Ancient journals still worth reading?

[rafe]

Before there was a Whiteblaze, and before there was an Internet, Rodale Press published a 2000+ page anthology of AT thru-hike journals. ("Hiking The Appalachian Trail", 1975.) I wonder how many WBers have seen or read that book. Maybe a few of the old fogies. Have online journals relegated that big fat book (actually, 2-volume set) to the dust bins of history? Or is it still relevant? Is there an eBook version?

Anyway, when I think about now vs. back then... that book was how I tried to clue myself in about the trail and the thru-hiking experience. With the library having a short (like 2-week) loan period, I kept having to lug it back and forth in order to renew it. Years later I picked up my own copy on eBay.

[Hikes in Rain]

No ebooks that I know of. But yes, absolutely worth reading, and worth preserving. Maybe there should be an electronic version. It's a slice of history; do we just throw history into the dust bin :) or can we learn from it. One of the things I like to do is compare my travels with the reports of those who went before me to get a grip on the changes the trail has taken. My copy is a prized possession.

[Mags]

Have a copy on my shelf.

As I said before, equipment and clothing may change. But the love of the journey and the outdoors does not.

[takethisbread]

I still say an old journal, called "then the Hail came " by George Steffanos is the best AT book ever written, even tho it wasn't really a book, just an old journal thrown up on the internet many years after the hike. it's legend has grown over time. unlike Cheryl Strayd's melodramatic indulgent snorefest, Wild, Steffanos story is a real glimpse of a young man going through something, and not entirely finding the answers on the trail, but learning a bit about himself.
http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rafe]

Not a Cheryl Strayed fan, eh? I get the idea she's done for the PCT what Bryson did for the AT years back. A bit too much anguish over the dead mama, but otherwise an OK read, I thought. Remembering that bit about her town stop, where she learns that Jerry Garcia had died.

[vamelungeon]

If that is that huge 2 volume set, yes I've got it and I've read it. It's still relevant.

[vamelungeon]

I still say an old journal, called "then the Hail came " by George Steffanos is the best AT book ever written, even tho it wasn't really a book, just an old journal thrown up on the internet many years after the hike. it's legend has grown over time. unlike Cheryl Strayd's melodramatic indulgent snorefest, Wild, Steffanos story is a real glimpse of a young man going through something, and not entirely finding the answers on the trail, but learning a bit about himself.
http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think so too. And it's free to read.

[matt923]

The link didnt work. Id like to read that.

[rafe]

The link didnt work. Id like to read that.

Worked for me. But just as easy -- google "then the hail came" -- it's the 2nd hit.

[WingedMonkey]

There is also an edited and condensed version of the original Hiking The Appalachian Trail titled Great Stories of Hiking the Appalachian Trail edited by Debra Smith.

A preview is available at Google Books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=6vlUvHiK_lIC&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=%22Hiking+The+Appalachian+Trail%22+Rodale+Press&source=bl&ots=wqBHRoAsK_&sig=Y714juXq0ITTRI6U1sezsKA1ucM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MNAsU6DQC4WMyQH91YHIDA&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22Hiking%20The%20Appalachian%20Trail%22%20Rodal e%20Press&f=false

[rafe]

There is also an edited and condensed version of the original Hiking The Appalachian Trail titled Great Stories of Hiking the Appalachian Trail edited by Debra Smith.

A preview is available at Google Books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=6vlUvHiK_lIC&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=%22Hiking+The+Appalachian+Trail%22+Rodale+Press&source=bl&ots=wqBHRoAsK_&sig=Y714juXq0ITTRI6U1sezsKA1ucM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MNAsU6DQC4WMyQH91YHIDA&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22Hiking%20The%20Appalachian%20Trail%22%20Rodal e%20Press&f=false


Great link, thanks. That's a serious condensation, from 2000 pages to 226. But it's a start.

[Kerosene]

I posted my 1970's section hike journals on Trailjournals a while back: http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=259368

I think my writing style was pretty good for a male teenager, but it's certainly better now.