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Triple Crown Trilogy
Lost on the Appalachian Trail (Triple Crown Trilogy
*****NEWLY REVISED, EDITED & EXTENDED EDITION as of August 2023***** Join Kyle and his little dog "Katana" as they take you along for every step of their 2,185 mile adventure hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Confront the terrain, severe weather, injury, dangerous wildlife and questionable characters as you grow and learn as Kyle did from start to finish of this epic adventure. Make some friends for life, learn the finer points of long distance hiking, and realize that what you take within your backpack is not nearly as important as what you bring within yourself... This exciting and often times humorous narrative does more than simply tell the story of Kyle and Katana's adventures on trail. You will be inspired, while learning what it takes mentally and physically to accomplish an undertaking such as hiking thousands of miles through mountainous wilderness while braving countless obstacles all determined to make you quit. Nobody said it was easy, but if you can make it to the end, your life will be changed forever. What are you waiting for? Adventure is calling… For more content from the Author, as well as to follow his past, present, and future adventures, checkout Kyle's @kyle.rohrig
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2015
335 people are currently reading
1286 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
December 1, 2016
I am a sucker for Appalachian Trail stories and have read at least ten in recent years, enjoying them immensely and hiking the trail vicariously through the authors' stories. Lost on the Appalachian Trail, by contrast, was literally painful to read...and I read every single word of it :( . Major complaints include, but are not limited to:
...Horribly written. The paragraphing and sentence structure are not worthy of a 10 year old's best efforts. The descriptions are overly flowery and employ repetitive vocabulary (example: landforms, such as beautiful ponds, almost always "reside" in their location). The content is redundant - I can't begin to count the number of times a climb 'kicked the author's butt', or something similar. It appears that this book wasn't proofread by anyone, certainly not a copy editor.
...Juvenile. I was treated to a boatload of sophomoric philosophizing that often went on for pages and pages and pages and pages.
...Egocentric. The author's writing is very self-focused, even self-centered.
...Irresponsible. The author sets a bad example for those of us who respect that the rules of the trail are in place to protect and preserve it for future hikers. He doesn't adhere to the basic LNT rules, setting up camp in pristine and fragile environments. He expresses scorn and even hostility to those who enforce even the most basic rules and goes out of his way to outwit them.
When I give a book a single star, I always make sure to read it in its entirety. With Lost on the AT, this was a long and painful journey!
...Horribly written. The paragraphing and sentence structure are not worthy of a 10 year old's best efforts. The descriptions are overly flowery and employ repetitive vocabulary (example: landforms, such as beautiful ponds, almost always "reside" in their location). The content is redundant - I can't begin to count the number of times a climb 'kicked the author's butt', or something similar. It appears that this book wasn't proofread by anyone, certainly not a copy editor.
...Juvenile. I was treated to a boatload of sophomoric philosophizing that often went on for pages and pages and pages and pages.
...Egocentric. The author's writing is very self-focused, even self-centered.
...Irresponsible. The author sets a bad example for those of us who respect that the rules of the trail are in place to protect and preserve it for future hikers. He doesn't adhere to the basic LNT rules, setting up camp in pristine and fragile environments. He expresses scorn and even hostility to those who enforce even the most basic rules and goes out of his way to outwit them.
When I give a book a single star, I always make sure to read it in its entirety. With Lost on the AT, this was a long and painful journey!
October 22, 2015
Sleepless Nights This book deserves more than 5 stars!!!!
Unbelievable! This guy needs to write for a living!! I've read very few books where there are no boring sections, but this book is one of them!! I downloaded a sample, never intending to pay $7.99 for the book, but was hooked and had to read the rest. I ended up spending several nights staying up to read it. It is by far the best outdoor adventure book I have ever read and definitely one of the top most enjoyable books ever.
Unbelievable! This guy needs to write for a living!! I've read very few books where there are no boring sections, but this book is one of them!! I downloaded a sample, never intending to pay $7.99 for the book, but was hooked and had to read the rest. I ended up spending several nights staying up to read it. It is by far the best outdoor adventure book I have ever read and definitely one of the top most enjoyable books ever.
