Rating: 
Summary: Bummed when I came to the last page!
Review: Loved every page! The genuine, honest writing took you along every step of the trail. You felt like you knew all the trail friends and got the munchies for junk food just from reading! You could almost justify the calories! Very humerous!
Rating: 
Summary: Slower than the walk itself
Review: My only other account of a thru hike of the AT came from Bryson's Walk in the Woods, which left me disappointed and feeling that the author had sold himself short somehow on his trip. I finished the book without feeling that I had gained anymore insight regarding the thru hike experience. Model T achieves in his book "Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery" what Bryson, for whatever reason, could not. The book is lengthy. But you expect that, b/c the trail meanders through several states for over 2000 miles. Model T covers in entertaining detail the realistic experiences of a person who dips in and out of civilization but remains for the most part isolated from the ease of society for 6 months. While reading Model T's account of the trip, you appreciate his craving for a Snickers bar or the pint of ice cream that he comes to long for along his trail. Model T transplants into the woods right there with him and you share in his experiences. You connect with the fellow thru hikers that he encounters and develop bonds with various "characters" like "Eco-Warrior" or "Wahoola." You even feel sadness when you realize that Model T's occasional separation from the group might mean that he won't see these truly interesting characters again. Model T provides an incredible account of the rigors of the AT thru hike but also offers some insight into the mind of a person who embarks upon this very demanding experience. You have a chance to observe two sides to the author: the Ego, who very suspicious of the whole adventure, reminds the author of the ease of life outside the trail; but you also have the narrator, who understands and craves the simplicity of the AT where social customs and norms fly out the window with one's first encounter w/ the runs. Model T's account left me wishing I had met the author and hoping that someday I might choose to take on a thru hike.
Rating:
Summary: Watch out for the Rattlers between your feet!!!
Review: My only other account of a thru hike of the AT came from Bryson's Walk in the Woods, which left me disappointed and feeling that the author had sold himself short somehow on his trip. I finished the book without feeling that I had gained anymore insight regarding the thru hike experience. Model T achieves in his book "Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery" what Bryson, for whatever reason, could not. The book is lengthy. But you expect that, b/c the trail meanders through several states for over 2000 miles. Model T covers in entertaining detail the realistic experiences of a person who dips in and out of civilization but remains for the most part isolated from the ease of society for 6 months. While reading Model T's account of the trip, you appreciate his craving for a Snickers bar or the pint of ice cream that he comes to long for along his trail. Model T transplants into the woods right there with him and you share in his experiences. You connect with the fellow thru hikers that he encounters and develop bonds with various "characters" like "Eco-Warrior" or "Wahoola." You even feel sadness when you realize that Model T's occasional separation from the group might mean that he won't see these truly interesting characters again. Model T provides an incredible account of the rigors of the AT thru hike but also offers some insight into the mind of a person who embarks upon this very demanding experience. You have a chance to observe two sides to the author: the Ego, who very suspicious of the whole adventure, reminds the author of the ease of life outside the trail; but you also have the narrator, who understands and craves the simplicity of the AT where social customs and norms fly out the window with one's first encounter w/ the runs. Model T's account left me wishing I had met the author and hoping that someday I might choose to take on a thru hike.
Rating:
Summary: walking on the happy side of misery
Review: One of the best books I have read on the AT. I have been a backpacker for 32 years now and have hiked the AT from North Carolina to Georgia in the 80's along with trails all over the US. This is not a how-to book, but a recount of one man's journey of his life on the AT. It is hillarius: this guy has conversations with his alter ego, talks to himself frequently and gives us an insight on his fears(just like all of us have), real and imagined, while on the trail. Anyone who is married will enjoy and agree about that dreaded "LOOK" that his wife uses to slay his male pride (like we thought we were actually in charge of this world). Indeed, his sense of humor is what makes this book so interesting and refreshing.
I have not thru hiked the AT, and as I celebrate my 53rd birthday, this book gave me the hope that I could.
