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

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. Fondrentraces 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. 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. "Walking on the Wild Side traces the stories of forty-six men and women who, for their own personal reasons, set out to hike America's most well-known, and arguably most social, long-distance hiking trail. Once on the Appalachian Trail, long-distance hikers live mostly in isolation, with their own way of acting, talking, and thinking; their own vocabulary; their own activities and interests; their own conception of what is significant in life; and to a certain extent their own scheme of life. As a result of this transformative experience, the Appalachian Trail becomes a 'storied' place for hikers where the power of place unfolds in the stories they share about their trail experiences. In Walking on the Wild Side, Fondren reveals the distinct social world created by long-distance hikers. As a microcosm of the broader social world, long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail seem to have one foot inside American cultural mainstream and one foot outside of it"--Provided by publisher In Walking on the Wild Side, sociologist Kristi M. Fondren traces the stories of forty-six men and women who set out to trek America's most well known long-distance hiking trail. The volume illuminates the intense social intimacy and bonding that forms among long-distance hikers as they collectively construct a long-distance hiker identity, revealing how important a sense of place can be to our identity