiking the AT this fall, I have books and maps that I'm reading thru, but none of them suggest a camera. No video, just something that takes quality pictures. Suggestions are welcomed.

Post another thread on cameras- you'll get many more replies than posting under the category of "books".

And as to the barefoot sisters- did they really do the whole thing barefoot?

it was a good thing he did raising all that money and all, but i didn't really think the book was written to well.
He isn't exactly a literary Monet, but the read is easy and the story line is pretty typical of what a younger hiker is likely to see, do, and feel.

People are just interested in your hike, and the only thing they've read about hiking on the AT is Bryson's book, so they mention it to you. They are just being polite.



..and it is a way for them to relate to what you did on some level.

Just smile, be polite and be touched that someone is trying to find common ground with your adventure.

When I used to run marathons (slowly!), people would invariably bring up how they have done 10ks, or seen "that movie about the guy who ran through Canada (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086427/)", etc.

Pretty normal.

Easier to smile and be polite than get ticked off over 'that book'. :sun

re: Favorite AT book

I enjoyed "On the Beaten Path" as it reflects my own AT journey. Not so much what he did and how he hiked, but what I rec'd from the hike...a wilderness pilgrimage.

My favorite AT book, though, is The Appalachian Trail Reader (http://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Trail-Reader-Official-Guides/dp/0195100905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248186957&sr=8-1)

A collection of different writings. Not only about the trail, but the land of which the trail runs through. The history, the culture, the geology, etc. It takes in the writings of Thoreau and Melville, early thru-hikers and more contemporary writers (circa 1990s). Some of the authors mentioned earlier in this thread have pieces in it as well.

Overall it is a book to read not just about hiking the Appalachian Trail but also a book to read about the Appalachian Trail itself. The editor described the book as a patchwork quilt. And it is. A quilt of the raw writing, the emotional feelings and the eloquent musings of a various authors.

My copy is very dog eared. Think it is time to re-read parts of it.

re: Hike my Hike, Damn it! (http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php/Outdoor-Writings/hike-my-hike-damn-it.html)

Short, loud mouth Eye-talian who wrote it. The boy needs to calm down...

Some of my favorite memoirs:

Hughes, M. E. We’re Off to See the Wilderness, the Wonderful Wilderness of Awes: A Hiker’s 2000-Mile Adventure Journal of the Appalachian Trail. Philadelphia, Pa: Xlibris, 2005.

Letcher, Lucy, and Susan Letcher. The Barefoot Sisters: Southbound. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2009.
Letcher, Lucy, and Susan Letcher. The Barefoot Sisters: Walking Home. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, [due out in late 2009 or early 2010.
The first editions are still available on Amazon.com:
Letcher, Elizabeth L., and Susan G. Letcher. The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters: Book 1: Southbounders. [Warner, N.H.]: Flower Press, 2006.
Letcher, Elizabeth L., and Susan G. Letcher. The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters: Book 2: Northbounders. [Warner, N.H.]: Flower Press, 2006.

Lowther, Mic. Walking North. 2nd ed. Seattle.: Elton-Wolf, 2001.

McKinney, Rick. Dead Men Hike No Trails. Bangor, Maine: Booklocker.com, 2005.

Sherman, Steve, and Julia Older. Appalachian Odyssey: Walking the Trail from Georgia to Maine. Brattleboro, Vt.: Stephen Greene Press, 1977. (Reissued in paperback: Bloomington, In.: iUniverse, 2009)

Wadness, Kenneth. Sojourn in the Wilderness: A Seven Month Journey on the Appalachian Trail. Prospect, Ky.: Harmony House Publishers, 1997.

And others:

Emblidge, David. The Appalachian Trail Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Luxenberg, Larry. Walking the Appalachian Trail. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1994.

Marshall, Ian. Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998.

Setzer, Lynn. A Season on the Appalachian Trail: An American Odyssey. 2nd ed. Birmingham, Ala.: Menasha Ridge Press, 2001.

i just finished Gene Espys book i enjoyed it!

My favorite AT book, though, is "The Appalachian Trail Reader." ... A collection of different writings. Not only about the trail, but the land of which the trail runs through. The history, the culture, the geology, etc. ... Overall it is a book to read not just about hiking the Appalachian Trail but also a book to read about the Appalachian Trail itself. The editor described the book as a patchwork quilt. And it is. A quilt of the raw writing, the emotional feelings and the eloquent musings of a various authors....

Here is a "second" for The Appalachian Trail Reader. A bit "mental" for some perhaps? A really good book, IMHO.

Rain:sunMan

.

Recently been reading my tattered wingfoot book , i know everyone here loves mr. dan bruce . I actually like looking it over it makes me remember where i camped and how that day was ... i actually might have never thru-hiked if he didnt tell me it was " just walking " when i had the worst panic attack ever the night before i was gonna leave for the trail ...anyway .. <3

I understand the need for a good book, I prefer this thru... on DVD

http://www.flaglerfilms.com/

#1 We're off to see the wilderness, the wonderful wilderness of awes By M.E "Postcard" Hughes ((((( BEST READ YET !!! )))))
#2 Walking on the happy side of misery By J.R Motel T
#3 On the beaten Path
#4 AWOL on the AT
#5 White Blaze Fever
#6 In Beauty May She walk
#7 Iron Toothpick
#8 Barefoot sisters (they have 3 books out)
#9 Ten million Steps


Best of the PCT books~

#1 A blistered kind of love
#2 Pacific Dreams
#3 Cactus Eaters
#4 The fastest hike
#5 Walking down a dream
#6 Zero Days

I really enjoyed Awol on The A.T., My first AT book was Walking with Spring, also another good read.

Another vote for Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery (http://www.amazon.com/Walkin-Happy-Side-Misery-Appalachian/dp/1401020410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247890143&sr=1-1).

I also just finished Southbound (http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Southbound-Lucy-Letcher/dp/0811735303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247890321&sr=1-1) by the Barefoot Sisters, which I really liked. They write well, and hand-off sections seamlessly (and they're not quite as obsessed with Snickers bars like Model T is!).

Another vote for these two.