[at-l] AT/AT-L'ers Book List

[pmags@yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

...

>>What if you had to pick just one?

>>Top Three?  Top Five?



My favorite AT book did not even make the list. :-(

"The Appalachian Trail Reader"
by David Emblidge (editor)

>From Amazon.COM:


The Appalachian Trail is the longest continuous
footpath in the world. Its 2,140 miles run through 14
states--from Georgia to Maine--and vastly different
natural and social environments, from the solitary
splendor of mountain crags to the genial slopes
frequented by dayhikers and scout packs. Each year,
more than three million visitors enjoy the diverse
scenery and cultures of the trail, united by a common
appreciation for the outdoors. A lively and evocative
introduction to this national treasure, The
Appalachian Trail Reader collects stories, poems, and
essays that reflect this wilderness trail across both
time and geography. 

Here are the works of both well-known writers and
anonymous raconteurs, including Henry David Thoreau,
James Dickey, Aldo Leopold, Washington Irving, James
MacGregor Burns, Richard Wilbur, and many others, as
well as excerpts from the diaries and letters of
modern day visitors. Hikers' private journals stand
next to scientists' close observations of the natural
world, and these readings mingle with poets'
evocations of meaningful music heard in the wind, in
birdsong, or in the babbling brooks. Here, too, are
historians, who remind us of how Appalachian culture
developed, and early explorers, reporting the thrill
of seeing uncharted territory and wildlife for the
first time. Taken as a whole, this patchwork quilt of
voices both eloquent and raw offers a surprisingly
varied pattern of appreciation for the wilds of the
Appalachians. With the addition of maps of the trail
and photographs of its majesty, The Appalachian Trail
Reader presents a rich introduction to the trail for
those planning a trip, and a vivid scrapbook for those
who've already visited. 

Originally conceived as an antidote to the
competitive, fast-paced, and increasingly urban
civilization that America was becoming, the
Appalachian Trail is more than an experience of
geology and natural history; indeed, it is a vast
open-air cathedral where the emotions and the senses
unite. The Appalachian Trail Reader bears out this
spirit, offering a heart-felt appreciation of one of
our greatest natural resources while it presents an
opportunity to escape the stresses of everyday life
and revel in the inestimable value of a wilderness
experience. --This text refers to the Hardcover
edition. 


****

So, a book about the trail experience. From the
geology to the history to the plant life. From the
eloquent words of Thoreau and Wendell Berry to the
raw, but heartfelt and emotional words of the people
who hike the trail itself. It is a book in quilt form
(as a reviewer put it). Many different parts that
somehow seems to fit together to make a treasured
piece of work. My copy is very dog eared and I pick it
up to thumb through it at least once every couple of
weeks.
One of those books I just will not part with.



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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

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