Avalanche and Gorilla Jim called successor to A Walk in the Woods

[Avalanche1]

A review of Avalanche and Gorilla Jim, Appalachian Trail Adventures and Other Tales states:
“The bulk of this book deals with backpacking the Appalachian Trail, and it is a worthy successor to Bill Bryson’s classic book on that subject, A Walk in the Woods . . . . I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in backpacking the Appalachian Trail.” The VVA Veteran, Vietnam Veterans of America, David Wilson


To read this review and Avalanche and Gorilla Jim’s connection to the Vietnam War, click on http://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2012/0...albert-dragon/

[Cookerhiker]

I think you need to obtain a more professional-level reviewer than the one you've attached. It's not just the sentence "..Speaking personally, this book is as close as I need to get to the famous trail." which shows the reviewer's lack of experience and more importantly, interest. I don't see anything in this simplistic review that would grab the attention of either WBers or the general public.

And perhaps I missed something but the reviewer infers that Dragon "hiked the Appalachian Trail" but Dragon's website mentions only Georgia to Vermont. We know that Bryson's statement in the end that he "...hiked the Appalachian Trail" has been a bone of contention on WB. Dragon himself hasn't made this assertion but again, the review should be clearer on this.

I suggest you contact eArThworm here on WB about a book review for her "Books for Hikers" website and possibly getting a review published in the ALDHA Newsletter. Good luck!

[Rain Man]

Did I miss something somewhere? Is this book even for sale? Saw nowhere and no link to purchase it.

RainMan

P.S. Please slow down that photo flip. Don't even have time to enjoy a photo before it flips to the next, and it's not as if there are but 3 or 4, so why the rush?

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[Spokes]

This is the second post I've seen recently about this "book". It's from the author himself. Hmmmmm, makes me wonder why he always seems to talk in third person.

Successor to A Walk in the Woods? I don't believe I'd say that to this crowd.

[Moose2001]

Nothin like a little self promotion!

[rocketsocks]

Now that's a plug!

[old geezer]

The book is available from Amazon in print and Kindle formats
I'm about a 1/4 into the book and I'm liking it
The description of the mud in Georgia is giving me great respect for this section
I plan a thru in 2013 and so far I have found the book helpful and entertaining
Just my 2 cents worth

[Rain Man]

The book is available from Amazon in print and Kindle formats
I'm about a 1/4 into the book and I'm liking it

Just ordered it from www.alibris.com (I avoid Amazon if possible, due to their unethical business practices and how they mistreat their slaves, er, workers).

I enjoy reading just about any first-hand account of the AT, even if not quite a thru-hike.

Rain Man

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[Avalanche1]

Hi Cookhiker.


If you want a glowing review of Avalanche and Gorilla Jim, Appalachian Trail Adventures and Other Tales from someone who has reviewed books for more years than anyone else you can think of, try http://mainlinemedianews.com/article...0599549709.txt. That will confirm the public’s avid interest in this book.


You raise an interesting question. The back cover of A walk in the Woods states Bill Bryson was reacquainting himself with the US “by walking the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine,” and we know he didn’t walk the entire A.T. Should it say he walked on the Appalachian Trail, which might mean he merely stepped on it. The back cover of Avalanche and Gorilla Jim states: “Travel with us for a humorously different and sometimes surprising true picture of two guys trekking over 1300 miles of fun-filled, gut-wrenching, awe-inspiring mountainous terrain.” That is correct and I don’t know what anyone wants to call it--but it is great reading.


You don’t have to be an expert hiker to enjoy this book. Only about 600 people a year thru-hike the A.T. Between two to three million people hike a part of the A.T. each year and many people never hike anywhere. This book is for all of them, and no expertise is needed to enjoy the belly laughs, adventures and surprises. I heartily invite you to read Avalanche and Gorilla Jim, keep an open mind, enjoy the shenanigans on Chunky Gal Mountain, a goofy encounter with a rattlesnake, interesting sidelights such as an elephant that was hung in a trail town, the terrorist who blew up the Atlanta Olympic Games and hid out on the Trail, among interesting characters and acts of kindness by strangers.


I appreciate you taking the time to give your comments and look forward to your comments after you read the book. I will take your suggestion and contact Books for Hikers and ALDHA.
Best wishes.

[Avalanche1]

Hi Rain Man,
You asked where the book is for sale. Avalanche and Gorilla Jim, Appalachian Trail Adventures and Other Tales is for sale on www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Avala.../9781614481706 and other dotcoms. It will be in book stores early this summer.


I will ask the website guy to slow the photo flip on the home page so it will be easier to see. There are over 70 Appalachian Trail photos on the Photo Gallery page and you can
go through them at your leisure.