January 25, 2016
The writing is not evolved. This was poorly written. There were many erroneous word usages, and spelling and grammar errors. Major pet peeve. Descriptions were superfluous and repetitive. The word count could easily have been 30% of the final product. If I could have edited this, I would have slashed SOOO much.
I LOVE books about hiking trips and personal-growth-in-nature. But every other day of this guy's trip was a turning point in the hike; something amazing happened that changed his life. It was too much after the fourth day like that. The description of these events became trite.
I LOVE books about hiking trips and personal-growth-in-nature. But every other day of this guy's trip was a turning point in the hike; something amazing happened that changed his life. It was too much after the fourth day like that. The description of these events became trite.
April 5, 2018
Loved, loved this book. I felt like I was on the hike with him.
March 2, 2017
An honest and thorough account of Kyle Rohrig's thru- hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2014. I'm fascinated with thru hikers' stories - people taking a break from everyday life and living on the trail for months at a time. This book goes into great detail about the AT itself and the on-going challenges hikers face mentally and physically. I'm walking away with a much better understanding of why 75% of the hikers who start out each year don't finish (but many seem to try again!) This book is filled with emotion and stories about the author' s appreciation of nature and the people he met throughout his life changing journey. I didn't always like him, but respect his honesty in telling "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of his first experience on the AT. As I've felt after reading other thru hiking memoirs, it's heartwarming to know there are many people in the world who go out of their way to help complete strangers when they most need it. May the spirit of trail angels extend way beyond the Appalachian Trail!
January 2, 2019
If you want to have all 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail mansplained to you in exhaustive detail, this is the book for you! Honestly, I think it takes more endurance & strength of mind to get through these 344 pages than it takes to thru-hike the AT. It may very well be the worst book I've ever read. It's poorly written and straight-up offensive in the way he objectifies women throughout the book.
I left a longer, more detailed one-star review of it on Amazon, but the author Facebook messaged me to ask me to remove it (he actually offered to pay me, if you can believe it). I didn't, but it seems to have mysteriously vanished. Hmmm. Kinda pathetic that he can't handle criticism.
I left a longer, more detailed one-star review of it on Amazon, but the author Facebook messaged me to ask me to remove it (he actually offered to pay me, if you can believe it). I didn't, but it seems to have mysteriously vanished. Hmmm. Kinda pathetic that he can't handle criticism.
October 24, 2020
Story 5 stars. Writing 3 stars.
I've read a lot of books on thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail. Why read another? What could be so different reading about someone using his own two feet to walk 2000-some miles from Georgia to Maine? Well, in this case, it was a six-legged journey--Kyle and his dog, Katana. Armed with a homemade walking stick and a hammock, Kyle set out from Georgia, met some characters, suffered through injuries, weather, and deprivations, and formed a trail family that included his four legged counterpart. It was a lot of fun reading about their adventures. It was an overall good mix of trail narrative, personal growth, and lessons learned. The "heist" element on page one sucked me in and was satisfyingly paid off at the end. Then there was the writing. I loved the story and honestly would have given the book 5 stars if it had been better edited. Mistaking "lead" for "led" and "peaked" for "piqued" are annoying and amateur mistakes an editor would have fixed. Sometimes he goes for the worn cliché, but other times he gets almost poetic and it felt like I was there with him on the trail, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. While somewhat uneven, it was still very enjoyable overall to read. Having a dog myself and fantasizing about doing an epic hike with her, this was great fun.
I've read a lot of books on thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail. Why read another? What could be so different reading about someone using his own two feet to walk 2000-some miles from Georgia to Maine? Well, in this case, it was a six-legged journey--Kyle and his dog, Katana. Armed with a homemade walking stick and a hammock, Kyle set out from Georgia, met some characters, suffered through injuries, weather, and deprivations, and formed a trail family that included his four legged counterpart. It was a lot of fun reading about their adventures. It was an overall good mix of trail narrative, personal growth, and lessons learned. The "heist" element on page one sucked me in and was satisfyingly paid off at the end. Then there was the writing. I loved the story and honestly would have given the book 5 stars if it had been better edited. Mistaking "lead" for "led" and "peaked" for "piqued" are annoying and amateur mistakes an editor would have fixed. Sometimes he goes for the worn cliché, but other times he gets almost poetic and it felt like I was there with him on the trail, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. While somewhat uneven, it was still very enjoyable overall to read. Having a dog myself and fantasizing about doing an epic hike with her, this was great fun.
