Cis H. (californiadreamin) reviewed on 1/13/2019 + 273 more book reviews

While I'm not a hiker, I was intrigued read this book of a 67-year old woman who decided to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, by herself, without any proper equipment. She actually wore SNEAKERS! And didn't have any camping equipment with her, depending instead on the supposed camp sites that were mentioned in the magazine article that inspired her to make the hike. Little did she know, most of the sites were damaged by storms or had been left in such disrepair the some were not more than a platform on which to sleep. She often slept in leaves piled up, or simply on the open ground. Such grit!
She met many helpful and generous people along the trail who shared their food and supplies. And eventually became a hiking celebrity due to newspaper articles written during her hike. Her reporting of the bad conditions helped in the repairs and improvements of the AT, and some say actually saved it from disappearing.
Her story is fascinating, however, the writing style was somewhat annoying. Author would slide into a back story without warning, so you think you're reading about the walk but learn about the abuse her husband inflicted upon her. It was interesting background info but could have been written in a different format.
All in all, a worth-while read!

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