Books I have read

Books I’ve Read: AWOL on the Appalachian Trail

Posted on January 29, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Smokey Mountains

Although I have only read a couple, I would imagine there are plenty of books written by thru-hikers about the Appalachian Trail. The Trail, which is just under 2,200 miles long, winds through 14 states between Springer Mountain, Georgia, and Katahdin, Maine. An estimated 2,000 hikers try to thru-hike each year — about 25 percent make it.

David Miller, who adopts the trail name AWOL, is one of the few in 2003 that made it all the way from Georgia to Maine.

In the book, Miller writes about his experience in such an easy-going manner that two things happen. One, you feel like you know him and secondly, you become immersed in the trail as if you were there with him. He does not sugar-coat the difficulties or shy away from the occassional controverial or confrontational event along his path. With Miller as your eyes, you see bear, moose and even cringe at the thought of almost, possibly stepping on a rattle snake. You even smile with him in amusement at the thought that pepper-spray would deter a bear.

Part of the appeal of the book, is Miller is just an ‘average’ every day worker, stuck in a cubicle, pondering if this is all there is. At 41, Miller admits life is fine, he is not having a mid-life crisis, he has a great family (a couple of daughters and wife Juli) — he just feels he is being pulled to the trail. Although he is a lifelong resident of Florida, he had hiked parts of the trail as a kid with his father — and Miller reveals late in the book that his brother was a thru-hiker. He admits, he was simply at a point in life where he knew if he was ever going to do it — the time was now.

Miller introduces the reader to some of the more colorful hikers he meets along the way and a few, like Tipperary and Kiwi, men in their 60s from Ireland and New Zealand, respectively, you could see yourself enjoying their company in a night of euchre playing. He even encounters one hiker, who ends up in police custody, that although you would not fear the hiker (who adopts several Trail names), you would, like Miller keep a cautious distance.

The book ends, as expected on the climb up Mount Katahdin in Maine where Miller is joined by his wife, brother-in-law Mike and the Miller’s 9-year-old daughter Jessie. ‘Watching’ as his daughter climbs that final peak with her father exemplifies what the reader has already figure out.

This is a good man who just needed a little walk in the woods.

Categories: Books I have read | Tags: appalachian trail, book review

Books I’ve Read: Custer Survivor– The End of a Myth the Beginning of a Legend

Posted on January 26, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Battle of Little Bighorn.

Is it possible that someone really did survive Custer’s Last Stand? Well, that’s the premise behind Custer Survivor– The End of a Myth the Beginning of a Legend a 2010 book written by John Koster.

In a review of the book for the Library Journal by Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan University Library, Peters says,

Over the years there have been a number of claims of survivors of Custer’s battalion at the Little Bighorn in 1876, but none has held up under close scrutiny–until now. Journalist Koster (The Road to Wounded Knee) carefully reconstructs the life of Frank Finkel, second sergeant of C Company. …This well-written and carefully reasoned argument is essential reading for scholars and students of the West and will be of great interest to anyone with even a passing interest in Custer and the Little Bighorn.

It is definitely an interesting read. To be honest when I first picked up the book, my knowledge of the battle was limited to what I had learned in high school. But the book does feel authentic in the reconstruction of the life of Finkel. Basically Finkel, near the end of his life gives an off-the-cuff comment about how he survived the battle. By this point in his life he is a well-known and well-respected businessman in his hometown of Dayton, Washington.

The author reasons that Finkel had nothing to gain by fabricating the story — and sets out to prove that some of the facts Finkle knew were not public knowledge and Finkel did appear to have some ‘insider’ information. There is also the recounting of the battle by several Native Americans who mention a soldier that escaped.

According to the book, Finkel escaped the battle after being wounded when his horse was ‘spooked’ and galloped past the Indans. Finkel was not the only soldier to accomplish this — one had escaped and would have probably made it to safety except the soldier took his life.

Of course, one lingering question many ask is why wouldn’t Finkel come clean earlier. As Koster correctly points out, if Finkel’s escape was seen as abandonment he could have been court marshalled for the offense.

Amazon readers give this a rating of 3.5 out of 5. I would give it at least a 4.

This book is an interesting read — short and to the point. Koster backs up his statements and assertions with documents in true journalist form. Whether or not you agree with his conclusion, you will walk away knowing Koster put in the time and effort researching the subject before he ever starting to write about it.