Clara’s Verdict
There is a specific pleasure in the trail memoir — a genre that asks you to walk thousands of miles vicariously, absorbing weather and blisters and panoramic views from the comfort of your sofa. David Miller’s AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is one of the best examples of the form. It’s honest about the repetitive physical reality of a thru-hike (he walks, he eats, he sleeps, he does it again) while remaining genuinely engaging about the deeper questions that surface when you remove yourself from ordinary life for months at a time. Christopher Lane’s narration is steady and likeable, a good match for Miller’s unpretentious voice. At 10 hours and 35 minutes, this is a listen that moves like the trail itself: steadily, with rewards arriving at irregular but meaningful intervals.
About the Audiobook
In 2003, David Miller was a software engineer. He left his job, his family, and his friends to walk 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail — one of the world’s great long-distance hiking routes. The book chronicles that thru-hike in detail, covering everything from the physical demands and the practicalities of gear and planning to the internal landscape that emerges when you’re alone with your thoughts for months on end.
Miller writes under his trail name, AWOL, and brings a quiet, thoughtful sensibility to the material. He doesn’t romanticise or dramatise excessively; the trail is presented warts and all, with its tedious stretches given as much honest attention as its spectacular ones. The result is a memoir that reads as genuinely true — less interested in making its author look heroic than in conveying what the experience actually felt and tasted and smelled like. For anyone who has ever contemplated walking a long route and wondered whether they could actually do it, Miller’s account is both inspiring and usefully sobering. Published by Brilliance Audio in December 2012.
The Narration
Christopher Lane narrates in a straightforward, warm style that suits Miller’s unpretentious prose well. There’s no attempt to impose dramatic inflation on a story that deliberately resists it; Lane trusts the material and the listener to meet each other without a guide pushing them together. His pacing is measured, appropriate for a subject matter that is, by definition, about putting one foot in front of the other with steady determination. For commuters or those who listen whilst walking themselves, this is an ideal companion — the rhythm of the narration reinforces the rhythm of the journey.
What Readers Say
The audiobook carries a 4.4-star rating. An anonymous UK reviewer called it « one of the most interesting and inspiring ‘travel’ books I’ve read. » Mike N, writing from the UK, offered a thoughtful defence of the book’s repetitive structure: « you’re reading a book about a guy that hiked over 2000 miles — what do you expect him to do? » and found the day-to-day description an accurate and valuable representation of the experience. B Frost, who has read multiple trail books, described AWOL as « the best so far » across the genre, noting Miller’s pleasant and unassuming personality as a companion for the journey. A Kindle Customer found it provided « an authentic picture of the AT » — which is, ultimately, all a memoir like this needs to do.
Who Should Listen?
Ideal for hikers, armchair travellers, and anyone interested in what long-distance walking does to the mind as well as the body. Works well alongside Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods (a far more comedic take on the same trail) for listeners who want both the funny version and the honest one. Those drawn to questions of life change — of what happens when you step entirely outside your routine — will find Miller’s reflections rewarding. Available on Audible UK.
