Rating: 
Summary: From a female thru-hiker
Review: I recently read this book because I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1999. I wanted to see another woman's point of view on the journey. I found myself identifying with her often, but a lot of other stuff got in the way of the actual description of what it's like to be out there on the trail. Yet, as there are very few backpacking oriented books for women this would be a good read for someone preparing to thru hike. For more backpacking advice geared towards women, check out Beverly Hugo's book on women thru hikers, as well as Adrienne's other book "Backpacking: A Ragged Mountain Press Woman's Guide".
Rating: 
Summary: Similar Ambitions
Review: I thought this book was great, but then again I am biased because I plan on hiking the Appalachian trail with my wife in the same winter conditions that Adrienne and her fiancee faced. Throw in the dog, and I am even more entertained. Do not look for information on the trail, but rather an overall emotional story with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Similar Ambitions
Review: I thought this book was great, but then again I am biased because I plan on hiking the Appalachian trail with my wife in the same winter conditions that Adrienne and her fiancee faced. Throw in the dog, and I am even more entertained. Do not look for information on the trail, but rather an overall emotional story with this book.
Rating:
Summary: ya hike 6 months and whaddya get?
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: just breaks the surface
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhere In Between OK and Good
Review: I've recently begun doing a lot of solo hikes and in my own experience have made a lot of mistakes that planning ahead more would have remedied. To me backpacking has been about relationships; relationships with yourself, friends and other hikers. In that frame of mind, I picked up Adrienne Hall's book. What I was expecting was a book about a female's perspective in the male dominated social culture of the Appalachian Trail. A book about people they met and stories about themselves and the hikers on the trail. While that certainly exists in this book, it takes a back seat to the environmental studies and Miss Hall's personal views of the socioeconomic culture surrounding wilderness areas in this country (which I don't necessarily disagree with). I will say that I was warned both by examining Adrienna Hall's background before I purchased the book and by other reviews. Many of the articles on land conservation take front stage before the trail itself, and there were a bit more of them than I would have liked. In general I enjoyed reading this book and will probably do so again in years to come. I would have preferred more stories about people, however, that is my own hangup.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhere In Between OK and Good
Review: I've recently begun doing a lot of solo hikes and in my own experience have made a lot of mistakes that planning ahead more would have remedied. To me backpacking has been about relationships; relationships with yourself, friends and other hikers. In that frame of mind, I picked up Adrienne Hall's book. What I was expecting was a book about a female's perspective in the male dominated social culture of the Appalachian Trail. A book about people they met and stories about themselves and the hikers on the trail. While that certainly exists in this book, it takes a back seat to the environmental studies and Miss Hall's personal views of the socioeconomic culture surrounding wilderness areas in this country (which I don't necessarily disagree with). I will say that I was warned both by examining Adrienna Hall's background before I purchased the book and by other reviews. Many of the articles on land conservation take front stage before the trail itself, and there were a bit more of them than I would have liked. In general I enjoyed reading this book and will probably do so again in years to come. I would have preferred more stories about people, however, that is my own hangup.
Rating: 
Summary: OH the Humanity !
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I was hoping for
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Tries to do all and fails
Review: 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.
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