Product Description

The longest continuously marked footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail spans 2,140 miles across fourteen states--from Georgia to Maine--and encompasses vastly different natural and social environments. This lively and eye-opening introduction to this national treasure collects trail diaries and historical and personal essays which reflect the meaning of this great wilderness trail across both time and geography. 24 illustrations. 6 maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #561738 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.com Review
The Appalachian Trail, at 2,150 miles, is the longest continuous recreational footpath in America. From a variety of sources, Emblidge culled random trail gems to create an Appalachian quilt of an anthology. Through the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the Great Smokies, the trail links the ridges and valleys, as well as a diverse cross-section of American cultures. With practical trail details and an eclectic assembly of hiking wisdom, you can read it straight through, or a chapter at a time, as you plan your next hike. It's just a shame it's too heavy to pack along.

From School Library Journal
YA. This beautifully literate compendium offers armchair travelers a sense of the trail's history; romance; and blood, sweat, and tears. The book is also a practical guide; the section maps include intersections of the trail with major interstates, national forests, mileage, and elevation. One of the most striking maps is a cutaway of the spine of the trail that dramatizes its vertical rise and drop. Readers get everything from a history of the regions and the evolution of the Appalachian Trail to hiking logs from every state it traverses. Notables in the environmental movement are included as well as literary figures such as Henry David Thoreau, James Dickey, Walt Whitman, and Richard Wilbur. The selections communicate the beauty and awe experienced on the trail, especially by those who have walked every inch and every up-and-down from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.?Cynthia J. Rieben, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this work, editor Emblidge, a longtime fan of the Appalachian Trail, has put together various anecdotes of walking the trail, which covers 2140 miles from Georgia to Maine. Some of the writers include Henry David Thoreau, Thomas Jefferson, Wendell Berry, Robert Frost, and various hikers who share their private journals. This work is best suited for people interested in walking the trail or studying Appalachia; while some of the articles are excellent, others offer little useful information. Overall, however, the collection contributes valuable information about the trail, the need to protect it, and helpful hints about hiking. For subject collections. ?Richard P. Hedlund, Ashland Community Coll., Ky.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Valuable trove of anecdotes and information
This reader is broken into two parts. The first part, which is shorter by far, contains a series of essays (including one by Thoreau), and lots of historical information which places the Appalachian Trail in its proper context of American history. The essays explore the trail from a variety of interesting perspectives.

The second part, which is most of the book, is made up of writings by people who have experienced some part of the trail. Old hikers, young hikers, disabled hikers and spiritually downcast hikers are all given a voice. These writings are arranged into sections according to which state they take place in.

In all, this is a valuable and interesting compilation about an amazing feature of the United States. I found that reading it from cover to cover got a little tedious at times; the stories all sort of blur together and most of the anecdotes are descriptive rather than plot-driven. However, reading a portion of the book here and there helps to keep the experience of the Appalachian trail alive in our minds.

If you're considering spending some time on the trail, I would recommend reading this and also "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.

A Taste of the Trail
This is the perfect book for those of us who have good intentions of someday making the 2000-mile trek from Georgia to Maine ... but will never really get around to it. Emblidge dovetails selections by well-known naturalists and writers with those of AT through- and dayhikers to create a unique collection of observations. Some, like Thoreau, found themselves in the neighborhood of the path before it was even created. You can follow the history of the trail, beginning with Benton MacKaye's first written public proposal in 1921. Then the pieces mark an imaginary trip north from Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin. Simple maps and b&w photos are included. It's not Bill Bryson's _A Walk in the Woods_, but then, what is? This is still an easy summer read.