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

Rating:
Summary: Bad writing, your time better spent elsewhere.
Review: Got this book "free" when going the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and I'm interested in the subject matter (hiking the AT), so I read it. Unfortunately, the majority of it I found to be self-indulgent, preachy, amateurish pap. Insipid pabulum. Passage after passage sure to make you wince if not heave. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh and to be fair there was _some_ good info on the history of the trail, but the ratio is something like 80% crap to 20% good stuff. Not worth it. Doesn't have the humor of Bill Bryson or the maturity and authority of John McPhee.

Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Hike
Review: Having been a hiker (even though I have Cerebral Palsy) I enjoy reading about the AT. Being a woman I look forward to stories of hiking from other women hikers. I've read over 22 books on the AT. This one rarely covers the topic at hand. She wanders from Indian stories (aren't we all related to Cherokees? I HATE that) to the plight of every topic of society that constitutes over 40% of the book. The AT part is sparse, her struggles (while expected) mostly has to do with her own ignorance: don't hike with a three season sleeping bag! A floorless TP (please!) and expect to share sleeping with Boy and Girl Scout's because it is expected to do so. Of all the books to read on the AT that truly captures hiking experience--this isn't one. I found myself skipping more and more pages as the book went on to try to "find" the real story: her hike. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: Expected more than this....
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Skip Over the Pontificating and It Is a Good Read
Review: I read this book because of my own appreciation for hiking. I was hoping that it would give me a window to thru-hiking. Unfortunately, A Journey North is hardly the story of the author's hike of the Appalachian Trail. It is more of a collection of unrelated stories, endless complaints, and one-sided, oversimplified lectures on environmental issues. Readers searching for accounts of life on the trail will find this book lacking. In addition, Hall seems to dwell on her negative experiences while breezing over the positive ones she includes.
While this book covers the subjects of the AT, the environment, and some women's issues, I would recommend that anyone interested in any of these look elsewhere.

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: 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: 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: Diary of a narrow-minded and dependent hiker
Review: This woman did no planning and barely participated in the hike. She gives a lengthy account of a "left plenty of trace" AT hike loaded with tedious editorial opinions. Do yourself a favor and forego this book in favor of Jean Deeds "There Are Mountains To Climb".