The Appalachian Trail

A Biography

The Appalachian Trail is America’s most beloved trek, with millions of hikers setting foot on it every year. Yet few are aware of the fascinating backstory of the dreamers and builders who helped bring it to life over the past century.

The conception and building of the Appalachian Trail is a story of unforgettable characters who explored it, defined it, and captured national attention by hiking it. From Grandma Gatewood—a mother of eleven who thru-hiked in canvas sneakers and a drawstring duffle—to Bill Bryson, author of the best-selling A Walk in the Woods, the AT has seized the American imagination like no other hiking path. The 2,000-mile-long hike from Georgia to Maine is not just a trail through the woods, but a set of ideas about nature etched in the forest floor. This character-driven biography of the trail is a must-read not just for ambitious hikers, but for anyone who wonders about our relationship with the great outdoors and dreams of getting away from urban life for a pilgrimage in the wild.

I’m going to get the car and then I’m coming home

The first time we saw a black bear was in the park . We were so scared. Then we heard a warning coming from our house.

Very good except for the end.

I really like this format. Enjoyed the book up until chapter 10. I don’t see how going into a rant about how the Appalachian Trail was created by white people for white people is helpful to anybody. Anyway, the short biographies about the people that made the trail possible were done very well. I recommend reading or listening to the first nine chapters and then moving on.

The politics of the AT

Very interesting history of trail. kind of takes the mystic out of hike. Still on bucket list.

History of the Appalachian trail

Very informative. But OH SO BORING.
excellent audiobook if you have a very bad case of insomnia

It struck me as a socialist"s history of an American landmark.

I thru hiked the AT and this book didn't describe what I saw, experienced or learned along my odyssey.