The LAUGHalachian Trail: A Green Zealot's Uncensored Celebration of Thru-hiker Humor

Having read Bryson's book first (A.W.I.T.W.) I am finding myself holding all others up to his style and precision in this genre and, usually, I come away somewhat disappointed. Bryson, Miller & J.R. Tate (Model T) inspired me to want to hike at least part of the AT through their descriptions and accounts of the experience. Waite does an "OK" job at it but I think the best part (the part that got me to purchase the book) was the tale of the husband and wife that met through randomness that is found on the trail but re-united in a most serendipitous ending. I was hoping the rest of the book would be like this but, although somewhat entertaining, this was not the case. The book was interesting enough for me to finish but I found myself able to put it down quite easily and if it wasn't staring me in the face on my bedstand each night, I may not have finished it. Not everyone should write a book based upon their AT hiking experience but until you try, I guess the customer makes that decision in the end.

Husband loves it

good

Okay reading; like many "I hiked the AT books".

I enjoyed the book very much, at least the first 3/4 of it.Tom then goes into a most 'un-laughable' rant about how unsustainable everyones thru-hike is, in detail.I did not purchase this to get a lesson on how green I 'could' be, if I really cared. I trudged my way through to the end hoping there would be some redemption, but there was not.While he is good at pointing out everyone else's carbon footprint and how many earth's it would take to sustain their lifestyle, he completely fails at providing his own actual impact.Go ahead, preach the merits of vegan and organics while on the trail, but only do so if you have actually done so yourself.HE LIVED, ATE, AND DRANK JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!Thinking how green you could've been doesn't count.The book would be far better left at the 3/4 mark,

Reading this book is like being trapped at a dinner party next to someone who tells horrible jokes to you all night and then proceeds to laugh at every one of them. And to top it all off, it is one of the worst AT informational books I have ever read. Do yourself a favor, don't waste your time on this one.

If you like good storytelling, read this book. If like to laugh out loud, read this book. If you enjoy the wonders of nature and experiencing her beauty and the intellectual stimulation of being in the woods and reading the landscape, read this book. If you are open-minded and appreciate someone who is clearly dripping with an amazing zest for life, read this book. If you enjoy living vicariously through the written word, read this book.I've never taken up the the thru-hike quest, as I missed my window before entering the J-O-B phase of my life. But I have been on the AT and the thought certainly captures my imagination and it's on the bucket list for sure. My hope is that I can have a similar experience in a few decades, despite our rapidly changing world. If you love the Appalachian region, the Appalachian Trail, the interesting people and experiences that every minute being in touch with this American gem can bring, READ THIS BOOK!

I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend who somehow was able to tell that I would love it. An easy read, The LAUGHalachian Trail, is not only funny on multiple levels, it is actually packed with factual information about what it is to be a, "through hiker". It means that, at the end of the day, you're still not done, sleep on the trail (figuratively) and then continue on the next day. Almost all of us are, or have been hikers (or at least have wandered along a trail or two) at some point in our lives, but the true, through hiker, is a special breed.The author has explored this specialness with his capacity for deeply intellectual thoroughness mixed with a very refreshing, gut-level humor which makes the book plenty informative and probing on a feelings level and still just a lot of fun and a real page turner. In a way, Waite makes us, "through readers", not wanting to put the book down, no matter how late the hour becomes. If you make the mistake of picking this up with the intention of scanning it at the breakfast table and while you're getting ready for work, make sure you close it before getting in your car!You can tell the writer is a college professor - I'm not going to admit how many words I wanted to look up in the dictionary, there were one or two. But the thing is, they were cool words that I had skipped over before in other reading and decided now I had to be sure, exactly what they meant. Okay, okay, one of them was, "erudite", a great adjective, only occasionally used these days and in get-togethers where people are interesting and full of fresh ideas.It is interesting in itself how, "Ledge", as he calls himself, and his compatriots get their trail names. And this writer has been unwilling to pooh-pooh any aspect of through hiking - providing the gory details of certain activities which, c'mon, be honest, we all are wondering the particulars of, as we read along. Thoroughly modern, Waite tells it like it is, being his own straightman, never pausing for the laugh. They say it takes a lot more energy to frown than it does to smile and that laughing promotes better circulation, massaging the internal organs and getting air into our lungs! The book will add smiles to your day, facts for your wit and probably years to your life.I don't know this writer as a college professor but this book contains that, "Catcher in the Rye", style dry humor and naked revelation of the human condition mixed with textbook nonfiction, with tables and graphs and figures to refer to when probing where no man, or woman wants to go. Get one for you and another for your partner - even though you may want to be alone along parts of the trail Tom takes us.The LAUGHalachian Trail is an encouraging in-road to a healthy part of life that is simply an extension to this every day thing we take for granted: walking. The US, at least, has all sorts of mileage out there free for the taking. The Appalachian Trail is just one of the many walking paths maintained by our state or federal government. Given the subsidy and diversity, we learn in this book that relatively few people actually take the next step up from day hiking. After all, it requires no advanced skill, such as skiing, surfing or scuba diving, yet look at the folks lined up to buy the equipment necessary for those diversions.Maybe, The LAUGHalachian Trail, will start you off on an exciting and healthy new activity. Or maybe it will be just a great book you will have read.