J. M. DAngelo

A Great First Half, But Where's the Rest?

Revisado: 06-07-21

I was first introduced to Derick "Mr. Fabulous" Lugo while watching Scott "Squatch" Herriott's FLIP FLOP FLIPPIN' trilogy. He came across as an incredibly friendly, outgoing and likable hiker then and nothing changes with his memoir, THE UNLIKELY THRU-HIKER. One of the criteria I consider while listening to a hiking memoir is "would I want to hike with this person?" In this case, absolutely. Derick is funny, positive, inspiring and so all-around amiable that I found myself wondering if such a person could actually exist.

As with any other hiking memoir, you already know the general story: person decides to hike X trail from point A to point B while having adventures at points D, H and M along the way. Will they make it all the way or won't they? Some do, some don't, and everyone has their own reasons for doing so. That's what makes each memoir different.

Derick does a lot right over the course of the first 3/4 of this book: he tells the listener a bit about who he is, introduces us to various fellow hikers along the way, gets us involved in his journey and tells about the day to day routine of hiking from Georgia to Maine. He doesn't get much into the locations or history of the trail which, even though this is covered in several other AT memoirs, would have been helpful for anyone making this their first AT book, but he gives enough detail so that those familiar with the trail will have a pretty good idea of where he is along the AT even when he doesn't offer specific details.

The only real issue I had with the book was that 3/4 of the way through, he was reaching Harper's Ferry with half of the trail left. I started wondering if something was going to happen that forced him to skip some sections of the trail and go straight to Katahdin. Well, unfortunately, he does skip some sections but only in the writing. He gives some time to the trail in Pennsylvania then tells us nothing about his time in New Jersey or New York (except for a stopover in NYC). Connecticut is similarly passed over, Massachusetts and Vermont get brief mentions, some time is spent discussing The Whites and The Notch, then BAM. Katahdin. Did he get bored halfway through? Stop taking notes? Or did nothing worth discussing happen? It's really quite confusing considering how enjoyable that first 3/4 is. If the rest of the trek had been given the same loving detail as what came before it, I would consider this to be one of the great hiking memoirs. As it stands, it's only half of one.

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Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Revisado: 04-15-21

My review is slightly biased because when I purchased this audiobook, I went in with an expectation: I wanted a fun adventure tale. Something like A WALK IN THE WOODS meets THE BRADY BUNCH. That's what I was hoping for based on the cover and synopsis. 20 minutes into the book, I'd listened to a Forward, a Preface and then an Introduction, all of which basically did the same thing in repetition: tell me what I was about to read (or in this case, listen to). And, SPOILER ALERT, I was also informed of how it all ends.

Going in, I had no idea who the Crawfords were. I hadn't (and still haven't) checked out their social media outlets. I don't feel any need to comment, be it positively or negatively, on their lifestyle and child-rearing choices. The problem for me, however, is that this is exactly what this book appears to be about (I say "appears" because I've only listened to 5 hours of it and have decided to stop because of the effect I feel it's having upon my mental state).

There's a pattern here. The lead narrator, Ben Crawford, starts by questioning his choices: Should we be doing this? Will the kids hate me? Why am I doing this? Should we proceed? Then he reads posts (pretty much all negative) from strangers who criticize them on a variety of social media platforms. Then he defends his choices and decisions because, to me, he appears to be someone who feels a need to defend himself to others and, dare I assume, actually enjoys pointing out how negative people and the internet are? If he doesn't like the negativity (and there is a lot of it), why does he put his family out there for all to see like this? I don't know. All I know is what I ascertain from the writing. Then the chapter ends and Ben invites his wife, Kami, to comment on the chapter we've just listened to. He leads her with a few questions, then gives his take on what we've just listened to. I feel like he is just waiting to talk and not at all interested in what Kami has to say. Then the whole thing repeats itself in the next chapter. Often multiple times within the same chapter.

I could not imagine being someone who questions themselves about every aspect of their life like this. And that, in the end, is why I could not find myself enjoying this book. 5 hours in and there is very little joy. No one appears to be having a good time. Everything is a struggle. I don't even understand WHY they want to do this other than to be TOGETHER.

Earlier in my review, I mentioned the effect this book was having upon my mental state. I found myself alternately angry at the abuse strangers were heaping upon this family to exasperation that Ben actually cares what strangers think about him and his family to outright depression that everyone involved was miserable and constantly complaining. So to wrap things up I say: good for the Crawfords that they made this trek, but bad for me because I'm just not a part of the "look at me!" social media culture.

