Reader Comments

Mike W.
“I just finished reading your book today. It was amazing. I actually read up to the last chapter last week and didn't want to finish the book - I wanted it to continue for ever.”

Bryan M.
“I just finished reading Awol on the Appalachian Trail. First let me thank you for sharing your experiences of your thru-hike. I really enjoyed the book. It was well written, and I felt like I was hiking right along with you...Thanks again for sharing your interesting and honest account of your AT thru-hike.”

Jeff Minick, Smoky Mountain News
“Readers who are considering the Trail or who simply enjoy being in the outdoors will find this book most appealing, but Miller's talent should bring him an even larger audience.” See full review

Robert Hughes, Florida Today Newspaper
“Miller is a wonderful writer who expresses the emotions as well as the facts of the world's most famous hiking trail…And Miller, as one of the relatively few thru-hikers who succeed in making it the whole way in one year, puts such thoughts on paper about as well as anyone… it is well done, including the photos, the cover, everything. I enjoyed it more than any AT book I've read. ”

Karen Krohn
“I can't imagine that anyone would not enjoy this book. Get a comfortable chair and get ready to go! I didn't want to put it down, but also I didn't want it to end.”

Marin Lawrence
“I'm sure that this book is soon to be required reading for anyone contemplating a hike of the Appalachian Trail, but it is much more than just that. If you pass it up thinking that an adventure of that magnitude is not your style then you will miss one of the best new books available this year. This account of Dave Miller's time on the trail is a beautifully expressed guide to a life worth living. Mr. Miller drew me in with exquisite details of the landscape and kept me reading late into the night with his witty and wise observations. I will be recommending this book to my book club.”

John Holmquist
"The last novel I read took me six months, but I read seven chapters of your book during a flight.  It is very captivating.  I like how you sprinkled in the sarcasm.  The guy on the plane next to me wondered why I kept laughing.

Doug Beardmore
"Your book was excellent! Smooth reading covering the details of walking the trail, mixed up with subtle humor & life philosophy…superior vocabulary and sentence structure. I really enjoyed the phrase: "We spend an inordinate amount of time indoors and physical confinement limits the metaphorical bubble of our aspirations."  …whoa!

Most impressed at your accomplishment on the trail, and especially the book. [ Awol on the Appalachian Trail ] is very well done.”

Sara Wilson “Tenderfoot” (AT 2003)
“I spent the entire day on the couch reading it... Thank you so much for a wonderful day!”

David Martinage “Arrow” (GA-ME 2002)
“When I started to read it I had a hard time because your descriptions of your hike brought back a flood of memories for me and my eyes welled up. I feel like I'm reading my journal by the way you describe your aches & pains and the beauty of the flowers and the trail. It's hard to put your book down once I start reading because I'm so interested to see what your days were like and how you were able to continuously hike big miles day after day.”

Mike Perez
“Most of us will never have the opportunity or the inclination to do what David Miller did -- quit his job as a software engineer and take off on a 2,170 mile trek across the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. This is a well-written account of that 5-month trek, offering a wealth of information and colorful anecdotes for the serious hiker and armchair traveller alike. We meet colorful characters on and off the trail, encounter a few dangerous critters, and agonize with David when weather, homesickness and physical afflictions get him down.

Anyone contemplating a hike on the AT will find David's book to be an invaluable resource. But even someone like me, who will never take that hike, will be entranced by this lively and thoughtful account of his experience.”

Camille Johnson, Director, Cocoa (FL) Library
“This book is head and shoulders above most books that are brought to the Library.”

Art Littlefield
“It is rare to find someone capable of describing an experience such as this in such a rich and meaningful way. The author obviously learned much from the many physical tests and social interactions along the way, and found enjoyable ways to pass these lessons on to the reader. I recommend this book to anyone contemplating the AT, any other trail, or just continuing the trail of Life.”

