Walking on the Wild Side: Long-Distance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

by Kristi M. Fondren

Received the 2016 Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research from the National Recreation and Park Association

The most famous long-distance hiking trail in North America, the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail—the longest hiking-only footpath in the world—runs along the Appalachian mountain range from Georgia to Maine. Every year about 2,000 individuals attempt to “thru-hike” the entire trail, a feat equivalent to hiking Mount Everest sixteen times. In  Walking on the Wild Side,  sociologist Kristi M. Fondren traces the stories of forty-six men and women who, for their own personal reasons, set out to conquer America’s most well known, and arguably most social, long-distance hiking trail.
 
In this fascinating in-depth study, Fondren shows how, once out on the trail, this unique subculture of hikers lives mostly in isolation, with their own way of acting, talking, and thinking; their own vocabulary; their own activities and interests; and their own conception of what is significant in life. They tend to be self-disciplined, have an unwavering trust in complete strangers, embrace a life of poverty, and reject modern-day institutions. The volume illuminates the intense social intimacy and bonding that forms among long-distance hikers as they collectively construct a long-distance hiker identity. Fondren describes how long-distance hikers develop a trail persona, underscoring how important a sense of place can be to our identity, and to our sense of who we are. Indeed, the author adds a new dimension to our understanding of the nature of identity in general.
 
Anyone who has hiked—or has ever dreamed of hiking—the Appalachian Trail will find this volume fascinating. Walking on the Wild Side captures a community for whom the trail is a sacred place, a place to which they have become attached, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2015

Reviews

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking on the Wild Side is an academic work of environmental sociology that I thoroughly enjoyed. Fondren looks at Appalachian Trail thru-hikers as a distinct subculture with shared traits and behaviors. These include an unkempt appearance, excessive food intake, trust in strangers, self-discipline, self-selected poverty, and "a rejection of middle class structures" (14). I was especially taken with her chapter on the spiritual benefits of the trail. Fondren compares thru-hiking with pilgrimage and finds many similarities. The fact that people are changed by the trail in ways that derive from the journey itself is one piece of evidence. Another is the practice of taking on a trail name that represents a new, fresh identity. Fondren also found that those most drawn to the trail are there during transitional times of life (post-high school, post-college, early retirement) and she bemoans the lack of racial diversity among thru-hikers.

This study fills in the gaps of understanding just who is hiking and what it means to them. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in this subject or who is considering walking on the trail. It's reassuring about what you will find there and the people are--almost without exception--good.

[David Lucander · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* because I'm an academic and avid hiker, so I've definatly got a bias. A quick breezy read, totally worthwhile if you love the AT and don't mind a small bit of jargon. This is totally something a cerebral AT hiker might appreciate. Can't say much about the methodology because I'm an old crusty historian, but I can say that this is a nice read for any hiker who want to get a "big picture" view of the types of people and personalities that are on the AT

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quotable:

It's a strong community. It's amazing because you're forming bonds, and it's not based around alcohol or anything altering your perceptions - but your perceptions are kind of altered because you're in the woods, and your senses are kind of altered because you're in the woods. and your senses are kind of deprived, and you're working so hard for a common goal.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I’m writing my masters thesis on the AT, this book was essential. Good and quick read and very thorough overview of the thruhiking culture and community, as I’ve experienced it myself last year. If you do research on thruhiking or have interest in the topic from an academic standpoint, this book is invaluable.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a boring college textbook. The only thing that saves it from a one star rating are the very few tidbits (mini stories) of the trail from actual thru-hikers.

[gnarlyhiker · Rating 3 out of 5]

yeah for Interlibrary loan.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this is the published form of a dissertation, so unless you have interest in reading academic works, it's not for you. There's so much potential here. I've long desired a book about the AT that delves into the through-hiker society and culture that exists there while being a fun and entertaining read. Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Wild does the second and this does the first. I wish someone could mash them up together to come up with the single "must read" book about the AT.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It reads as a documentary of hiking the AT. Ms Fondren interviews various hikers with an in-depth set of questions and records their comments, as well as providing history and anecdotes of adventures on the AT. This book could be a great jumping off point for a great documentary film.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, easy to read. I just got a 40 hour job so I can relate to many of these people in transitional stages of life that are hiking the trail.