A Guide to Car-Hiking The Appalachian Trail :

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book - fills a Niche
Review: I finally found an Appalachian Trail book which tells non-hikers like me how to find the A.T. Every other book I've found caters to the serious hiker. IT IS MY TRAIL TOO! I want to see what I can of it. And my children want to show this great treasure to my grandchildren. They may hike it someday.
The treasure hunt of finding the A.T. in 74 different places is at least as much fun for me as rugged hiking is for those whose age and lifestyle permit.... And I can still take the short hikes recommended at some locations in the book..
I highly recommend this unique approach to bringing the A.T. and the beautiful world through which it passes into the world of those who can't - or don't wish to - seriously hike it. I am also aware that this way of seeing the trail, which is a trail for all of us, does not materially add to the wear and tear I hear about. -

Rating:
Summary: To each his own
Review: This is a rather peculiar book, and not at all what I was expecting (which was a guide to slack-packing the Trail with car support). When the authors talk about "car-hiking", their emphasis is on "car", rather than "hiking". What they've done is to visit places where the AT crosses roads (in many places without actually getting out of the car: some of the road crossings they depict don't even have parking available) and take pictures. Not surprisingly, many of the pictures are of freeway overpasses, road signs, and such!

The Appalachian Trail was conceived as "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness". This is not what you'll find here: the book deals with the AT at its worst, rather than at its best. The authors didn't try to visit every road crossing, but (somewhat arbitrarily) decided to visit the first and last crossings in each state, major river crossings, Interstate Highway crossings, and a few other "key" places. Why anyone would want to do this, I confess, is something of a mystery to me, but then many of my friends think it's a mystery why anyone should want to hike the Trail. To each his own.

Rating:
Summary: To each his own
Review: This is a rather peculiar book, and not at all what I was expecting (which was a guide to slack-packing the Trail with car support). When the authors talk about "car-hiking", their emphasis is on "car", rather than "hiking". What they've done is to visit places where the AT crosses roads (in many places without actually getting out of the car: some of the road crossings they depict don't even have parking available) and take pictures. Not surprisingly, many of the pictures are of freeway overpasses, road signs, and such!

The Appalachian Trail was conceived as "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness". This is not what you'll find here: the book deals with the AT at its worst, rather than at its best. The authors didn't try to visit every road crossing, but (somewhat arbitrarily) decided to visit the first and last crossings in each state, major river crossings, Interstate Highway crossings, and a few other "key" places. Why anyone would want to do this, I confess, is something of a mystery to me, but then many of my friends think it's a mystery why anyone should want to hike the Trail. To each his own.

Rating:
Summary: To each his own
Review: This is a rather peculiar book, and not at all what I was expecting (which was a guide to slack-packing the Trail with car support). When the authors talk about "car-hiking", their emphasis is on "car", rather than "hiking". What they've done is to visit places where the AT crosses roads (in many places without actually getting out of the car: some of the road crossings they depict don't even have parking available) and take pictures. Not surprisingly, many of the pictures are of freeway overpasses, road signs, and such!

The Appalachian Trail was conceived as "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness". This is not what you'll find here: the book deals with the AT at its worst, rather than at its best. The authors didn't try to visit every road crossing, but (somewhat arbitrarily) decided to visit the first and last crossings in each state, major river crossings, Interstate Highway crossings, and a few other "key" places. Why anyone would want to do this, I confess, is something of a mystery to me, but then many of my friends think it's a mystery why anyone should want to hike the Trail. To each his own.

Rating:
Summary: Novel Idea!
Review: What a novel idea! The AT runs through my town, and I remember watching the guy behind the counter of the local hardware store talking to a young couple who wanted to know how to find the trail so they could take their young children for a short hike on the famous footpath. The shopkeeper was struggling with directions, but "Car-Hiking the AT" would have come to the rescue.

There have to be thousands of us thru-hiker wannabees who don't have the time, the knees, or the freedom to hike the AT that way, but crave a "taste of the AT" that the knowledgeable authors serve up so temptingly. Yes, it dares to mention bridges, highways, and other claptrap of modern human development, but the AT's lofty achievement is to provide us respite from that...and you've got to get to the trail somehow! Clear maps, good descriptions, nice design, and nifty tidbits on local history and more- a great package. Best of all, it's written with personality and a clear love of the trail. This one has earned its place on my bookshelf.