Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery [Kindle Edition]

Model-T takes you (and J.R.) along for quite a ride. This is the funniest and most captivating book on the subject I've read. There are a lot of details in the book--but that is what anyone who is really interested in thru-hiking wants to read! This is a very interesting window into his FIRST thru-hike that no doubt benefitted from his other 2 complete thru-hikes (a VERY rare accomplishment).

Mr. Tate's writing style is quite appealing, easy to read yet incorporating some of the most diverse vocabulary I've ever seen. At no point was I bored or tempted to skip ahead; most of the time I was wiping tears from my face (laughing too hard). When it ended I was tempted to read it again... but instead delighted in watching my wife read it (similar hysterical reactions--at one point, in an airport gate-waiting area several people asked if she was okay).

I've read some good books on the AT, but this is by far my favorite. Bryson's book was okay (the middle chapters in that book are painful to read at best), and managed to get the public/media's attention but if Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery had received a tenth of that publicity I have no doubt that Mr. Tate would have inspired thousands of people each year to give it a shot. I want this one to become a movie.

As a fellow Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker, I have to say that this book gave the most accurate description of what a thru-hike on the A.T. is really like. Model-T has a witty and often ofbeat sense of humor that I found hilarious. Before my thru-hike, I read close to 15 books about the Appalachian Trail and found this one to be by far the best. Enjoy!
D-con, class of 2002

I've read a about 8-10 "AT thru-hiker" books since deciding to thru-hike the trail and this is, in my opinion, the best by far. Not just another "today I walked x miles and had x meals", but a wonderfully told story of a terrific adventure and the people who helped make it so. No forced "and then I had my epiphanic, sterling moment of truth", no mind-numbing whining. Model-T writes of beautiful vistas, interesting people and adventures, tossed with a realistic dose of the kind of exhaustion, grunginess, hunger and pain thru-hikers must surely endure. I made myself wait two weeks to start it again, and am reading it even more slowly this time, just to make it last. I hope to meet Model-T someday and thank him for the most excellent tale!