Customer Reviews

The Appalachian Trail - A Journey of Discovery

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm sorry. I just can't agree with the previous reviews. This is the worst AT book (by far) I've read.

I've probably read about 6 of them.

Anyway, it takes a lot of gall to write a book about hiking the AT when you haven't hiked the whole thing.

That's right. He doesn't finish. An AT memoir without the triumphal summit, no victory dance or witty last register entry. He just sort of stops.

But really, that's not such a shame. Lots of people don't finish (see Bryson), and a well written book of a shorter journey would be welcome. This isn't it.

Very poorly written, hackneyed, trite accounts of his inner battle to continue, and flowery ramblings concerning his spirituality made me squirm in my chair.

It was so bad it made me angry and I actually threw the book in the trash.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

In "The Appalachian Trail, a Journey of Discovery" his judgmental attitude toward fellow hikers (he seemed to consider himself superior to all others) really bothered me. His self-described 'type-A' personality made it impossible to like him, his references to his 'impressive' military career were mentioned too frequently... I'm former military and I grew tired of his inflated sense of self worth in this regard.

He also skipped a section of the AT (North of Damascus) and took the VA Creeper Trail and justified it by questioning the actual route of the AT as being tougher than it needed to be. This just really bothered me, and I kept reading just to see if he actually claimed to hike the whole thing at the end. Unfortunately this entailed buying part 2 which I cannot do.


I normally believe that if you don't have anything positive to say, keep your mouth shut! But this book affected me in such a negative way I felt compelled to share my pain. If you're looking for some inspirational reading to motivate you to hit the trails, save your money and don't buy this book.

This is not a movie with forced humor and stunt people. A retired military man provides an involving recount of his AT hike. I have tried to read many books on the AT (some were unbearable, so I did not finish them). This was one of the few full-reads, and a good one at that. In comparison to all other books, I might give this a four-stars rating, but seeing how bad some of the competition is, I have to give it a five-stars rating. See you on the trails!

I wondored how the author could make a typical day, week or month on the AT into an engaging book that would keep my attention to the very end. Mr. Curran does it successfully through insightful experiences on the day to day life of a thru-hiker on the AT. I must say though, the book gives you the idea that he is going to describe his trip from Spring Mountain, Georgia all the way to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. I was dissappointed to find that only half the journey was to be shared

This is the story of an ex-military man who has decided to follow his dreams and hike the Appalachian Trail. Like many of his fellow hikers, he came to realize his dream only after traumatic events occured in his life. Now, he is attempting to reconcile everything that is going on in his life and complete a long, unrealized goal.

Mr. Curran provides a wealth of information for the novice backpacker as well as providing a useful planning tool to the seasoned hiker who is preparing for what is known as a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (a thru-hike is defined as completing the entire 2,160 miles of trail in one year of hiking).

During his journey, you will be able to "see" the wonders of the Appalachians as well as experience the trials of a thru-hiker and his growth, both physically and spiritually.

Dispite some shortcomings I still found this book inspirational and helpful. Yes, in this one he does not finish the trail. I was a little disappointed to hear that he didn't actually 'thru-hike', but more or less did the second half the following year. He also did seem a bit full of himself as far as his military carreer goes, but it also shows how he is humbled by his experiences out of that arena. The one thing I liked especially was how he felt emotionally during his hike. Not many books show how mentally, in addition to physically, demanding a long distance hike can be.

Curran is a retired military officer. He comes across as very hard to get along with and very abrasive. He wastes no time letting the reader know what an important man he had been in the military, and that he had been offered high-paying positions upon his retirement. Much of his writing deals with his soul-searching about his life after retirement. He doesn't really seem to be that into nature, actually becoming a better person, or meeting other souls on a journey. Mostly he is into himself, and he doesn't seem to improve much between the beginning of the book and the end, when he quits hiking in Maryland. He also writes bad poetry. I really wish more Appalachian Trail hikers would write the story of their hikes. I very much enjoyed "Walking Home" by Kelly Winters. She is a very likable young woman who, like Curran, was trying to figure out where she was going next in her life, but reading her story was very fun and informative, filled with nature, people, and adventures. It is amazing that though both authors hiked the same trail, and both wrote about encountering individuals who they didn't like, Curran's book was so filled with negativity and Winters' book was so positive. I would say this book is only for those who, like me, feel compelled to read every book about the Appalachian Trail.

A very good description of the sights and scenery along the AT and the personal and emotional impacts of the psychological highs and lows of a long distance hike. It is written with exceptional clarity and sensitivity which I found to be delightful. I especially liked the poetry which, although not to be confused with Yeats or W. H. Auden, nonethless adds to the enjoyment of the reading. I have read a number of books on hiking by a number of authors and this is one of the very best.

Like the reviewer before me, I just wanted to point out that Jan Curran is a very rude man, so rude that it ruined my enjoyment of what otherwise would have been a decent book.

I thought this book was worth reading. I do have to admit that it can be slow paced at times, it is certainly no "Walk in the woods". But few books give the kind of insight into the hikers mind and emotions with such honesty and clarity. if your looking for a 'cannot put it down' adventure story, this is not it. If, on the other hand, you are looking to get into the mind and journal of someone who walked the AT (see "onward to Katahdin" for the second half), it is a worthwhile purchase.

There is an aspect to the book that others may find anoying, that is that he does go into some depth on the spiritual enlightenment he gains while hiking the AT. I, personally, would expect no less from someone journaling their journey on a thru-hike. Make up your own mind.