Customer Reviews

A Journey North: One woman's story of hiking the Appalachian Trail

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I was disappointed with this very surface narrative of 6 months on the AT. There should be more about the author's personal growth, insight into her psyche, reconnection with nature, etc. The book failed to meet my expectations. It was similar to Bryson's "a walk in the woods" with the historical, ecological, and biological sections interspersed between Trail narrative, but Bryson's is much better. I skipped those sections in her book because it's basically the same treatment & information as Bryson's, only bland. Hall lacks a sense of humor, and her writing is quite dry and dull. I didn't get a sense of her personality at all in what should be a quite personal book. Surely there were more occasions of note that she could have written about, or explicated further. Even daily things like how she coped with toting around soiled sanitary supplies would be interesting. Or deconstructing the myth that a menstruating woman in the woods is forbidden (maybe she addresses that in her other book?) I think the author is banking on the female perspective to market this book, but there was only one thing metioned that was an exclusive female experience; Hall having to leave the shelter to change her clothes when there were hikers other than her boyfriend around. Hall mentions that the appeal of the AT is the social aspect. She barely describes 2 or 3 social interactions, nor does she have any real opinions about being social or even the psychological fallout from her social isolation (though she does speak to her increasing annoyance with civilization & it's encroachment upon the AT). She mentions the predominatly male mindset/orientation of the AT, and I hoped for an analysis and critique of that, but no such luck. Transition from one event to the next is somewhat off. Who edited this? In one sentence Hall & Co. battle skeeters and the next thing the reader knows, they are showering in anticipation of pizza and TV (just an example, that may not be how it actually happened in the book). I look forward to exploring AT literature from a woman's perspective in hopes of finding a mature, readable, reflective, wise, and entertaining voice; is that asking too much? Okay, so it was boring. So nothing too terribly exciting or dramatic happened to Hall on her trip; other than at the end, but one must trek through the bulk of the book to arrive there. And that was even downplayed.

I bought this book because I expected a strong female voice about thru hiking. Adrienne whines through most of the trip, always complaining about something. Before I hiked on the Appalachian Trail, I read most everything that I could find about the subject. Thankfully this book was not available at that time, because reading her accounts may have encouraged me not to proceed with the hike. I would suggest the Bryson book (A Walk in the Woods), it brings humor to the subject and maybe Adrienne would have had a better time with a little sense of humor.

Most of the book reads like a term paper. There are precious few details about the day to day experiences and nature encountered. I had the feeling throughout that Ms. Hall would rather have been somewhere else, and I found it too personal at times- just not what I was looking for.

If the book wasn't a gift, I would want my money back. First of all I wouldn't expect someone to go climb Mt. Everest and complain about the cold, the wind, or the snow. Such is the price of admission. Likewise the AT comes with a price. This book was an exercise of endurance that pushed pain tolerance to the maximum. Specifically mine. I began reading this book with great eagerness and expectation. My desire was quickly doused by Ms. Hall's incessant whining about all things A-Z that I would think would be expected from such a journey. Does this indicate poor planning on her part? I understand that it was not her idea or "dream" to walk the trail. I suspect that she had ulterior motives for going. Only she knows. But the way she describes it makes the journey sound like a prison sentence.( though vaguely touched upon) I would have liked to have read more about wildlife, other hikers, indepth reflective thoughts, more input from her partner. So much was left out-except her constant whining. She complains about other day hikers i.e.boyscout troops ruining her wilderness experience. If she wanted that much of a wilderness experience then why follow a trail? Blaze your own. How is she concidered a thru-hiker? When the going got tough she got going- off the trail that is. Mom and dad picked her up and drove her to philly to a nice warm bed, hot meals, and nights on south street. She recouped then returned to finish. If I start the Boston marathon and run ten miles, stop and then come back a week later and run the rest of the course, did I run the Boston marathon? Let's be real, she was a sectional walker as she left the trail more than once. No, I think the real book here should have come from craig(her partner) or one of the people that live on the trail that received brief mention. I did enjoy trail history and the political struggles. I learned not to hike with a dog or a whiney partner.

I was eager to read this book because of it having a woman's view of hiking the AT. I was somewhat disappointed by Hall's failure to really write about her experiences. Much of the book was focused on her misery from sore muscles and achy feet to mosquito bites -- these are things one would expect hiking 2,000+ miles. The lack of stories about people she met along the way or even more description about her and Craig's interactions would have brought the book more alive. While I think its great she completed her mission, I don't feel as though I gained much insight on her experience as a woman on the trail outside of walking more slowly and having to change away from the shelters. I did enjoy her narratives on the environmental history of the trail and what it took for the trail to become what it is today. It is evident she's more of a science writer than a story teller, but its worth reading to gain a greater perspective on the conservation efforts that continue today and also the toll backpacking can take on you.

