Rating: 
Summary: great book, but...
Review: First off, I would like to say that I did enjoy the book (thus the 4 stars). I felt that it gave me a good feel for the experience of being a long distance AT hiker. That said, I did find a few things that I didn't like. I sensed a strong feeling of elitism from the author. Mic seemed smugly confident that end to end through-hikers were clearly superior to 'mere' day or weekend hikers (tourists). I would imagine that he held even greater disdain for people who hadn't even hiked the trail, but merely read about it (most of those purchasing his book). His condescending attitude eventually grew a little tiresome. Readers watched him instill these views in his 10 year old daughter. He almost sounded proud that she had no interest in associating with a group of similarly aged Girl Scouts that they encountered on the trail. She appeared to prefer hanging out with 'real' hikers than what she seemed to view as a gang of silly little children. Granted, their through-hike happened many years ago, perhaps around 1973 or 1974. Attitudes have generally grown more open-minded in the meantime. I find myself wondering if the attitudes of through-hikers like Mic have evolved as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Having read several accounts of thru hikes on the AT and being interested in the subject, I found this book extremely disappointing. Didn't feel the family took much positive away from their once in a lifetime experience and the book held little helpful information for anyone considering a thru hike,or even interested in, the AT. Other AT books I have read have been either informational, inspiring, helpful, positive accounts of nature and hiking or all of the above. Their family hike seemed mostly an ordeal. Aside from some humerous exchanges with their 10 year old daughter, I didn't find much to recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great AT book
Review: I have read several AT books and this one has been the most enjoyable so far. I laughed out loud several times. I also really felt a wide range of emotions for their trials (rain, rain,rain). If you enjoy AT stories, don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great AT book
Review: I have read several AT books and this one has been the most enjoyable so far. I laughed out loud several times. I also really felt a wide range of emotions for their trials (rain, rain,rain). If you enjoy AT stories, don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I've read quite a few books on people thruhiking the AT, and this by far was the most fun to read. Its got nothing 'special' other than its a great read and it makes you want to keep reading! I highly enjoyed it, and reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the AT books out there
Review: Mic Lowther self published this book in 1990. Finally publishing it for the public in 2001. I am sorry he did not do it sooner. After virtually reading every account that has been written about walking all the trail or in part, this book is my favorite.
It seems that they are careful not to mention actually when his family walked the trail but I would guess in the mid 1970's. It is an excellent balance of what the trail is about, the emotions that ensue and the personal relationships that develop between hikers and their immediate family. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has dreamed of hiking the trail or mystified why people actually attempt it.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the AT books out there
Review: Mic Lowther self published this book in 1990. Finally publishing it for the public in 2001. I am sorry he did not do it sooner. After virtually reading every account that has been written about walking all the trail or in part, this book is my favorite.
It seems that they are careful not to mention actually when his family walked the trail but I would guess in the mid 1970's. It is an excellent balance of what the trail is about, the emotions that ensue and the personal relationships that develop between hikers and their immediate family. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has dreamed of hiking the trail or mystified why people actually attempt it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful family journey
Review: The only thing needed to make it "perfect" is more of it. I keep wishing it were longer, because I want to keep on reading Mic's wonderful prose. I've just finished reading this book for the third time (the 1st two readings were of the original edition) and each time it has seemed fresh and new. Here is the review I wrote after reading it the first time. It's still true. "This beautifully-written book has everything--including some wonderfully sly humor and a plot that draws you along so strongly you can hardly put the book down. Mic Lowther, his wife Jerrianne and their ten-year-old daughter Kyra (rhymes with Vera),thruhiked the A.T. in the 1970's. Mic's every fiber was tuned,almost to the exclusion of all else, to the goal of getting to Katahdin before it was closed for the winter. As he says in his book, "I'd designed and programmed computer systems... The Appalachian Trail seemed awesome in concept and scale. I'd seized it at once as a fascinating problem to work." As for his wife Jerri, "Time in the woods was like a visit with friends to her, and she would...fall quickly to watching birds and identifying flowers and lose all apparent interest in our destination." And 10-year-old Kyra: "No stranger to the outdoors, Kyra had accompanied us on trips since she could toddle and had traveled through twenty-eight states. But none, she pointed out, on foot." Kyra, as it turned out, was a practically perfect thruhiker. Well...you probably sense the conflict that developed early on in this hike. But you'll have to read the book to see how it all turned out--I'm not going to give it away here. But I will say that it makes for absolutely fascinating and enjoyable reading." After you read this one, there's another well-written book about an AT journey called "On the Beaten Path" by Robert Rubin. Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: A Practically Perfect Book.
Review: The only thing needed to make it "perfect" is more of it. I keep wishing it were longer, because I want to keep on reading Mic's wonderful prose. I've just finished reading this book for the third time (the 1st two readings were of the original edition) and each time it has seemed fresh and new. Here is the review I wrote after reading it the first time. It's still true. "This beautifully-written book has everything--including some wonderfully sly humor and a plot that draws you along so strongly you can hardly put the book down. Mic Lowther, his wife Jerrianne and their ten-year-old daughter Kyra (rhymes with Vera),thruhiked the A.T. in the 1970's. Mic's every fiber was tuned,almost to the exclusion of all else, to the goal of getting to Katahdin before it was closed for the winter. As he says in his book, "I'd designed and programmed computer systems... The Appalachian Trail seemed awesome in concept and scale. I'd seized it at once as a fascinating problem to work." As for his wife Jerri, "Time in the woods was like a visit with friends to her, and she would...fall quickly to watching birds and identifying flowers and lose all apparent interest in our destination." And 10-year-old Kyra: "No stranger to the outdoors, Kyra had accompanied us on trips since she could toddle and had traveled through twenty-eight states. But none, she pointed out, on foot." Kyra, as it turned out, was a practically perfect thruhiker. Well...you probably sense the conflict that developed early on in this hike. But you'll have to read the book to see how it all turned out--I'm not going to give it away here. But I will say that it makes for absolutely fascinating and enjoyable reading." After you read this one, there's another well-written book about an AT journey called "On the Beaten Path" by Robert Rubin. Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Great Details
Review: This book earned my five stars because it details the daily life of the folks on the trail but not in a guide book manor. It was a story with trail details imbedded in a way that easily blended the facts with the story. I like the way the author described the thought process of the many decisions they made on the trail. I enjoyed the physical description of the trail, the shelter, the plants and animals and the other hikers. This book answered many questions about daily life on the trail. Thank you for the entertainment and the information.
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