Why are the best-selling hiking memoirs all written by quitters?

[rafe]

Along the same lines, the journal of Earl Shaffer's last thru-hike (at age 79) is also somewhat interesting.

[Mags]

Because we learn more from failure than success, perhaps.

At least in Strayed's case, she did not set out to hike the whole trail. Is it a failure?

Think of it as a LASH......or even a backpacking trip.

In Bryson's case, it became a section hike.

Personally, I think the author of the New Yorker is just po'd his great American hiking novel did not get published yet. (Edit: Though a google search is bringing up a hiking anthology coming out next year...)

ps. I, too, loved On the Beaten Path.

[Tuckahoe]

Cookerhiker, thank you for your insights.

I suppose that the only thing I can really add to the discussion is that too many books about hiking/thru-hiking are utterly boring and will only be taken up by hikers, because well, they are about hiking.

I tried reading Rubin's On the Beaten Path, but I quit half way through. I had read several thru-hike books at that time and I recall quiting because the books had all bled together and for some reason I thought Ruben was becoming a whiney b**ch. I am probably not being fair to him, but I just could not stand another word from him.

Blanchard's 300 Zeros is probably the one book I enjoyed the most. Follow that with Stutzman's Hiking Through -- I wanted him to quit and go home for the birth of his grandson, and am glad he didn't. And then finally Winton Porter's Just Passin' Thru. Otherwise they all just seem the same.

As for Bryson, it seems that too many having a hard time realizing that A Walk in the Woods appeals to more that just hikers. And despite whst anyone wants to believe, Bryson's experience is the closer to that of the majority of hikers, than the experiences of thru-hikers.

[Just Bill]

I suppose that the only thing I can really add to the discussion is that too many books about hiking/thru-hiking are utterly boring and will only be taken up by hikers, because well, they are about hiking.

As for Bryson, it seems that too many having a hard time realizing that A Walk in the Woods appeals to more that just hikers.

Pick any sub-sub genre really.
In this case, non-fiction outdoor books, backpacking, long distance hiking, Appalachian Trail.

It's rare that any book so specialized would find an outlet beyond it's niche.
I consider Bill Mason's books the best ever written on canoeing, but if you don't have any interest in the sport I can't think of any reason for you to read them.
So pick any well written book on a specialized topic and you'll find it is adored by it's limited target audience, and ignored outside of it.

Wild is a good story about a woman, which sat on the shelf for a long time before it was "discovered"

A walk in the woods is a well researched and humorous book set on a national scenic trail. Written by a fairly popular author who has written several enjoyable books on other topics.

Just because they happen to overlap slightly with our very specialized interests doesn't really mean much overall.
The author of the article needs some perspective at the very least, or just needs to accept that just because the word trail, hike, or distance were used doesn't mean the books were about thru-hiking. If you just call them all books, it's easy to see why one is more popular than another.

[Cookerhiker]

...The author of the article needs some perspective at the very least, or just needs to accept that just because the word trail, hike, or distance were used doesn't mean the books were about thru-hiking. If you just call them all books, it's easy to see why one is more popular than another.

Fully agree!

[RED-DOG]

Bill Bryson is a trained writer and knows what people wants to read most thru-hikers are not trained writers and thats why there stuff is some what boring.

[rafe]

This thread caused me to re-read, or rather, resume a read of "Then the Hail Came." It's online, just google it. A diary from 1983. Fun. On Ch. 3 now, in the Smokies still.

His account of the climb out of Sweetwater Gap was just as I remember it. I understand it's been fixed up since the old days. He talks about stray dogs in the woods between Wesser and Fontana -- something I dealt with as well.

[Okie Dokie]

Humans love a narrative...we love "stories" ...the story need not be entirely accurate--we're human, after all, and we either don't care, or forgive fudged details...

Can you write a narrative, on any subject, that's appealing to a wide audience? Can you, in the words of John Gardner, create for the reader a "vivid and continuous dream"? If so, publishers will court you...regardless of the topic...and so it goes...

[slbirdnerd]

Hmm. What is this with calling people quitters? I'd hardly call anyone who sets out on the trail a quitter. Quitters are sitting at home on their sofas or at the mall!

[rickb]

Humans love a narrative...we love "stories" ...the story need not be entirely accurate--we're human, after all, and we either don't care, or forgive fudged details...

It depends on the story.

I think most people would be disappointed if Alfred Lansing had saw fit to fudge details in Endurance, for example.

On the other hand, I doubt many would care if a day hiker writer claimed to have had a stout at the Inn at Long Trail, even if he really had a Bud Light.

Of course, thru hikers are obviously much more like Earnest Shackelton and so deserve the same fidelity to the truth, as I am sure all would agree.

[Just Bill]

On the other hand, I doubt many would care if a day hiker writer claimed to have had a stout at the Inn at Long Trail, even if he really had a Bud Light.

Of course, thru hikers are obviously much more like Earnest Shackelton and so deserve the same fidelity to the truth, as I am sure all would agree.

The truth is tricky.

I believe that it is illegal to order a bud light at the Inn. Immoral at the very least.

[Lone Wolf]

I believe that it is illegal to order a bud light at the Inn. Immoral at the very least.

i did. it has more alcohol by volume than the overpriced guinness slop

[Just Bill]

i did. it has more alcohol by volume than the overpriced guinness slop

You are an immoral man.

