The Appalachian Trail would be a great book to gift pair with The wild by Cheryl Strayed. Both stories make you actively wonder about life and nature while learning about the outdoors. Reminds me of going on walks with friends in their home town and learning about the area while enjoying their presence. Tons of heartfelt research the author has poured into the book is evident and has amounted to a wealth of information in a beautiful read.

I just read about Grandma Gatewood! Amazing woman! I've always wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail. I remember reading about it as a kid, but have never had the opportunity to do so. So armchair journey for me, at the moment. I enjoyed reading this history of the trail: the characters that brought the trail to life, those who walked it, what they experienced, and how it was accomplished. I still lots of life yet. If Mrs. Gatewood could do it, I may try it sometime myself! Great read; just a joy.

In his non-fiction book The Appalachian Trail, Philip D'Anieri combines history, adventure, physics and philosophy in a new way. The result is a chronological overview from the origin of the Appalachian Trail to the trail as we know it today.

What sets the book apart from others is that the author doesn’t use the point of view of one hiker or adventurer. Although his own experiences are also discussed, he is very aware that it is not only the walkers who make the path, but also - or especially - people who maintain and develop the path, donors and volunteers.

The book has a clear structure, which is pleasant to read. Each chapter focuses on one person; a founder, an explorer, a hiker, an adventurer, in most cases a combination of these descriptions. Quotes, pictures and personal information bring them to life. Swiss researcher Arnold Guyot put the Appalachian mountains on the map in the early 19th century. It is therefore only natural that the first chapter of the book should be devoted to him. The author strikes a good balance between intriguing details and defining moments in Guyot's career. As a result, the story never becomes boring and you learn a lot without noticing it yourself.

The Appalachian Trail is both inspiring and intimidating. Everyone who comes into contact with it experiences that. Philip D'Anieri doesn’t only focus on their role in the development of the trail, but also on their internal struggles, the difficulties they have experienced. Success comes with trial and error, although that is not always visible to the general public. It is great that the author doesn’t ignore this and doesn’t just want to bring a good news show. That makes the book believable so you don’t lose sight of the fact that you are reading non-fiction.
Gradually you see the popular path that we now know come to life. Both sides of its success are discussed in the final chapters. Fiction rarely pays attention to the infrastructure that makes it possible to accommodate all those walkers, or the compromises that have to be made to maintain the idea behind the path.

After reading this book you will want to put on your hiking shoes, but the author also makes you wandering about life, nature and everyday worries. Readers who like to highlight beautiful passages should keep a pencil nearby. With references to other books, the author also offers an endless source of inspiration and reading pleasure.

It is impressive how much research the author has done, and even more impressive that he is able to give the wealth of information in an accessible way to the reader. For readers who are only interested in hiking or adventure, the book will contain too much historical facts, but for those passionate about the Appalachian Trail, this is necessary literature.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a GREAT history on the Appalachian Trail. Because of Cheryl Strayed's "Wild" I have been fascinated with long trails and people's journeys. I love nature and was very excited to learn more about the AT. Thank you.

There was a time in my life when I had easy access to the AT. I always wanted to take some short hikes through various sections, but I had very young children and a job, so it just wasn’t practical. I always wondered how the trail came to be, so I was excited to see this book. This was truly a biography. It starts at the very beginning explaining how the AT was started and about the people who overcame numerous obstacles to build it. Many of these people were at odds with each other because each person had their own vision of the AT. I also learned about and came to appreciate all of the volunteers who make the trail possible. The last part of the book talks about our connected society and the impact, both good and bad, that social media has had on the trail, This book is also l a good resource on how to find material on the trail. All and all, it was a great read.

NetGalley has given me the opportunity to read “The Appalachian Trail: A Biography” by Philip D’Anieri. I am on the next-to-last chapter and have enjoyed reading about the history of the trail from its beginnings over a century ago. I found the earlier chapters that followed some of the “idea people” that envisioned a trail along the eastern mountain spine of the United States. These people were deeply flawed in their personal life but found themselves whilst walking amongst the hills and dales away from settled civilization in the towns and cities. Still, these folks were more interesting than the folks (many of them government bureaucrats) who took over the development of the trail in later years. D’Anieri is an obvious conservationist and environmentalist. He also sees nothing wrong with eminent domain as a vehicle to squelch individual rights and ownership of property for the “greater good.” But he isn’t obnoxious about it. Unlike when I read Bill Bryson’s best seller 20 years ago I wished to understand how the Appalachian Trail came to be and Mr. D’Anieri succeeded.
Well done.

I'm almost finished with this book about the history of the Appalachian Trail and some of the many people who've hiked it. Obviously heavily researched, some sections read more smoothly than others. It's hard to make dry facts read like literature and in that vein, I found the sections about the people tackling the trail much more readable than the sections about its' creation, history and development. The result is a book that will appeal to several types of readers: stat-loving non-fiction readers, travel writing lovers, history fans and those who just need something to read before bed. Even if you only read parts of it, this book is a bridge that brings together the stories behind one of America's iconic treasures.

