As far as the foot can slog

As Far as the Eye Can See

Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker

by David Brill

About the time when I was yearning to hike long distances in remote places, this guy did it.  1979, Appalachian trail.  Only it turns out that the Appalachian trail was hardly "remote places".  Never did a day go by without him seeing at least one other hiker, and typically many more. For those seeking solitude, it was not the place to be.

Funny--I walked up the trail a little ways back in 75 or 76 and felt eerily alone. But I was comparing it to where I'd started--Clingman's Dome, a site accessible by car and one of the most visited sites in the Smokies. Once I'd gotten away from the parking area, I had a taste of that panicky solitude you get when you're suddenly away from your pack...but I also felt that marvelous quiet.

It took him a while, but the author got what he wanted. He was changed by the experience in many wonderful ways, and he says it stuck with him for a long time and maybe forever. 

As to the book itself, I'll admit that about halfway through, I got bored. I was tired of his descriptions of his traveling companions, people met on the road, and towns he visited for resupply. A lot of facts like pictures in a scrapbook...how many people can take photos--even vacation photos--that you really want to see?  There's Joe, and John, and there's Matt and his new wife Sally; here's Mount Bland and a scenic trickling stream....  Sorry folks--your friends might pretend to enjoy your vacation photos, but mostly they're just being polite.

But three-quarters through the book he took a break and spent a fortnight at Randall's Farm near Hot Springs, North Carolina  Things suddenly got real--our surface skim acquired depth. And I was no longer bored.

Good beginning; shaky middle; great ending.