On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage

The eagerly awaited account of PATH member Robert Rubin's 1997 thruhike has finally been published.

On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage is one of the better told of the many tales of Appalachian Trail travel. It is literate, thoughtful, and covers new ground on a trail previously trod by so many.

In On the Beaten Path, Rubin explores not only the trail itself and the thruhiker subculture, but he also plumbs the inner workings of the long-distance hiker, exploring why some hikers are driven to complete the entire AT and others are satisfied with less.

Anyone who knows all or part of the AT will enjoy traveling with Rubin as he works his way up the East Coast past familiar peaks, trail towns, and vistas. But there's much more to this journey than a hike from Georgia to Maine. Anyone who has experienced doubt or desperation in a career or personal relationship will empathize as Rubin exposes the feelings and fears that impelled him from his job and family and set him afoot, alone on the AT.

In the carefully chosen words that describe this pilgrimage, this journey of discovery, Rubin has crafted a story that will be valuable and appreciated both by those who would read it as a thruhiker journal as well as those who would read it as the story of a man struggling to free his soul.

—Tony Roberts

Additional information about On the Beaten Path.

Order On the Beaten Path from Amazon.com.

PATH member Robert Rubin has worked as a journalist, teacher, writer, and book editor. He is currently senior editor for the Appalachain Trail Conference.