Thanks #netgalley for an advance reader's copy of this book.

Biography - By Way Of Biographies. This was a very interesting read, if primarily for the narrative structure D'Anieri chose in writing it. Here, the author doesn't set out to provide a "definitive history" of the Trail or the technical details of how it came to be. Instead, he profiles key players in the development of the Trail as it has come to exist now and shows how their lives and thoughts and actions proved pivotal in how the Trail got to where it is. Overall a fascinating book about a wide range of people and attitudes about the boundary of civilization and wilderness, written in a very approachable style - much like much of the Trail itself. Very much recommended.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

One day I want to hike the AT, until then, I satisfy myself by reading books about it and the people who have traveled it, namely thru-hikes. This book is a bit different though, it's not about any one persons thru-hike, but more about the people who helped to build the AT in the first place, and their contributions to its preservation.

Starting with the man who mapped the mountains (Guyot), heading through the earliest hiking clubs and start of other trails(Taylor), to the people building the actual trail (Avery) and securing its protection (Nelson); there are a lot of people in the development of the trail itself. To be honest, I had never really thought about how the trail was built or when it was built or how much time it took. And those are questions I should have asked because the answers are interesting. While some thru-hikers are mentioned; notably the first (Shaffer) and the first woman a few years after (Gatewood), Bill Bryson and his best-seller also make the list because of impact.

The book was very approachable to read. Sometimes history, even on something as interesting as the AT, can get dry, and I appreciated that this book flowed smoothly the whole way through and provided narratives of the individuals lives in addition to what they were doing for the trail itself. The amount of work that's gone into the trail both to design and protect it is impressive. The author also speaks to environmental impact and demographics of the trail, which I thought were good callouts as well.

If you like reading thru-hiking accounts, give this book a try. It will make you appreciate the AT all the more.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

D’Anieri sets out to tell the story of The Appalachian Trail as a biography. In the introduction, he shares that the book is neither a history in-and-of-itself nor is it a first-person memoir of hiking it; instead, this book takes a unique approach to telling the tale of a trail. A hiking trail’s biography rests on the shared biographies of those individuals whose lives crossed its figurative path. So, the biography of the Appalachian Trail is snippets of human lives, of those who first dreamed up the idea of a trail to those who shed sweat as they cleared paths up the sides of mountains, of those who created organizations and inspired armies of volunteers. The people who breathed life into the Appalachian Trail are the focus of this work.

Alongside these individuals, The Appalachian Trail: A Biography contends with philosophical questions about the purpose of the trail, the reality of the idea as opposed to the dreams at its inception, and the place of wilderness in modern society. There is a long human history of pilgramage-making, which is of course about far more than the physical journey. The meaning of a trek through the wilderness is as varied as the number of individuals embarking on the journey. While it would surprise the original creators of the AT to discover the ardent through-hiker community, this book tackles the life of its own that the trail has taken in the public consciousness.

Generally speaking, the book moves chronologically through time and presents a fascinating early look into the formation of the idea of the Appalachians. It never occurred to me, living in this region myself and within a very short drive to the Appalachian Trail, that the concept of the Appalachian mountains was the brain child of an individual. Prior to that time, there were regional mountains that existed in their own rights without being part of a larger whole. Even just the grounding in some of this origin story has greatly increased my appreciation for the trail and helped me to realize how unlikely its creation was in the first place. There are extensive details and stories throughout that bring to life the evolution of the trail, told in a narrative that is fascinating without becoming unnecessarily encumbered in history for history’s sake. The personalities that brought this trail to completion are quite the cast of characters, often flawed or eccentric humans who nevertheless made a lasting impact on everyone who steps foot on any portion of the trail.

D’Anieri’s story-telling is clear-eyed in depicting the trail for what it truly is, which means where it doesn’t always live up to expectations or the hype of popular imagination. That does not make it any less of an amazing tale or an invaluable addition to the public discourse on the Appalachian Trail. This book is highly successful in its goal and is a much needed reflection on the intermingling between history and the present in terms of public land usage and its meaning.

I also appreciated D’Anieri’s discussion of race and gender pertaining to the trail historically and at present. Who is the public that the trail is intended for and whose voices are included in that discussion?

As someone who has done a number of day hikes on the Appalachian Trail throughout Virginia and some surrounding states, I have a new-found appreciation for the trail and will never approach it the same way again. Even for those not living in its shadows, the book is a worthwhile read and may cause people to wonder about the trails in their own backyards!

A really comprehensive tale about the Appalachian Trail from its history from the beginning when it was just a grand idea to its current place as a beacon to hikers both long distance and day hikers. The first half although well done was a little more in depth than I needed although the book does bill itself the way it read. The second half was more engaging, especially the part about Bill Bryson. I especially liked the author’s day trips on the highlights of the AT. Great book but be prepared for a lot of history about the trail which I really enjoyed learning about from the author.
Thank you Philip D’anieri and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.