Rating: Summary: A Journey to Male Menopause Review: This is a poorly written book with minimal content concerning the trail or hiking in general. I bought the book because of the title and was subjected to bad poetry and worse prose. His ramblings about religion and philosophy were a poor substitute for actual trail expierences. Give me my money back!
Rating: Summary: Better than many Review: this is a sad excuse for a book about the AT. A retired army colonel, used to having his own way at all times tries to hike the AT and doesn't handle it very well. Much of the book is taken up with his mental ramblings in search of enlightenment, which he doesn't achieve by the time he quits at the Maryland border. It astounded me that a person could reach the age of retirement and have so little insight and maturity. There is bad poetry at the end of each chapter and a lot of whining about people who pissed him off. A bad read that made me feel embarassed for Curran. If that's what he has inside it's better hidden. Not worth the time to read and definitely not worth your money to buy, new or used! maybe if you can steal it......
Rating: Summary: worst AT book I've read Review: this is a sad excuse for a book about the AT. A retired army colonel, used to having his own way at all times tries to hike the AT and doesn't handle it very well. Much of the book is taken up with his mental ramblings in search of enlightenment, which he doesn't achieve by the time he quits at the Maryland border. It astounded me that a person could reach the age of retirement and have so little insight and maturity. There is bad poetry at the end of each chapter and a lot of whining about people who pissed him off. A bad read that made me feel embarassed for Curran. If that's what he has inside it's better hidden. Not worth the time to read and definitely not worth your money to buy, new or used! maybe if you can steal it......
Rating: Summary: Reality Check -- This Is Not Hollywood Review: This is not a movie with forced humor and stunt people. A retired military man provides an involving recount of his AT hike. I have tried to read many books on the AT (some were unbearable, so I did not finish them). This was one of the few full-reads, and a good one at that. In comparison to all other books, I might give this a four-stars rating, but seeing how bad some of the competition is, I have to give it a five-stars rating. See you on the trails!
Rating: Summary: Reality Check -- This Is Not Hollywood Review: This is not a movie with forced humor and stunt people. A retired military man provides an involving recount of his AT hike. I have tried to read many books on the AT (some were unbearable, so I did not finish them). This was one of the few full-reads, and a good one at that. In comparison to all other books, I might give this a four-stars rating, but seeing how bad some of the competition is, I have to give it a five-stars rating. See you on the trails!
Rating: Summary: Crass. Review: This is seriously painful to read. Like others before me have said, much time is spent harping on people who make curran mad, when if he hadn't been such a pain to those people in the first place, would not have happened. Having hiked portions of this trail myself, the actual hiking parts were interesting. However, curran is not a likeable protagonist at all, droning on about "inner spirituality" and being a complete jerk to total strangers.
Rating: Summary: This work provides great insight for the novic hiker. Review: This is the story of an ex-military man who has decided to follow his dreams and hike the Appalachian Trail. Like many of his fellow hikers, he came to realize his dream only after traumatic events occured in his life. Now, he is attempting to reconcile everything that is going on in his life and complete a long, unrealized goal.
Mr. Curran provides a wealth of information for the novice backpacker as well as providing a useful planning tool to the seasoned hiker who is preparing for what is known as a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (a thru-hike is defined as completing the entire 2,160 miles of trail in one year of hiking).
During his journey, you will be able to "see" the wonders of the Appalachians as well as experience the trials of a thru-hiker and his growth, both physically and spiritually.
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