makes me want to go be a thruhiker!

about a guy who hikes the appalachian trail, about 2000 miles from georgia to maine. heres some quotes where he talks about commuting.

"we were in one anothers way - obstacles between here and there. between the people we'd been at home and the people we would become at the office."

"i understood 'road rage' better now. no matter how expensive our cars, the commute turns them into little anterooms in which life ticks away while we wait for admission. when thats your world, theres no joy in the going."

"are we there yet? says the kid in the back seat of the car. NO, not yet son. sit there and wait, keep still the wild thing that paces behind the door of the cage: maybe you can let it out when you get there. (p.78)

and then, freakishly, on page 224, he mentions names of some of the people he hiked with on the trail. one of them goes by "mike without laura". the ex that i still pine for is named mike.

Solid, introspective.

This was the 1st AT Thru-hike book I read. Checked it out at the local library.

What I really loved about this book is that it's a chronicle of an AT Thru-hike pre-cellphone, pre-Social Media & almost pre-INTERNET but definitely pre-INTERNET 'as we know it now'. Reading about some of the Hiker Hostels that aren't really around anymore but as also knowing about things that exist now that this book pre-dates makes this book interesting.

What I hated about this book was how much of the Appalachian Trail Thru-hike he seems to skip or gloss over. Even the preparation & research for gear, I would have loved to read more about, because that seems part of the process now. And some of the milestones & trail towns one comes across on an AT Thru-hike seems to be absent. A more detailed book would have made for a longer book but knowing more about how the AT was in the 90's & reading more about Traditional Hiking tidbits would have been enjoyable for me to read. I also did not like the "drama" b/w him & his wife, that was kind of annoying. Not sure if it was meant to add to the narrative or what.

YouTube AT Thru-hike Documentary videos can kind of spoil books like these now because after watching a few of those you get a basic understanding of what an AT Thru-hike is like, more or less. But some of the typical AT Thru-hike things he incurred, especially socially with other Hikers, was instructive. I do plan on re-reading this book if I ever am lucky to embark on an AT Thru-hike.

The author (trail name: Rhymin' Worm) of this A.T. travel book takes himself and his long hike a little too seriously without explaining the importance to the reader. A journey book is only good if there is some meaning achieved from the ordeal of traveling (that's why I read them)and I don't think Rubin quite understood himself what he was doing. Rhymin' Worm needed to figure out what his little journey meant before he put his book for sale.

I enjoyed this one a ton. I actually liked it much more than A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It is more honest and introspective. It is about the author's inner journey as much as his outer journey. He lost about 75 pounds on the trail as well so he physically transformed as a result of his hike. It is a nice, simple, honest story about challenge and personal growth.

In stead of uplifting, I felt we were on a marriage break up hike - sad, I could only wish that the author and his wife could have had a more solid foundation that would have allowed them to share more of the adventure with each other.

This is a little different than the standard AT thru-hike journal, as Rubin is actually a good writer. Still, nothing extraordinary.

The struggles of life and how this man coped, survived, and conquered the AT. Every person's story is different, and I dream their reality.

Though Rubin seems at times pretentious, and doesn't provide much closure, this is still a great read for someone who dreams of hiking the AT.

bla bla bla. So you hiked the trail good for you as a personal accomplishment. Not impressed by this book. Not a good story.

not one of my favorite Appalachian Trail books but not too bad either.