Must read books...

[Suckerfish]

I am new at hiking along the AT, my first hike on the trail was in January of this year and I have gotten the fever since. I have read a few books this year and so far all of them have been great. I have 2 other books on my list to read and wanted to get some feedback from this group on other great reading books. (Doesnt have to be AT specific, just great books for people who like to walk out in the woods)

My list of books read this year in order of when i read them...

Into the wild by Jon Krakauer (spelling)
Just Passin Thru (Winton Porter)
Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)
A walk in the woods (Bill Bryson)
Becomming Odyssa (Jennifer Phar Davis)

Two books on my list next are
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail (David Miller)
Back to the wild (Gloria Davis-Editor) The book is just all of McCandless photos he took and his writings. Not sure who is the official writer of the book though.

What other books should I put on my list?

[Spokes]

The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - on the Pacific Crest Trail by Dan White.

I chuckled a lot reading this book. It didn't follow the "Today I hiked, got thirsty, got wet, got a blister, then went to sleep" format so typical in the hiking book genre.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cactus-Eat...ic+crest+trail

[Mags]

also suggest the Appalachian Trail reader.
http://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Tr.../dp/0195100905

My copy of this book is very dog eared. This book collects writings on geology, history and the culture surrounding the AT. It also features musings on the the trail and the Appalachians in general from the raw, but powerful voices, of everyday hikers to the eloquent musings of Thoreau and Wendell Berry. Highly recommended.

[kayak karl]

i liked The Trail of My Life: The Gene Espy Story

nothing about hiking, but biking "Heft on Wheels" Mike Magnuson

[Astro]

Skywalker: Close Encounters on the AT by Bill Walker

[kofritz]

Mountain Marching Mamas if you can find it....it may be available at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy(ATC) store...the ATC is coming out with a historical book in early September that is less expensive with a pre-order...check out the ATC store

[l84toff]

Just finished "I Hike" and really enjoyed it.

[yellowsirocco]

The Way Back - Slawomir Rawicz (Polish POW escapes from Siberia and walks to India)

I'm Off Then - Hape Kerkeling (Kind of like "A Walk in the Woods" for the Camino de Santiago)

Both are translations so the writing is not near as good as something like a John Krakauer but the content is neat.

[thebrewguy]

Great topic! I liked AWOL on the Appalachian Trail a lot, so that's a good one. I also just finished End to Ending by Tanner Critz and loved it! Great story and great writing. Other non-AT books for outdoor people: To The Last Breath by Francis Slakey, and Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.

[yellowsirocco]

The Way Back - Slawomir Rawicz (Polish POW escapes from Siberia and walks to India)

oops, The Long Walk is the book, The Way Back is the movie adaptation.

[hikerboy57]

John krakauers eiger dreams a collection of short stories.devils thumb is awesome,maybe his best narrative.:

"All that held me to the mountainside, all that held me to the world, were two thin spikes of chrome molybdenum stuck half an inch into a smear of frozen water, yet the higher I climbed, the more comfortable I became. Early on a difficult climb, especially a difficult solo-climb, you constantly feel the abyss pulling at your back. To resist takes a tremendous conscious effort; you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The siren song of the void puts you on edge; it makes your movements tentative, clumsy, herky-jerky. But as the climb goes on, you grow accustomed to the exposure, you get used to rubbing shoulders with doom, you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self-control."

[J5man]

i liked The Trail of My Life: The Gene Espy Story

nothing about hiking, but biking "Heft on Wheels" Mike Magnuson

Gene Espy's book is a great insight of an adventurous young man. Ironically, he wrote it many years later because he didnt think anyone would really be interested in his story. Very humble man. I loved the book! I bought mine from him at Trails Days a few years and got it signed. One of my prized posessions!

[whatnot]

If you can find a copy, read "As Far as the Eye Can See - Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker" by David Brill. It's a different sort of thru-hiker account (he hiked the trail in 1979). Rather than a chronological tale, it is a book full of stories and Brill's thought's on topics such as fear, learning to see, strange and interesting people, animals, what it was like being home after Katahdin, etc.

[T-Rx]

I am currently on part 2 of Through Hiker's Eyes by Lawrence Alexander. I enjoyed part 1 very much and thus far part 2 has also been very good.