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A Rushed Adventure, Story & Narration

Revisado: 01-07-21

This review is solely regarding the audiobook and its content. Jeff's calendar year triple crown is a fantastic achievement - but I don't feel that conveyed via this book. Jeff's narration is as rushed as his thru-hikes, both in the writing and the narration. In a fairly monotone voice, Jeff reads his manuscript like a schoolkid forced to read his essay to the class. Sentences blend without pause, paragraph breaks seem non-existent and rarely is any one detail given more than a line or two before Jeff moves on to the next subject.

Halfway through the book, Jeff mentions that he is hiking to raise awareness for suicide prevention, but we never really find out why or how. It's just another shred of information tossed to the wayside.

And then it ends. No epilogue, no wrap-up, he just reaches his destination and stoutly announces The. End.

So, yeah. Impressed with the feat but not with the book.

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Might not be able to finish this...

Revisado: 05-01-20

I'm about halfway through this audiobook and may need to stop listening. I really should have heeded the warnings of the other reviewers who stated that the lead character in this memoir comes across as thoroughly unlikable. Although I cannot pretend to understand what it's like to be raped (which happens to our author early in the memoir), I can understand what it's like to want to take on a long distance hike, be it the PCT, the AT, or something that takes only a couple weeks. According to the author, men head out on the PCT looking for women and sex. Well, I've hiked several portions of the PCT and not once did I do it because I was looking to hook up.

What's frustrating me about this memoir is how one of the reasons the author hit the trail was to prove to herself and her family that she could take care of herself and recover from her rape, then three days into the journey, she meets a guy. She hikes with him for a while, then decides she doesn't want to anymore. Then she does. Then she doesn't again. Then she does. And she has sex with him and tells him she loves him. Then she complains that the guy hikes too fast and criticizes him for only wanting to finish the trail by early September because he has a Phish concert to attend (and then, after making him sound like a lout for this, blithely mentions that he also needs to finish quickly because he's not a US citizen and his visa expires that same first week of September). So now, halfway through the book, she is plotting on how to dump him.

She's also been withholding sex from the guy and, if they were to have sex again, she states it would be HER decision if they do or not. Well, allow me to point out the obvious: it needs to be a mutual decision. Otherwise, it's... oh, right: rape.

And an aside for the author: please try getting the facts straight and the names right the next time you write something like this. The owners of Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce are Jeff and Donna Sauffley, not "Dana Figment". And the owners of Casa de Luna are the Andersons, not the Hendersons.

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Hiking with Napoleon Dynamite

Revisado: 11-08-19

I've enjoyed a variety of long-distance hiking stories since subscribing to Audible. Despite the fact the general stories are the same (person attempts to walk X-number of miles along X-trail in X-amount of time) each story becomes its own animal due to each writer having different experiences along the way. And even when an author encounters similar experiences to other writers, their reactions are their own and the outcomes personal.

David's story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail becomes far more personal than most of the PCT books I've listened to. There is a lot more personal growth here and he does a fine job weaving those experiences in with the description of life on the trail. David is, in my opinion, a very good writer. However, he is not a great narrator.

I would usually condone the concept of a writer reading his own memoir as I feel it adds honesty to the narration, but in David's case perhaps a professional narrator would have been the way to go. David's method of speech, which often sounds bored or monotone like Napoleon Dynamite, comes across as a series of questions as his voice rises amid points in his sentences. For instance, this line from early in the book comes across as follows:

"It was the small hours of the morning. But I somehow? Managed to lift my head? From the rickety trailer floor? Where I had slept the past two nights? And glanced toward the other end of the trailer. There sat Bradley. Sitting cross-legged beside his backpack? At the foot of his bed? Eyes closed."

So if this speech pattern doesn't bother you, then I would recommend giving this a listen. Otherwise, I would suggest picking up a physical copy and allowing your brain to envision David's voice.

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"Well," I thought, "Well..."

Revisado: 04-26-19

Have you ever had a conversation with a teenager who was desperately trying to remain morose and in-communicative to the point where you feel like all you are doing is asking questions and receiving one or two word replies? That's what listening to this narrative felt like to me. Conversations rarely last more than three sentences and often end with a statement or question which is immediately ignored and never resolved. It's like we're listening to a rambling train of thought. Thought. Thought. (As other reviewers have mentioned, the author often repeats certain words three times in an effort to... I dunno... emphasize that particular item, perhaps?) I found myself listening and wondering what word was going to be repeated next. I eventually got really good at this and knew exactly when it was coming. Gatorade. Gatorade. Gatorade. Cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

As for the narrator, she mispronounced a fair number of words, names and locations. I am unsure if the narrator discussed her speaking style with the author in an effort to determine how to come across, but to me, the narrator constantly sounds like she is about to burst into tears and bury herself beneath a heavy blanket.

