This book alone, although fiction placed upon a distant world, did more to help me understand the machine of war than anything I have ever read of been taught in my 40 years. Men fight because they are empty. We kill, we destroy, to silence that emptiness. But there is another way. There is and the book helps lay the path for learning it.

The best read in quite a while, and the perfect thing to galvanize me to quiet action in this tumultuous time. Jahren's accounts of science, friendship , and the sometimes shaky nature of sanity touched me at my core.

No better way to spend a rainy northwest day!

A quick and interesting read. The unique view of the trail through the eyes of a middle aged "city girl," along with the grappling with the second life issues of aging and empty nesting, was a refreshing change from other trail journeys.

An enjoyable journey along the AT from a woman's perspective. The author provides much insight into the conservation ethics surrounding the trail, which are woven seamlessly into the story of her hike.

Beautifully done- the stories of traditional foods are woven eloquently into the coming of age story of the young woman, along with the history of not just her mother, but of the old country and the new.

This has everything one wants in a memoir- challenges overcome, a writer that recognizes & can smile at their own flaws, funny moments, and deeply sad moments. I was brought to tears many times!
Davis' voice is refreshing. She is paints such a picture of the & trail life that you think you are there. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I found her blog and read back several months in the archives because I just wasn't ready for the book to be over!

It was a good read, but it really read more like fiction than fact. The author is not a very sympathetic "character," as she remains spoiled and privileged throughout. There was a lot of embellishments throughout, as well, which are obvious to those that read any of the real time trail journals of the PCT in 2009.