October 24, 2018
I would guess that I've read around a dozen books on hiking the AT, and another half dozen or so other hiking books. And this was, by fairly large margin, my least favorite. There are several reasons for that, but I'll just enumerate a few:
1) It's really not very well written. There are lots of grammatical errors, contradictory clauses within sentences, and misused words. It often feels like the author is trying to impress the reader with vocabulary, but in so doing, emphasizes the limits of his vocabulary.
2) The book is in desperate need of editing. It drones on and on about pointless minutia, often without making a point, or justifying their inclusion. Similarly, the structure of the book is principally organized around states. This means that each chapter doesn't have any major point other than to describe his journey through a particular state.
3) Similarly, the book doesn't really have a point. It's simply the author's telling of his experience and thoughts about the trail. But he fails to compel us to care about either. What makes his take interesting or important? To this reader, the answer is that they aren't. What is unique about his story or about him? I'm still not sure.
4) The author also comes across as incredibly arrogant. I understand that he's done something really challenging, that few people do (and many people probably couldn't/wouldn't do it). But I've read writings of presidents, generals, and CEOs that come across with considerably less hubris and self-importance.
The thing that I like most about the book, is the author's attempt at trying to remain focused on remaining positive (that said, he does an awful lot of complaining about various maladies). I think the "final thoughts" section redeemed the book to some extent in my eyes.
I'll end by saying that I really wanted to like this book. I kept wanting to feel some connection to any of the people in it. But I just couldn't -- which is too bad.
1) It's really not very well written. There are lots of grammatical errors, contradictory clauses within sentences, and misused words. It often feels like the author is trying to impress the reader with vocabulary, but in so doing, emphasizes the limits of his vocabulary.
2) The book is in desperate need of editing. It drones on and on about pointless minutia, often without making a point, or justifying their inclusion. Similarly, the structure of the book is principally organized around states. This means that each chapter doesn't have any major point other than to describe his journey through a particular state.
3) Similarly, the book doesn't really have a point. It's simply the author's telling of his experience and thoughts about the trail. But he fails to compel us to care about either. What makes his take interesting or important? To this reader, the answer is that they aren't. What is unique about his story or about him? I'm still not sure.
4) The author also comes across as incredibly arrogant. I understand that he's done something really challenging, that few people do (and many people probably couldn't/wouldn't do it). But I've read writings of presidents, generals, and CEOs that come across with considerably less hubris and self-importance.
The thing that I like most about the book, is the author's attempt at trying to remain focused on remaining positive (that said, he does an awful lot of complaining about various maladies). I think the "final thoughts" section redeemed the book to some extent in my eyes.
I'll end by saying that I really wanted to like this book. I kept wanting to feel some connection to any of the people in it. But I just couldn't -- which is too bad.
May 6, 2017
I loved this book and loved this author. He's funny; he's thoughtful; he has a unique voice; he has the ability to make the reader feel like part of the AT experience. It pains me to give this four stars instead of five, but I have to because of the number of errors I found in the book. This book really needed a better editor. Most of the errors were things that spell check wouldn't catch, but a good editor would. Finding these errors interrupted the flow of the story for me several times each chapter.
I'm sure that many readers would not notice the errors at all. I'm sure Will would not have. (I read this book out loud to him, and felt compelled to point out every single thing I found wrong with it, and I'm pretty sure he would have preferred that I just stop doing that and read the story, but I could not.) And nothing can take away from the fact that it was the best AT book I've read, and I've read a few. If the goal is to make the readers think about doing something crazy themselves, then he certainly succeeded with this reader!
I'm sure that many readers would not notice the errors at all. I'm sure Will would not have. (I read this book out loud to him, and felt compelled to point out every single thing I found wrong with it, and I'm pretty sure he would have preferred that I just stop doing that and read the story, but I could not.) And nothing can take away from the fact that it was the best AT book I've read, and I've read a few. If the goal is to make the readers think about doing something crazy themselves, then he certainly succeeded with this reader!
