View Full Version : Anybody read "AWOL on the AT"?
Wondering if it is a good read?
Yes it is an excellent book.
hikerboy57
04-16-2011, 16:03
Im reading it now, so far so good. I also just finished "becoming Odyssa" which I found to be very good, and a very different persective.
tat44too
04-16-2011, 16:08
Great book. Enjoy...
double d
04-16-2011, 16:08
Good book, read it last year. Follows some of the common reasons for a thru-hike: burnt out from job, hitting late 30's-early 40's, looking for some adventure, supportive spouse, lots of interesting hikers, etc. But..good read.
Excellent book. One of the better AT books out there.
Chubbs4U
04-16-2011, 16:18
Thats the book that got me into hiking and reading about the AT. 8 books deep now.
Northern Lights
04-16-2011, 16:19
Very good book.
It's a great read. I hated it when I got to the last page cuse it was over. I started reading it over again.
great book. AWOL did his thru in 2003 and now publishes the AT Guide.
I have read it several times, it helps and hurts my condition of Springer Fever, great book, great member of the hiking community!
msikora4
04-16-2011, 18:07
Great read...really hit home for me a lot of ways.
Lord Helment
04-16-2011, 18:34
excellent book.....AT guide is awesome....using it on my sobo thru this summer
paistes5
04-16-2011, 21:09
One of the best AT reads.
desertnomad
04-16-2011, 21:54
I'll repeat what others have said: it's a good read and the AT guide is one I'd take with me if I ever go again
awesome thanks guys, a friend just bought it for me.
Just started the epilogue tonight. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Turtle-on
04-20-2011, 05:58
Reading it now. I am enjoyint it.
Majortrauma
04-20-2011, 07:15
I read it and totally enjoyed it. It's worth buying.
Frogdown
04-20-2011, 07:31
Read it last month right after reading "There are Mountains to Climb." It is from a woman's perspective and also a great read.
Yes it is an excellent book.
+1
I enjoyed that one quite a bit.
rhapsody98
04-20-2011, 08:10
It's decent. In some ways, it's fluff, because it only deals with his linear journey from Point A to Point B. What's great about it, though, is that it really demonstrates the trail culture; trail names, trail magic, the friendliness and helpfulness of other hikers and former hikers. As a description of the AT, it's fairly light. Awol focuses on the people and spends little time describing the trail or terrain. Whole sections of trail are unmentioned, I supposed because nothing exciting or interesting happened, simply one foot after another.
Loved it...read it when I came home from my NOBO hike. His detail of the trail made me miss it so bad.
One of the few AT books that I've read more than once.
I have read it 2x in a year. I think its an excellent read, and it always gets me excited about hiking and about the AT.
My favorite quote of the book-
"It is disturbing how tenuous our potential is due to our fervent defense of the comfortable norm."
Great read. I also enjoyed becoming Odyssa, especially since my "adventurous" daughter has taken to the hills and trails :banana
The Counselor
04-23-2011, 15:24
meh. It was ok.
mweinstone
04-23-2011, 15:49
never read.
but i was awol on the appalachian trail when i was 18.
one night in the barracks on gaurd duty while everyone was aspleep, i asked the di if i could speak.
i held out my m16 and said respectfully i wouldnt kill anyone.
he said to go back to sleep slob.
that week during pt while running with my platoon, the cadense was," goin to el salvador gonna rape pillage and plunder"
and so when he seemed to disregaurd my words, i waited till graduation and got on the bus and came home and thru out my duty papers and my uniforms and went back to slinging tacos at the taco house.
soon the nightmares caused by being on the wrong side of the law, got the best of me and i walked up to the gates at the philly navel base and turnned myself in.
i was put in handcuffs and shackels and put inside a cell in the mp station on base.
on the wall was a large board listing fugitives.pfc weinstone was at the top. on the far side it said "deserter"
a few hours later two gaurds from levenworth came and told me that for the honor of the marine corp my shackels and handcuffs would be removed for the trip to levenworth. he stated that if at anytime i raised my hands above my waist, his buddy would restraine me with deadly force if needed.
then he handed me a peice of paper to sign. it had three questions. if any of the answers were yes, i was supposed to make it and sign it.
the answers were all yes. so they stopped everything, reinlisted me as active duty during my being awol, handed me a check for 3000$ for pay while absent plus acrue leave pay plus gave me a job at building 75. witch is the coolest duty assignment . its the headquarters for the eastern division of the marines. or was. the navy yard shut down. i was treated with respect and learned a trade painting and fixing and worked in carpool admin and as a mail clerks assistant. got an honorable and a good conduct. while hiking, as an awol marine, every single thing about my beloved trail sucked.
the three questions were did you get phisicaly, religiously or sexualy abused. and i guess i was. slightly more than my dead g parents from natzi germany would like me to put up with. my nickname was jewrock. when they called it out i came off line and di a rocking motion skit. then a guy would kick me and another dude buzz around me. it was a weird time killer the di's did. then they asked me to name the jewish holidays and when i got a wrong answer had to do push ups and then they lit a match and held it under my nose and said inhale. they said jewish privates have longe nose hairs. and they dry shaved my eyebrows in the center claiming jews have one eyebrow and marines have two,bla bla bla abnd lots of weird stuff i used to get off the hook. i wasnt really damaged in any way. i respect their training and belive in it. but when i had to, i used it against them. sorry.
I am reading Awol on the AT now. Great book!
BTW there is a thread about it on the Book forum and Awol himself has posted on it.
thepitts
04-23-2011, 16:40
Got it for X-mas last year; i must have read it 10 plus times by now. Awesome read.
rocketsocks
05-25-2012, 07:17
NOW PLAYING......AWOL on the appalachian trail.I've read that AWOLS book will soon be available in a audio format,cool,I'll sport that on the Ipod.
speedbump
05-25-2012, 08:13
three times !!! Great book .
Wondering if it is a good read?
ATMountainTime
05-25-2012, 08:14
Great book, great guy. Met him at Amicalola last year. Skywalkers book is good too. Also Just Passing thru by Winton Porter is a great one as well.
Funny ive read more about the AT than i did in college. :)
I agree with most of the posters here (that for me) this it one of the best (if not the best) of the around 20 books I have read about the AT.