As Far As the Eye Can See: Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker

by David Brill

Overview

 
When David Brill’s now-classic account of his 1979 thru-hike of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail was released in 1990, it immediately struck a chord with veterans and aspirants of one of the world’s longest continuously marked footpaths. Over the years, the book has continued to sell through multiple printings.
 
As Far as the Eye Can See: Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker, now in its fifth (thirtieth-anniversary) edition and eighth printing, was recently released by the University of Tennessee Press. The new edition features a new preface on Brill’s 2019 40th-anniversary reunion in Maine with his AT buddies, as well as prefaces to earlier editions and three bonus chapters that bring Brill’s continuing connection with the trail to near the present.  
 
In the years following release of As Far as the Eye Can See, first-person accounts of hiking the trail burgeoned into a literary genre, but Brill’s book was among the first to capture the physical and spiritual aspects of the long journey across fourteen states. 
 
Brill and his fellow hikers, who are all portrayed in the book, were relatively early devotees on a pilgrimage that, within a few decades, would become a popular rite of passage. Indeed, by the end of 1979, a mere 837 people had reported finishing the entire AT route over the trail’s then 42-year history. The total now easily exceeds 20,000.
 
Brill credits his trail experiences with inspiring his career as a magazine journalist and book author and providing the theme for much of his subsequent writing on nature and adventure travel. The trail also did much to shape his enduring values and beliefs.
 
“Though it took me a while to realize it, the trail had shaped me, had given me a philosophy, had toughened me in some ways, had softened me in others, and taught me lessons I will never forget: lessons on survival, kindness, strength, friendship, courage, perseverance, and the ways of nature,” Brill writes in the book’s final chapter, “Coming Home.” “Those lessons have affected everything I’ve done since.”
 
Readers find that Brill’s experiences and observations on the healing power of nature from forty years ago are equally relevant in today’s world.
 
The book’s first edition received widespread critical acclaim. The San Francisco Book Reader wrote: “Evocatively written gems of observation full of native wisdom brimming over with thoughts and exploits…. You read and read again, this book is that rich.” Many other reviewers have commended the book on its honest portrayal of the trail experience and the literary quality of its prose. In its review, The Roanoke Times effused “Thoreau lives!”

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621901419
Publisher:	University of Tennessee Press
Publication date:	09/29/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David C. Brill is the author of Into the Mist: Tales of Death Disaster, Mishaps and Misdeeds, Misfortune and Mayhem in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cumberland Odyssey: A Journey in Pictures and Words along Tennessee’s Cumberland Trail and Plateau.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fifth Edition ix

Preface to the Fourth Edition xix

Preface to Previous Editions xxiii

Acknowledgments xxix

Chapter 1 Fear 1

Chapter 2 Learning to Walk, Learning to See 14

Chapter 3 Seasons 22

Chapter 4 Our Gang 32

Chapter 5 Linear Community 52

Chapter 6 Bad Company 65

Chapter 7 Sheep and Wolves 78

Chapter 8 Gear 90

Chapter 9 Stopping Along the Way 99

Chapter 10 Hot Springs Rhapsody 113

Chapter 11 Critters 123

Chapter 12 Where I Live 135

Chapter 13 Special Attractions 141

Chapter 14 Coming Home 158

Chapter 15 Appalachian Reunion: Twenty Years Later 165

Chapter 16 A Passage, at Midlife, along the Smokies AT 173

Chapter 17 On the Trail of Benton MacKayeh-Again 190

Reading List 209

Editorial Reviews

Trail enthusiasts will love this one. . . . Best account I have read of an end-to-end walk on the Appalachian Trail. . . . Thoreau lives!”—Roanoke Times World News


“Walk the trail with Brill. . . , and see if you don’t come out. . . thinking about doing something to push your own boundaries a little further.”—Rockland Gazette


“This book. . . almost defies a neat label. It is part philosophy, part adventure, part practical guide, and part character study. . . . The book is well written, and its appeal will not be limited only to the outdoor enthusiast.” —The Pittsburgh Press

From the Publisher