March 31, 2016
This is my second book about the Appalachian Trail that I've read; I just finished reading Bill Bryson's Walk in the Woods and wanted to learn more about the realities of trail life. (I actually liked this book more than Bryson's!). I wanted another book about the AT and looked to the reviews on Amazon. This book had great reviews, so I bought it for my kindle.
At first, I was tempted to rate this as 4/5 because it's not exactly a classic nor did it leave me with a new perspective on life, but I am giving it 5 stars because it gave me exactly what I wanted: an engaging story about what it's like to thru hike on the Appalachian Trail. If you're interested in learning more about the AT, then I'd certainly recommend this book!
At first, I was tempted to rate this as 4/5 because it's not exactly a classic nor did it leave me with a new perspective on life, but I am giving it 5 stars because it gave me exactly what I wanted: an engaging story about what it's like to thru hike on the Appalachian Trail. If you're interested in learning more about the AT, then I'd certainly recommend this book!
September 26, 2015
Surprisingly Human
This Appalachian Trail journal story gives a beautiful, human insight in the joys, struggles and victories of a young man's days on the trail. The part that spoke most to me is the sense of family with other hikers that develops while on the trail. I really felt how important that was for Kyle.
This Appalachian Trail journal story gives a beautiful, human insight in the joys, struggles and victories of a young man's days on the trail. The part that spoke most to me is the sense of family with other hikers that develops while on the trail. I really felt how important that was for Kyle.
November 8, 2015
Great read
I cannot believe what a great read this is. The subject is a good one and I have read many hiking stories. The language and way the story was told are incredible especially by a twenty five year. I think this man has a talent and we will be reading more by him. Read this book!!!
I cannot believe what a great read this is. The subject is a good one and I have read many hiking stories. The language and way the story was told are incredible especially by a twenty five year. I think this man has a talent and we will be reading more by him. Read this book!!!
November 2, 2015
Fantastic read!
As a future AT thru hiker, I loved reading this book. I gave it 4 stars just because I didn't necessarily agree with some of his trail etiquette. Still, he's a great writer and the book was highly enjoyable!
As a future AT thru hiker, I loved reading this book. I gave it 4 stars just because I didn't necessarily agree with some of his trail etiquette. Still, he's a great writer and the book was highly enjoyable!
September 2, 2017
Best book I've read from someone who has hiked the Appalachian trail. I think this is my 6th one and it blows the others out of the water (becoming odyssa, walk in the woods, in beauty may she walk, can't remember the rest). He is funny, insightful, informative and inspiring.
October 2, 2017
Great book thank you for writing this.
Book was great and seemed very true to the Appalachian mountains that I grew up in. Well I would say it has inspired me ten fold to get out side.
Book was great and seemed very true to the Appalachian mountains that I grew up in. Well I would say it has inspired me ten fold to get out side.
September 22, 2015
Great read
I loved the book, as it made you feel like you were hiking along side. Not a "how-to" book, but it gives you an honest view of thru hiking.
I loved the book, as it made you feel like you were hiking along side. Not a "how-to" book, but it gives you an honest view of thru hiking.
March 29, 2018
WOW!!!!
This book makes me want to get outdoors and have great adventures . The book was written so well. I felt like I was hiking the trail with him.
This book makes me want to get outdoors and have great adventures . The book was written so well. I felt like I was hiking the trail with him.
June 5, 2018
This is by far my least favorite of all the books I’ve read about the AT. Painfully long. After awhile I felt no empathy or any connection to the author. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
January 2, 2021
This book is horribly written and quite juvenile at times. The author comes across as very arrogant; to be sure, being able to hike the Appalachian trail is not a minor accomplishment, but it is also not uncommonly rare. In fact, it seems there are two common things when hiking the trail--I'm either going to write a book or I'm making a YouTube video. The problem is that this book seriously needed an editor.
There are attempts to seem as though the author is "poetic," but the repetitive nature of his writing is distracting. Misspelled words, poor grammar, words used incorrectly, and frankly, it made reading the book torture. There was so much extraneous information at times that this book could have been shortened considerably.
