Reading Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail was the most fun I’ve had in awhile from the easy, even-more-appreciated comfort of my couch.
What’s Going to Maine about?
Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail is a memoir by Sally Chaffin Brooks that recounts when, at twenty-five years old, she decided to thru-hike (read: hike all the way through) the Appalachian trail from Georgia to Maine with her best friend. Brooks’ wilderness adventure took her five months, cost her some relationships and made her some new ones, and pretty much changed her life forever.
This book is filled with heartwarming moments, laugh-out-loud situations and mishaps, camaraderie between hikers who start off as strangers and become friends, and lots of helpful tips about what to do (and what not to do) while hiking the Appalachian Trail.
What I loved about Going to Maine
Brooks makes hiking the Appalachian Trail seem like a really great, fun thing to do. Just like when I read parts of Wilderness Reform, I was totally diggin’ the whole survivalist aspect, the panoramic views, the stamina you gain, all that good stuff. And, when she started talking about all the weight you lose from hiking every damn day, I was like, SOLD. Get me some hiking boots.
Thankfully, Brooks also points out all the negatives sides of thru-hiking. There are plenty of things I didn’t think about that brought this tried-and-true Indoor Girl back down to reality.
Like what, you ask? Just to name a few: No real meals for days on end. Peeing and pooping in the woods. Sleeping on the ground with bugs. Using water purifiers for most of your drinking water. Walking with stress fractures. Oh, and taking the wrong turn and nearly falling off a cliff. No, thank you.
Despite all the mishaps and inconveniences, though, Brooks wonderfully conveys the overall awesomeness of her experience. There’s the pride she felt in herself while completing the hike, the friends she made along the trail, the love interest she met along the trail (wink wink, nudge nudge), and the new version of herself that was waiting for her at the end of her hike. I loved it all, and I couldn’t flip pages fast enough to find out what came next in Brooks’ adventure.
Should you read Going to Maine?
Yes, please read Going to Maine. Brooks is great storyteller – funny, real, and relatable. Her writing has a great flow to it.
You don’t need to be an avid hiker to enjoy this book (um, obviously, because, hi!). But, I think fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and the book Two Steps Forward will get extra appreciation out of this one, for obvious reasons.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for Going to Maine?
Check back in for the book-inspired recipe: Rocky Road Brownies
Although I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from Kaye Publicity, all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