[Rain Man]

If you can find a copy, read "As Far as the Eye Can See - Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker" by David Brill.

I'll second this one and add "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" by J.R. (Model-T) Tate.

There's also a free "on-line book" (actually a journal) that I would recommend: "Then the Hail Came" by George Steffanos.
Then the Hail Came.

There are many more, including "Walking Home" by WB's own Amzin' Grace (Kelly Winters).

RainMan

.

[perrito]

Great topic! I liked AWOL on the Appalachian Trail a lot, so that's a good one. I also just finished End to Ending by Tanner Critz and loved it! Great story and great writing. Other non-AT books for outdoor people: To The Last Breath by Francis Slakey, and Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.

Thanks for these recommendations. I've read many trail accounts and have to say that AWOL on the AT is my favorite.

This is a list I've posted elsewhere. Excuse the repeats - it's a cut & paste.
For long trail journal type reads, I can recommend the following:

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by Davis Miller

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Walker

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis

Three Hundred Zeroes by Dennis R. Blanchard

Barefoot Sisters Southbound by Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher

Barefoot Sisters Walking Home by Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher

A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt

On the Beaten Path by Robert Alden Rubin

As Far as the Eye Can See by David Brill

A Blistered Kind of Love by Angela Ballard and Duffy Ballard

A Thru-Hiker's Heart, Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail by Ray Echols

Then the Hail Came by George Steffanos
is an excellent and free online read.


Other "outdoorsy" type reads:

The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher

The Last Season by Eric Blehm

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Just Passin' Thru by Winton Porter

Adrift by Steven Callahan

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales


A few of my favorite fictional reads:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Stand by Stephen King

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Now I read a lot, about 70 to 80 books a year, of which about 75% are fiction. Last year a friend recommended Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This was the best book I'd read all year. It is a MUST read. Half way through the book I couldn't believe that there was still half of a book left to read. It blew me away.

[bobqzzi]

oops, The Long Walk is the book, The Way Back is the movie adaptation.

Nice read, but turns out to be fiction.

[Suckerfish]

John krakauers eiger dreams a collection of short stories.devils thumb is awesome,maybe his best narrative.:

"All that held me to the mountainside, all that held me to the world, were two thin spikes of chrome molybdenum stuck half an inch into a smear of frozen water, yet the higher I climbed, the more comfortable I became. Early on a difficult climb, especially a difficult solo-climb, you constantly feel the abyss pulling at your back. To resist takes a tremendous conscious effort; you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The siren song of the void puts you on edge; it makes your movements tentative, clumsy, herky-jerky. But as the climb goes on, you grow accustomed to the exposure, you get used to rubbing shoulders with doom, you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self-control."

I agree about his writing of the devil's thumb, I think those were the two best chapters in his first book "Into the wild" when he decided to share why he connected with mccandless. Those two chapters sucked me right in.

[Suckerfish]

Thanks for these recommendations. I've read many trail accounts and have to say that AWOL on the AT is my favorite.

This is a list I've posted elsewhere. Excuse the repeats - it's a cut & paste.
For long trail journal type reads, I can recommend the following:

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by Davis Miller

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Walker

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis

Three Hundred Zeroes by Dennis R. Blanchard

Barefoot Sisters Southbound by Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher

Barefoot Sisters Walking Home by Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher

A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt

On the Beaten Path by Robert Alden Rubin

As Far as the Eye Can See by David Brill

A Blistered Kind of Love by Angela Ballard and Duffy Ballard

A Thru-Hiker's Heart, Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail by Ray Echols

Then the Hail Came by George Steffanos
is an excellent and free online read.


Other "outdoorsy" type reads:

The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher

The Last Season by Eric Blehm

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Just Passin' Thru by Winton Porter

Adrift by Steven Callahan

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales


A few of my favorite fictional reads:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Stand by Stephen King

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Now I read a lot, about 70 to 80 books a year, of which about 75% are fiction. Last year a friend recommended Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This was the best book I'd read all year. It is a MUST read. Half way through the book I couldn't believe that there was still half of a book left to read. It blew me away.

Wow, thanks so much for posting these. 70-80 books, impressive.

[Ewker]

Blind Courage is a good book. It is the story of a blind hiker who thru-hiked the AT