When I purchased this book I was expecting a story of a woman and her boyfriend dealing with the trials and tribulations of hiking the Appalachian Trail. What I found when I read this book though was that this book has very little to do with hiking the Appalachian Trail and more to do with the author preaching to us that humans are evil money hungry mongrels out to destroy everything that is good and free in nature. It is not only that this book is constantly preaching to the reader about the ecology or promoting new age theology (we are one with nature), but this book extremely POORLY written. The author is constantly changing subjects from paragraph to paragraph using horrible transitions that make it read like a middle school term paper. To be fair there are some glimpses in this book that are amusing and fun to read but on the whole it is a pretty bad book. I would suggest to someone who is interested in reading about a thru-hike experience that they not buy this book, you would be better served by going to a great outdoor recreational wep page and reading their trail journals for free.

The author skillfully weaves between accounts of trail experiences and descriptions of the trail's history, preservation issues and features of the environment. I got this book from the library hoping to read an account of what it is like to hike the trail, so I somewhat enjoyed the very few descriptions of actual trail life. Still, these portions were not as well written as the more "factual" informative sections, and were really outnumbered, and so I found it all pretty dry and her trip fairly uninteresting.

My recommendation for a good travel book is "Homelands..." by Byron Ricks. It's about kayaking and you feel like you're there.

I bought this book expecting a strong female voice on hiking the AT. What I read was a girl whose main reason for hiking was because she knew her boyfriend wouldn't consider marrying anyone who wouldn't hike the trail with him....Hello? Some of her observations were interesting, but she also spends most of the book ranting about something.

Ms. Hall's book is generally entertaining in her descriptions of trail life, but her narrative doesn't accomplish much beyond telling well-worn stories of trail life (though there are a handful of notable exceptions). I'm fine with a prosaic description of her experiences, though. What I could not handle were her naive, ill-conceived rantings about issues that affect the AT (acid rain, user fees, species reintroduction, etc.). Her research for these essays appears to have involved talking to one individual and presenting that person's views as gospel. The net result is a collection of horribly oversimplified views on terribly complex issues. Her position is simply that we should stop polluting and let nature take its course. There's nothing on how we should make that happen or anything useful like that. What bothered me the most, though, is that she takes the aggravating stance of claiming how close to nature she is, as well as how she's "fighting for survival" on the trail, but never rectifies that stance with all the man-made products (fleece, Gore-Tex, nylon, etc.) or the pre-packed food she carries.

Overall, the book is not as bad as I make it out to be. Her narrative was generally interesting enough to keep me entertained, but I had to fight the regular, frustrating tangents she consistently presented. I must admit I read them all, though by the last half of the book it was to see what absurd statements she would make next, rather than for information. In the end, the product is a book that attempts to inform the reader of what the AT experience is like, as well as what issues are affecting the trail. Ms. Hall would have been better served to attempt just one of those things.

I enjoy most books about thru hiking the Appalchian Trail and this was no exception. It held my interest enough to read it through on a six-hour airplane trip without once putting it down. It is better written than many other trail tales and one grows to like the author. However, there is a major problem with Hall's narrative: she can't stick to the subject. This is the reason the book somewhat misses the mark.

When I purchase a hiking book, particularly one about a six-month AT trek, I expect to read about just this: the hiking. Hall commits the egregious sin of weaving in and out of the narrative long-winded treatises on environmental issues. While I agree completely with her liberal philosophy on the environment, I don't want the look littered with this every few pages. It breaks up the rhythm and becomes increasingly frustrating. In one paragraph she'll be describing the verdant forests of New Hampshire and in the next she'll be off on a diatribe against Ronald Reagan. I can only shudder at what Hall would think of the environmental Neaderthal, George W. Bush, but he hadn't entered office yet when this book was penned. One fervently wishes he had never entered office at all...

Adrienne would have been successful had she followed Sergeant Joe Friday's advice and offered "just the facts, Ma'am." Tell the reader about the rigors of trail life, lack of food and sleep, trail angels and bugs. Save the (valuable) environmental advice for another book, or at the very least keep in for an appendix at the conclusion of the book.

Another criticism I have is the constant gushing over fiancee, Craig. She doesn't say whether she ever married this man or not, but the over-the-top mooning over him grated on the nerves. He seemed like a loveable teddy bear of a guy, but enough is enough. Other reviewers have begrudged her supposed "whining," but I didn't notice much of that. If you want to read whining taken to a high art in AT literature, check out Blaney and Ullyart's book "A Journey of Friendship" for the most nauseating, childish complaining known to mortal man. Much of Hall's displeasure could easily have been avoided had she not made the inexplicable decision to begin hiking from Springer Mtn. in early February!! What was she thinking?

I recommend Hall's book, but be forwarned about its tendency to meander and not stick to the subject at hand. Aside from these few criticisms, the book belongs on the shelf of any real or vicarious AT enthusiast.