Mary DeBlois
“The compelling descriptions drew me into "shadow stepping" along with AWOL. He gives us a peek into his thinking, opinions, and general philosophy, which adds to the pleasure of the day-to-day adventures of hiking...the book is a must read.”

Suzy Leonard , Florida Today Newspaper
“David's writing is excellent and very captivating…he established quite a following.”

Wayne “Stones” Calloway
“Finally a book that doesn't pretend that this is an easy task. AWOL really describes the Appalachian Trail with emotion. It is truly a difficult task, but not an impossible one. I have hiked over 500 miles of the trail on various section hikes and practice hikes, so I speak with some degree of experience. David has taken us on a journey of beauty, fierce weather, loneliness and pain. At times I thought I should check my feet for blisters or seek shelter from the rain as he described some of the more challenging times. This is an excellent book to help the serious hiker prepare and understand what difficulties he or she will face and an exciting adventure story for those who have hobbies other than hiking…It is a great read and I will recommend it to everyone I meet.”

Midwest Book Review
“Awol On The Appalachian Trail by David Miller is the personal story of the author's 146 day, backpacking hike along the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in 2003, averaging more than 17 miles a day from beginning to end. Awol On The Appalachian Trail offers readers an intimate grasp and vivid portrayal of the pure beauty and inspiring landscape of the Appalachian mountains and valleys. Whether an armchair traveler or an active outdoor enthusiasts, Awol On The Appalachian Trail is very highly recommended reading as a first-hand narrative of an incredible journey spanning the entire length of the Appalachian country.”

Mike Luopa
“I liked it a lot!  Well done!  (And I'm not just saying that because I'm in it!)  I like the way you worked in trail, home life, and work life (or perhaps more accurately, the temporary escape from work life), without overdoing any one of them or making them drag on.  The pacing and changes of topic were nice.  I also like the message that you may not know what you can accomplish until you take a chance and try.”

Ken and Marcia Powers
“Awol's compelling story kept us entranced.  We both enjoyed the well-written, warm-hearted, account of his determined trek.”

John Craig
“I have enjoyed reading it immensely”

Henry Esterly
“I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book! It was one that I did not want to put down and I was sorry when I finished it…It is inspiring to see someone follow their dreams.”

Stephen Harkness
“Finished the book and it was great. My wife read it also and enjoyed it very much.”

Charles Rice
I don't typically read hiking books, but this one was recommended to me by several friends. They were absolutely right about it. I picked it up every spare moment and I was reluctant to put it down when I finished. David Miller's writing is engaging and full of humor. His descriptions of his stuggles with the adversity of the trail were extremely insightful. I would recommend it to anyone.

James Brown
“I purchased one of your books and I just finished reading it. It was a very well written book. I have lived my whole life in the mountains around Damascus and spend as much time as possible in the woods. It has been a life long dream of mine to hike the AT, although I never really thought that I may be able to actually do it... You have given me a lot to think about. Thank you.”

Carlos Johnson
“Great book!  My mother is visiting and I gave her a copy--she doesn't hike but her major in college was English--no effect on me.  She loved your book.”

Casey Potts
“I sat down and read through you book over the course of a couple of shifts at work (I have a job that allows me to read tons of books a year.) Just wanted to write a quick reply telling you that I thought it was wonderful, insightful and just an all around great read. At times I had to put the book down and do other things as being a grown man with tears in my eyes is not the image I like to portray at work. Mostly tears of fond memories as I looked back at my time on the trail.”

Alan Leathers
“Received your book on Wed. and was finished reading it by Thursday. Couldn't put it down!!”

Steven Maturin
“I've read many, maybe most, of AT Trail books out there and have found this to be one of the best among them. Strong writing and accounting from all of the parts of the trail make it a great book for those armchair AT Hikers like myself. It is a nice mix of everyday life and what it takes on the trail, trail relationships (some good, some bad), and various observations on life and the trail. What makes it all that more surprising is it is a Self-Published book. It is definitely worthy of a more tangible publishing house.”

(I will add more as soon as Mom finishes reading)