Nothing has come closer to hitting the mark. The preface in the book says it all. Five stars Model-T, and thanks.
Rating:
Summary: walking on the happy side of misery
Review: One of the best books I have read on the AT. I have been a backpacker for 32 years now and have hiked the AT from North Carolina to Georgia in the 80's along with trails all over the US. This is not a how-to book, but a recount of one man's journey of his life on the AT. It is hillarius: this guy has conversations with his alter ego, talks to himself frequently and gives us an insight on his fears(just like all of us have), real and imagined, while on the trail. Anyone who is married will enjoy and agree about that dreaded "LOOK" that his wife uses to slay his male pride (like we thought we were actually in charge of this world). Indeed, his sense of humor is what makes this book so interesting and refreshing.
I have not thru hiked the AT, and as I celebrate my 53rd birthday, this book gave me the hope that I could.
Nothing has come closer to hitting the mark. The preface in the book says it all. Five stars Model-T, and thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Journey!
Review: the author, J.R."Model T" Tate, captures the true sense of hiking the Appalachian Trail. The humor, the misery of blistered feet, the hunger for "real food" & the critters along the way; make this a must read for anyone who has hiked or dreams of hiking the long trail!
I laughed my Vasque boots off!
Rating:
Summary: The best A.T. book yet !!
Review: This book is the best book of the subject.
anyone and I mean ANYONE who has ever wondered what life on the trail is like NEEDS this book.
If your thinking about doing a hike of any length you really sould read it!! It needs more than five stars I give it a 10
Rating:
Summary: Fabulously Hysterical!!!
Review: This book was excellent!!! I have never been much of a hiker nor have I dreamed of hiking the trail, but that is not required to enjoy this journey. I laughed until I cried, and the imagery was so intense I felt like I was actually there!!! Couldn't put it down. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to go on a journey in their mind and at the end be amazingly fulfilled and glad to be clean, well-feed, and tucked away warmly in their soft bed!
Rating:
Summary: Life on the Trail
Review: This seems like two books. In the first half of the book, he mostly talks about how many times he belches each day and what they sound like, what his underarms smell like, and other gross-out passages involving farting and other body functions. Maybe Model-T regressed back to fourth grade on the trail, which is his right, but it gets old very quickly. Then after Harper's Ferry, the book starts to get more interesting. He doesn't spend as much time telling us the nitty gritty little details of his burping and farting, and there are some terrifically funny stories. The train stop incident is an absolute side splitter. You couldn't make up something like that. There are also some sad stories. "Wake up, little mouse, wake up." Model-T is very good at describing other hikers. Moleskin Meg is an example -- absolute stick of dynamite! She musta been a blast to be around, mouth or not (remember the group photo early on? she ain't shy, is she ...) The book is also very good at conveying a sense of what it's like to be out there on the trail day in and day out, with your constant companion hunger. Overall the book has its moments, but at 500 or so pages it's not as good a read as it could have been.
Rating: 
Summary: HAS ITS MOMENTS
Review: This seems like two books. In the first half of the book, he mostly talks about how many times he belches each day and what they sound like, what his underarms smell like, and other gross-out passages involving farting and other body functions. Maybe Model-T regressed back to fourth grade on the trail, which is his right, but it gets old very quickly. Then after Harper's Ferry, the book starts to get more interesting. He doesn't spend as much time telling us the nitty gritty little details of his burping and farting, and there are some terrifically funny stories. The train stop incident is an absolute side splitter. You couldn't make up something like that. There are also some sad stories. "Wake up, little mouse, wake up." Model-T is very good at describing other hikers. Moleskin Meg is an example -- absolute stick of dynamite! She musta been a blast to be around, mouth or not (remember the group photo early on? she ain't shy, is she ...) The book is also very good at conveying a sense of what it's like to be out there on the trail day in and day out, with your constant companion hunger. Overall the book has its moments, but at 500 or so pages it's not as good a read as it could have been.
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