A changed man.
That was David Miller after walking 2,172 miles on the Appalachian Trail.
For the rest of his life, he vowed to do the hard things. “I will have fewer ‘shoulda have dones’ even if it means some ‘wish I hadn’ts’ “ he wrote in AWOL on the Appalachian Trail.
He was 41 when he quit his job as a software engineer, left a wife and three young daughters at home (with his wife’s support), and walked for 146 days from Georgia to Maine. Going by AWOL, his trail name, Miller pushes himself too hard at the beginning, leading to painful blisters and exhaustion. Later, he becomes stronger and more able to walk longer days.
On arguably America’s most difficult thru-hike, he learns to be less isolated as he forms friendships with other trekkers, trail angels, and people who host him. He experiences the freedom that comes with being vulnerable.
The narration flows smoothly. He does not gloss over his physical and mental struggles and paints vivid pictures of the trail and his fellow walkers. This is an excellent book for anyone considering tackling the AT. Miller is also known for writing a trusted guide book about the trail.
Books and my backpack 
I have read David’s book….twice. Very good read. I have done sections of the AT myself. 73 miles through the Smokies, 105 miles in the Shenandoah and a couple years ago I tacked on a 2 day trip through the Nantahala National Forest around Standing Indian Mountain. Great Trail always wished I had had Miller’s determination to do the whole thing.
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Shenandoah would be a nice section. As David points out, the AT is popular for section hikers.
I want to check out his AT guidebook.
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The Shenandoah was very nice. Because it is a narrow section of mountains there are tons of views and from a couple shelters you could see the lights of the towns in the valley at night. My only complaint with that section was that it crossed the road quite often.
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Have you considered doing the John Muir Trail? No roads for 200+ miles, but some of the resupplies can be a challenge.
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I have but logistically it’s not possible for me right now.
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Understood…maybe someday. There are so many great trails.
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This book and Just Passin’ Thru are by far my favourite AT books 🙂
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Right…have you read Jennifer Pharr Davis’ account of her record-breaking AT?
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I haven’t, I tend to like audio for this type of book and can’t seem to find an audiobook version here, it only seems to be avaliable on audible.com and not .co.uk for some reason…
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