A Giant Green Intestinal Tract - On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor

​On Trails is subtitled 'An Exploration', but it might be more accurately labeled as author and hiker Robert Moor's meditations on trails: why they exist, how they come to be, and, most importantly, why they are followed.  After a youth spent feeling like a self-described drifter, Moor set out in 2009 to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (“AT”), from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  As one would imagine when walking more than 2000 miles over a period of multiple months with limited stimulation other than the passing woods around him, he spent plenty of time with his own thoughts.  As Moor hiked the trail, he began to consider the history of trails like the AT and how they come to be.  Given the title, it is surprising how far and wide, and with what can occasionally feel like aimless intent, he wonders in search of answers, but the patient reader will be rewarded with some thoughtful and beautifully conveyed writing.

Read More