As other reviewers have noted, the rather sophomoric--or what I call "dorm room"--wisdom got tired awfully quickly. Even more so, the author was quite a hypocrite--arguing about rules on one hand and then openly flaunting his disobedience just a few pages later; getting mad that somebody would have a dog other than his on the trail, but consistently endangering his own; poaching animals; saying "hike your own hike" and then mocking others for how they chose to hike. Calling people names, but getting upset when he wasn't universally welcomed. On and on.
Oh...and how he seems to be a typical male in that nearly all the women he encountered are valued more for their looks than anything.
I'm sure the author is proud of his accomplishment and he should be, but he's not a good author. I would copy-paste some of the other one star reviews from Goodreads; instead, I would just say that they are quite honest and accurate.
***Edited to add--he makes some rather bold statements about Gerry "Inchworm" Largay, mostly plainly stating that she was clearly murdered by somebody either or purpose or accident and it was covered up, because that was the reason she had vanished "without a trace." While the author fell down seemingly every 15 steps, it was inconceivable to him that what happened is what happened...she wandered off the trail and got lost. He should probably amend that.
There are attempts to seem as though the author is "poetic," but the repetitive nature of his writing is distracting. Misspelled words, poor grammar, words used incorrectly, and frankly, it made reading the book torture. There was so much extraneous information at times that this book could have been shortened considerably.
As other reviewers have noted, the rather sophomoric--or what I call "dorm room"--wisdom got tired awfully quickly. Even more so, the author was quite a hypocrite--arguing about rules on one hand and then openly flaunting his disobedience just a few pages later; getting mad that somebody would have a dog other than his on the trail, but consistently endangering his own; poaching animals; saying "hike your own hike" and then mocking others for how they chose to hike. Calling people names, but getting upset when he wasn't universally welcomed. On and on.
Oh...and how he seems to be a typical male in that nearly all the women he encountered are valued more for their looks than anything.
I'm sure the author is proud of his accomplishment and he should be, but he's not a good author. I would copy-paste some of the other one star reviews from Goodreads; instead, I would just say that they are quite honest and accurate.
***Edited to add--he makes some rather bold statements about Gerry "Inchworm" Largay, mostly plainly stating that she was clearly murdered by somebody either or purpose or accident and it was covered up, because that was the reason she had vanished "without a trace." While the author fell down seemingly every 15 steps, it was inconceivable to him that what happened is what happened...she wandered off the trail and got lost. He should probably amend that.
April 27, 2018
Rodrig writes an incredibly detailed account of his hike on the Appalachian Trail, sometimes too detailed, with terms like “trail angels” explained above and beyond what the reader needs. For someone who hasn’t hiked, ever, and is interested in doing so, the book would be a good read. I can appreciate his love of his dog and it’s unique breed but also got very tired of reading about people reacting (the same way) in every town and the author’s great hilarity at telling the same story over and over about how he fools people into believing the dog is a very rare Russian breed. At Baxter State Park, where pets are not allowed, he smuggled his dog in so it could hike to the end with him. As much as I appreciate the dog’s journey, the law is in place for good reasons and for Rodrig to totally disregard the law was pretty underhanded.
Rodrig is a Personal Trainer but I wondered at his total disregard in taking care of his feet on the entire hike. I felt that he couldn’t be a very good Trainer if he didn’t know how to read his own body telling him to seek medical attention sooner rather than later on several occasions.
Having said the negatives, he would have had an excellent book if he had cut out about 1/3 the details and taken better care of himself, it was an interesting journey that he achieved.
Rodrig is a Personal Trainer but I wondered at his total disregard in taking care of his feet on the entire hike. I felt that he couldn’t be a very good Trainer if he didn’t know how to read his own body telling him to seek medical attention sooner rather than later on several occasions.
Having said the negatives, he would have had an excellent book if he had cut out about 1/3 the details and taken better care of himself, it was an interesting journey that he achieved.
April 16, 2018
I've read 10 hiking novels in the last few months and I enjoyed this one more than the others.
