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Re: [at-l] Q4 - "Long Distance Hiking"

Mike wrote:
> 
>   Roland Mueser has written a book titled "Long Distance Hiking."  The
> subtitle is "Lessons from the Applachian Trail."  It was published this
> year.  Does anyone have an opinion about it?

Mike, Here's the entry on this book from my A.T. Bibliography on 
Trailplace.com:

Long-Distance Hiking (1st Edition)
Subtitled: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail
Author: Roland Mueser
Published by: Ragged Mountain Press; A Div. of McGraw-Hill, Inc., P.O. Box
	547, Blacklick OH 43004 (800-262-4729)
1998, 180 pp., illus., appendices, bibliography, index, ISBN 0070444587
	(paperback)
Cover price: Advertised as $18.95; price printed on cover is $16.95
Notes: Whether the price is $16.95 or $18.95 makes no difference--this
book is priceless. Any future thru-hiker or section-hiker should read it,
and everyone else interested in the Trail will enjoy it too. There is so
much information here to digest, that I had to read it in pieces over the
course of a week. From the back cover: "With diligence and creativity,
Mueser has gone about answering questions that no one else has even
asked. Virtually all the material appears nowhere else and will delight
both experienced hikers and the novice with only a dream of setting foot
down the trail--Larry Luxenberg, author of 'Walking the Appalachian
Trail.' In April 1989, avid hiker Roland Mueser set off from a shelter at
Springer Mountain, Georgia. His goal: to hike the entire Appalachian
Trail, interviewing hikers on everything from clothing to gear to coping
with	loneliness and fatigue. In 'Long-Distance Hiking' he draws on those
extensive interviews, presenting hikers' candid responses to questions
both practical and philosophical:...How much money will I need?...Is it
safe to hike alone?...What are the most difficult aspects of long-distance
hiking?...Both literate and entertaining, this book is a *must* for anyone
considering a long-distance trek." From the Amazon.com website: "This
unconventional book combines sage advice with personal experiences and
anecdotes to produce an unusually thoughtful, highly readable
handbook of interest to long-distance hikers everywhere." The data from
his questionnaire is extremely well analyzed and presented, and the
anecdotes and examples are well chosen to make sense of it all. The Table
of Contents for the 19 Chapters: The Thru-hiking Tradition; Why
Thru-hike?; Who Hikes with Whom; Older Hikers; Physical Condition and
Injuries; Trail Names; Footwear; Packs, Tents, Stoves, and Guides;
Sleeping on the Trail; Clothing and Raingear; Comforts and Amenities; How
Fast, How Far; Water: Its Joys and Perils; Food, Calories, and
Weight; Animals on the Trail; Insects and Repelling Them; Along the Trail;
and Looking Back. Appendices: The Questionnaire and Its Statistics;
Questionnaire Summaries; Survey Participants. And there's a very good
bibliography. I *highly* recommend this book. (The Appalachian
Trailway News, May/June 1991 has an article by Roland titled "Thru-hiker
Camaraderie"--pages 26-27.)

Hope YOU enjoy reading it!  --  Earthworm

Linda L. Patton, Reference Librarian, Strozier Library, Florida State Univ.
      Tallahassee, FL 32306-2047 (850)644-5019 lpatton@mailer.fsu.edu
          "A world without wilderness is a cage." -- David Brower
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