I appreciate your interest in this book.

[Avalanche1]

Hi Old Geezer,
Thank you for your kind words about Avalanche and Gorilla Jim. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Best of luck with your 2013 thru-hike. As you can see from the book, there are many different things to look forward to. The guy who blew up the Atlanta Olympic Games is in a federal supermax prison, so you don't have to be concerned about him.
Have a really great time. Hopefully, I'll see you on the trail.

[old geezer]

Thanks Avalanche1
I'm almost done with the book and it is a great read

[rocketsocks]

I've put it on me wish list,sounds like a good read!

[Rain Man]

Hi Rain Man, You asked where the book is for sale.

I ordered it from www.albris.com and got confirmation yesterday that it was shipped. I try to avoid Amazon. NOT a nice company.

I will ask the website guy to slow the photo flip on the home page so it will be easier to see.

Good. No reason to flip through the three (I think it was) photos so fast that no one can study any one of them.

RainMan

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[SawnieRobertson]

My copy arrived last week, but I was deep into A Woman in Berlin, a sad story about what went on for the conquered as I, a twelve-year-old girl in Texas, experienced profound relief to have the war with Germany come to an end. That being said, A and GJ has been sitting next in line, awaiting its turn. The above entries have increased my anticipation for good times ahead. Please though, tell me that it is more authentic than Bryson's work.--Kinnickinic

[PapaGarrettP]

I received my copy a couple of days ago on Kindle and can highly recommend it to anyone who is "jones-ing" for the trail. The day-to-day patter of the the author's adventures and non-adventures brought back lots of memories. No hyperbole or "over-telling" what is, after all, mostly a endless stream of days of getting up, breaking camp and putting one foot in front of the other. Having just completed the Georgia to the NOC section I over this past year, I was delighted by the description of this part of the trail. Thanks, Avalanche!

[1azarus]

Just bought my copy. Electronic. that makes it the prefect "it doesn't weigh anything "u.l. Purchase. I am so proud of myself.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Mrs Baggins]

Finished my copy today. Yes, I did enjoy it very much. On a par with the humor in Bryson's book? No. And I've read that one 3 times. Bloody horrible truth but there it is. I enjoyed this book as much as I've enjoyed pretty much every book I've read about the AT. But no, it's not the same kind of belly laugh that Bryson's book was. There you have it.

[Rain Man]

Finished my copy today. Yes, I did enjoy it very much. On a par with the humor in Bryson's book? No. ... I enjoyed this book as much as I've enjoyed pretty much every book I've read about the AT. But no, it's not the same kind of belly laugh that Bryson's book was. There you have it.

I give this book (and Mrs Baggins' review) a Thumbs Up.

Mrs Baggins pretty much hit the nail on the head. I finished this book last week. Enjoyed it and really appreciated how up-front, open, and honest the author was about how much of the AT he hiked and didn't hike, unlike a few other AT books and a DVD I've seen that claim to be about thru-hikes even though those authors skipped big chunks of the trail and gloss over or fail to mention that.

"Avalanche and Gorilla Jim" isn't among my absolute top-tier AT books (with "A Walk In The Woods," "Walking On The Happy Side Of Misery," "As Far As The Eye Can See," etc.), but certainly is up there among my middle tier of AT books and well above many I've read. I would recommend this book by Albert Dragon, who began his thru-hike attempt when he was 65 and finished his hike when he was 70. I didn't have any belly-laughs that had me teary-eyed and falling off the couch, as with Bryson's, but I did have a few laughs-out-loud in spots and good knowing chuckles in others.

Two small critiques I have include: the typos. Maybe it's my old-fashioned experience of reading books when the quality of editing was exceptional, but running into obvious typos, sometimes more than one on a page, bothers me with today's publishing industry. Acceptance of mediocre editing standards seems to have become the norm.

Also, I do not like reading about murders "on" the AT, which didn't happen on the AT and had little-to-nothing to do with the AT at all. Murders actually on the AT are tragic and sad enough. No need to "inflate" the numbers ... just to sensationalize the fear of murders and motives (?), ... especially when there are murders (a very, very few) on the AT of AT hikers by AT hikers, that are not included.

Still, Albert Dragon has a good writing style, wrote about a topic I love reading about (the AT!), and shared his own story in an honest, frank, and even heartfelt way. I liked it and would like more of the same.

Thank you for sharing with us all, Avalanche (should I say "Landslide"?!!! LOL).

RainMan

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[Avalanche1]

Hi Rain Man. Thanks for reading Avalanche and Gorilla Jim and for your comments.

Al "Avalanche" Dragon