I assume the author made this trek in an effort to break out of a humdrum lifestyle, however I cannot be certain since she does not provide much of a reason for wanting to attempt this journey. She briefly mentions feeling like she is addicted to the internet, but that's about it. I learned nothing about her. I learned nothing about her hiking companions (who, oddly enough, appear to constantly hike away from her and she needs to catch up). I do not feel like the author was any different at the end of the journey than she was at the beginning, so what did she learn? Learn. Learn.

In conclusion, I didn't get the impression the author cared much for herself or for others and didn't particularly enjoy her time on the trail, which comes across in her narrative. As such, I found myself not caring much for the story or the characters.

The author would often find herself faced with a difficulty along the trail, at which point she would solve it by writing "Well," I thought, "Well..." and then drop the subject. That succinctly sums up how I felt about this book. "Well," I thought, "Well..."

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Granny in Hot Pants

Revisado: 01-26-19

Wow. How about that title, eh? Couldn't it just be called "THE WILD EFFECT"?

The "Wild Effect" in this case is the influence Cheryl Strayed's novel "WILD" had upon our retired author: it convinced her to get out and hike. Explore new vistas. Summit new horizons. Get off her rump and have an adventure or two. Unfortunately, she teams up with a micro-managing, Alpha-type personality for her trail partner who co-opts her adventure before it even begins.

I would say this book has more in common with A WALK IN THE WOODS than it does with WILD. (SPOILER ALERT!) Two people start out together, one goes home while the other continues, and then the other returns only to behave in a way that throws them both off of the trail. The book is as much about the hiking as it is about the relationship between these two polar opposites and how our author copes with the abuse hurled upon her by her partner.

The only parts of the book that made me groan were the constant references to Cheryl Strayed and WILD. I get it. The book inspired you. But sometimes I felt like the author was bordering on obsession. Which brings me to something I noted: the author compares her hike to Cheryl's, stating (and I am paraphrasing here) that neither one of them did the whole trail. They both started at the beginning, but got off before the end. Having listened to WILD as well as this book, I recall that Cheryl did not start at the beginning, she started near Tehachapi Pass which is around 500 miles north of the PCT's starting point. I'd have expected this author to know that.

Oh, and Bubba from FORREST GUMP is not named Bubba Gump. That's the name of the restaurant. (His full name was actually Bubba Blue. Figured I'd post that so you didn't have to go look it up when you reached that line in this book.)

But beyond those few nitpicks, I found this to be an interesting listen from a wholly original point of view. All of the hiking books I've listened to have been written by authors at least 2 decades younger than this one, so that added a nice bit of flavor.

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Trail Journal

Revisado: 10-19-18

I've been listening to a lot of long distance hiking books lately. I keep hoping to find another "Where's the Next Shelter" or "Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail". While memoirs, those are also novels in their own right. "Arctic Sven" is a trail journal, not a novel. There is a lot of "I walked x number of miles today, I hope to walk x number of miles tomorrow, here is what I had for dinner, I'm going to sleep now, see you in the morning". Occasionally, the author becomes rhapsodic about his journey and, late in the book, begins to touch on the finding "Inner Harmony" mentioned in the title, but it never really gels.

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Now THIS is how you write about a hike!

Revisado: 10-08-18

The first book I ever read about hiking the AT was, no surprise, A WALK IN THE WOODS. The first and final thirds of that book were wonderful, but the middle sagged and, upon reflection, the reason was obvious: the author lost his constant companion during that portion and spent most of those pages hiking on his own. Gary Sizer's memoir doesn't have that problem. Even when his main companions are out of the picture for long stretches, others fill the void. Reading (well, technically listening) to Gary's narration makes me want to jump in there and hike with him because he's got the right idea: it's not about the miles, it's not about the pains and frustrations of living outdoors, it's about the people you meet on the trail and the friendships that form. I've listened to this book three times over two years and enjoyed it every time. I can only hope Gary takes to the PCT or CDT someday!

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Yawn.

Revisado: 10-08-18

The book got off to an interesting start, but then it took two and a half hours of audiobook before she even steps foot on the trail. Instead of the trail adventures and inspiration I anticipated, the book quickly devolved into meandering tales of someone who makes a lot of poor decisions and ends up paying for them in one way or another without seeming to actually learn from her mistakes. And any time something interesting or profound was said, it was immediately revealed to be a quote from someone else: whereas many authors choose to use quotes to begin their chapters, this author sprinkles them in throughout the chapters at random. I'm five hours into this book and will probably skip the remaining 90 minutes. Time to give up the hike. I'm not finding anything inspiring about this author who complains about the hardships of life while being handed free gear, free air flights, free rides, and free meals all while telling us how she is an athlete every couple of paragraphs. One last question: why is this narrated by a man when the author is a woman?

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