[capehiker]

Perhaps I'm not thinking on a deeper level, but the reason is kind of simple. There was a reason person X didn't finish the trail. That reason is the compelling factor to whether the book is interesting or boring.

[Traveler]

Perhaps I'm not thinking on a deeper level, but the reason is kind of simple. There was a reason person X didn't finish the trail. That reason is the compelling factor to whether the book is interesting or boring.

I wonder how interesting a story would be if not finishing was related to immorality stemming from copious consumption of Bud Light at the Inn at Long Trail.

I might read that one.

[capehiker]

I wonder how interesting a story would be if not finishing was related to immorality stemming from copious consumption of Bud Light at the Inn at Long Trail.

I might read that one.

It's got my interest.

[Wülfgang]

Cookerhiker has some great points.

Unless you are an established author already, or have a following from other endeavors, you are very unlikely to get a traditional publishing deal (especially in a saturated, low-demand market like hiking memoirs).

Beyond that, in the age of e-readers, it is actually fairly straightforward to self-publish your own book. The trick is, you have to know how to market it. If you are a good writer, have a good editor, and a compelling title and cover (super important!!!), AND publish a book in a sub-niche where there is a demand......you may be able to do well.

Problem is that most indie writers lack one or more of the variables above. I've read at least 8-9 hiking memoirs, and I actually stopped reading them because most of them SUCK!!

Hiking and backpacking are awesome hobbies, but unless you have a gift or considerable skill with words it is boring as hell to read about. Most hiking memoirs are redundant, redundant, redundant. We don't want to read a linear play-by-play of your entire hike. There has to be something compelling about your story or the WAY you tell your story. That's part of what made Bryson's and Strayed's books so popular. Nowadays hikers think just because they completed a thru-hike (which is certainly an awesome feat and a life-changing journey), they can write a memoir of their experiences and somehow convey the impact or poignancy to their readers. It's not that easy. If it were, hiker memoirs would be flying off the shelves.

[Mags]

Hiking and backpacking are awesome hobbies, but unless you have a gift or considerable skill with words it is boring as hell to read about. Most hiking memoirs are redundant, redundant, redunda

Indeed. Almost all follow the same boring, bland, and boiler-plate arc:

1. A person gets the bug to the hike a trail.
2. Lots of strange, expensive and new equipment is bought.
3. The person arrives at Springer Mountain or Campo, CA and starts hiking. Blisters are had, rashes procured in strange places and the new life is experienced with a bit of difficulty.
4. A colorful cast of characters with names like “Snot Rocket” or “Ramen Wanderer” are encountered.
5.The person adapts to trail life as the earlier obstacles are overcome.
6.The northern terminus is reached.
7. A post-hike chapter is included with reflection on the journey.

[BirdBrain]

If I want to be entertained, I will read about failures. If I want to be informed, I will read about successes. I do this with all things. If you want to be entertained about marriage, read about Elizabeth Taylor. If you want to know how to have a successful marriage, talk to your grandparents who have been married for 50 years. The former is exciting. The latter is boring. But what are you looking for? Do you want to succeed or be entertained? Nothing wrong with being entertained. I fully expect to be entertained by Bryson's failures when I watch it in the theaters. The people who decide to hike based on what they "learn" from that movie will be entertaining too. Lest anyone think I am being snooty, I find my failures very entertaining as well.

[Cookerhiker]

...Hiking and backpacking are awesome hobbies, but unless you have a gift or considerable skill with words it is boring as hell to read about. Most hiking memoirs are redundant, redundant, redundant. We don't want to read a linear play-by-play of your entire hike. There has to be something compelling about your story or the WAY you tell your story.....

My ex-GF's book about her hike of the entire AT is different in two respects:

1. She started out as a would-be thru-hiker, left the trail at Harpers Ferry, and then finished in sections over 3 more years. Since she hiked 1,000 miles with the thrus, she had a partial perspective of thruhiking to share. Much of her section hiking was off-season - another perspective that most hikers' accounts don't cover. She was able to contrast the two phases i.e. hiking with a thruhiking community vs. having the trail and shelters to herself as she hiked PA, NJ, and NY mostly in November and CT, MA, VT and NH to Glencliff in April.

2. More significantly, her book is not organized in a linear chronology but thematic. You can tell by looking at the Table of Contents: Harvest Time, First Steps, The Zipper Symphony, The Allure of Town, Challenges (divided into subchapters Physical, Mental, Weather, Fears, Autumn Leaves, Monotony, Hunger, Leaving the Trail, Section-hiking, Loneliness), Gifts and Rewards (divided into subchapters Time with God/Solitude, Natural Delights, Blessing of Simplicity, Living in the Present Moment, Special Moments, Milestones, The Finale and Summit Day), and Conclusion.

There may be other AT books out there that are more creative than the standard linear approach. I will also say that regarding a niche vs a wider market, I suspect a book organized like hers is more likely to appeal to a general audience whereas some hiker types might dislike it because they want to see when she got from Point A to Point B without having to wade through the entire book to see when she reached McAfee Knob or Miss Janet's or Duncannon. In other words, some (not all) hikers prefer a straightforward linear read.


PS - Wulfgang, thanks for your kind words.