Pros: the optimistic tone & perseverance of the author; the descriptions are comprehensive and this story has more specifics details about the trail, rather than skipping entire sections like some authors; the paragraphs are short and concise; the author is straightforward rather than whiny and judgmental like Bryson or Davis; who doesn't love a hiking story with a dog?
Cons: This book needed a last serious edit before publication. (ie he uses "sole" instead of "soul" and there are numerous misspellings) But the mistakes aren't overwhelmingly distracting. (I do editing on the side, so maybe it's not as noticeable for others)
Pros: the optimistic tone & perseverance of the author; the descriptions are comprehensive and this story has more specifics details about the trail, rather than skipping entire sections like some authors; the paragraphs are short and concise; the author is straightforward rather than whiny and judgmental like Bryson or Davis; who doesn't love a hiking story with a dog?
Cons: This book needed a last serious edit before publication. (ie he uses "sole" instead of "soul" and there are numerous misspellings) But the mistakes aren't overwhelmingly distracting. (I do editing on the side, so maybe it's not as noticeable for others)
January 1, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. It was as informative as it was heartwarming and funny. You will fall in love with both the author and his amazing dog. Do not think this book is simply for the faint of heart. If you are a serious hiker and want to know what it is really like to prepare and hike the Appalachian Trail, just pick up a copy of this book!! You will learn things you never in your wildest dreams even thought to ask! Although this book is entertaining, it is also filled with facts and interesting tidbits that the serious hiker and the average person, like me, that just yearns for knowledge to look smart during Jeopardy, can both enjoy.
Pick your copy up today guys. It is GREAT!
Pick your copy up today guys. It is GREAT!
March 24, 2017
Top of the list
I have read more than fifteen books on hiking the AT, and this book is at the top of the list! A real page turner, well written with humorous anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of keen insights provided. I hope there will be several sequels to the book as the author (and members of his trail family) follow their dreams. A very real and sincere attempt to bring the AT experience to the everyday reader. Kudos to the young traveler!
I have read more than fifteen books on hiking the AT, and this book is at the top of the list! A real page turner, well written with humorous anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of keen insights provided. I hope there will be several sequels to the book as the author (and members of his trail family) follow their dreams. A very real and sincere attempt to bring the AT experience to the everyday reader. Kudos to the young traveler!
May 23, 2017
Oh, there are plenty of books about the Appalachian Trail... or parts of the trail... and the people who have wandered or strolled or run or walked it. If you want to read one book, Rohrig's book is a good choice. He was a through hiker and completed the trail, although he was far from the speediest and had a good number of adventures along the way. Not a guidebook about how to do the trail, but a solid representation of the highs and lows of the day to day grinding out of miles.
March 16, 2017
I loved this book! I have read many books on hiking the AT and this was one of my favorites. I felt like I was there hiking as well. I didn't want it to end. Very good book for those who want to know what it is like to hike the AT.
October 27, 2017
Great Adventure Tail
I just started having interest in through hiking . After reading this book I feel a lot more informed about a lot of things and then some.
This book is truly entertaining I do recommend reading it .
I just started having interest in through hiking . After reading this book I feel a lot more informed about a lot of things and then some.
This book is truly entertaining I do recommend reading it .
November 22, 2017
Not a book for everyone, but anyone interested in a thru AT hike will find this fun and helpful. There was quite a bit repetition that can be skipped however, as I said, it can be helpful to those wishing to complete a hike like Kyle!
January 19, 2020
Absolutely loved it. What an Adventure. Could not be more driven to want to get outside and attempt the AT myself. Emotions run wild as you follow "The Mayor" and his acquired comrades across numerous state lines and thr obstacles and excitements they experience along the way.
May 6, 2017
Great book!
This story is so deeply personal that you feel like you are there. It is by far my favorite AT hike account that I have read.
This story is so deeply personal that you feel like you are there. It is by far my favorite AT hike account that I have read.
March 8, 2018
Well detailed
Very good book for anyone contemplating going on a hike. Doesn’t fail to write in the hard bits about his journey.
Very good book for anyone contemplating going on a hike. Doesn’t fail to write in the hard bits about his journey.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews