Pharr-Davis has often hiked the Appalachian Trail, one of several hundred thru-hikers, as those that take on the 2,181 mile trail from Georgia to Maine. You will find my reviews on many books that cover the AT and I have written my own novel loosely based on a month's experiences I had on my own trek, so yes, I consider myself well-versed in AT lore and while perhaps not as expert as some I have a well-rounded idea of what it takes to hike the whole trail. It takes everything you have, physically and mentally challenging, to the point of total collapse, and yet it is the most exhilarating, compelling and satisfying journey one person can experience.

To take that trek and condensing it into the world's fastest AT hike, to be the overall record holder, is a feat incomparable to any. This written narrative sure makes Bill Bryson's amble look like a walk in the woods, and not,as this is, a story of endurance, humility and love. The 47 mile a day average to finish the whole trail in 46 days would have been impossible if her husband, Brew, and others in her support group had not been there with food, massages, encouragement and a some tomes walking companion to urge on her tired legs.

This is as much their story as hers but the record is hers alone and until she is called again to walk the trail, as all of us that have put foot on the trail and followed it up with a book, journal, essay or blog, then we will always hear the calling. Whether it is a full scale attack on her record or just a day-hike out to enjoy the AT for a long weekend the trail will always pull you back in.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that entertained, enthralled and captured me back into the call of the AT, the call of the wild that makes you want to pitch your tent, pull on the hiking boots and live free again, even if for just a short while. ( )

Pharr-Davis has often hiked the Appalachian Trail, one of several hundred thru-hikers, as those that take on the 2,181 mile trail from Georgia to Maine. You will find my reviews on many books that cover the AT and I have written my own novel loosely based on a month's experiences I had on my own trek, so yes, I consider myself well-versed in AT lore and while perhaps not as expert as some I have a well-rounded idea of what it takes to hike the whole trail. It takes everything you have, physically and mentally challenging, to the point of total collapse, and yet it is the most exhilarating, compelling and satisfying journey one person can experience.

To take that trek and condensing it into the world's fastest AT hike, to be the overall record holder, is a feat incomparable to any. This written narrative sure makes Bill Bryson's amble look like a walk in the woods, and not,as this is, a story of endurance, humility and love. The 47 mile a day average to finish the whole trail in 46 days would have been impossible if her husband, Brew, and others in her support group had not been there with food, massages, encouragement and a some tomes walking companion to urge on her tired legs.

This is as much their story as hers but the record is hers alone and until she is called again to walk the trail, as all of us that have put foot on the trail and followed it up with a book, journal, essay or blog, then we will always hear the calling. Whether it is a full scale attack on her record or just a day-hike out to enjoy the AT for a long weekend the trail will always pull you back in.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that entertained, enthralled and captured me back into the call of the AT, the call of the wild that makes you want to pitch your tent, pull on the hiking boots and live free again, even if for just a short while. ( )

I only picked up this book because I am trying to build momentum for my own through hike of the AT next summer, but was pleasantly surprised to find a really enjoyable and interesting read.

Davis is a lot of things you don't see that much of on the trail, not only because she is a woman, but because she happens to be religious as well, and married. I also appreciated her openness about the whole, she didn't come out looking like some kind of super saint and no subjects seemed to be avoided. It was also fun because I recognized the one sketch from near Duncannon PA. ( )

I am a voyeur adventurer. I don't know where this comes from, but a few years ago I suddenly found myself fascinated by accounts of spelunking, climbing, and hiking adventures.

CALLED AGAIN would therefore seem like a natural fit to those interests. But this just wasn't a good choice for me.

First of all, there was little in the way of descriptions that set the background. Other than something like 'it was hot' or the 'trees were dense and consequently it was really dark under them' I didn't get a sense of where she was. With Krakauer and Viesturs I felt the cold and experienced the majesty. With McClure and Tabor I felt the ocean the claustrophobia of plunging deep into the earth. With this book I felt more like I was watching a Realty TV show where the emphasis was on relationships, hives, and anger management.

For example, the author's then current husband and friends made tremendous sacrifices but their giving doesn't seem to have been returned.

Speaking about her husband, Brew:
"Most of the time, he returned from his excursions and waited for me at the designated trailhead for thirty minutes to an hour. But there were a few times when I had to wait for him.

"At one road crossing in Pennsylvania, I had to wait twenty minutes. And I was famished."

And later, after Brew told her how hard running around the countryside, making sure that everything was perfect, was was on him, she turned and berated him to the point where there were tears in his eyes:

"I just need more. I need to know you are giving this one hundred percent. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, and when you are late to the road crossing or can't find my gear because the car is a mess --it makes a difference. It costs me time, and it stresses me out."

Me... me... me... me....

I'm afraid I'm not much of a me-me-me person. Consequently I didn't enjoy this book, particularly since I got no sense of the 'big adventure'. ( )

It's interesting author Jennifer Pharr Davis rather sneers at the notion of Hike Your Own Hike, since it is precisely the HYOH philosophy that persuades me to give this book four stars. Davis, set the speed record for hiking the Appalachian trail in 2011, averaging of 47 miles per day (with one 60-mile day thrown in!) A truly amazing feat, and if that is the way she choose to Hike Her Own Hike, then more power to her. CALLED AGAIN is not about any hike I would ever want to take. I'd rather walk with Bill Bryson (A WALK IN THE WOODS) or Cheryl Strayed (WILD).

What works: this book is a readable diary style account of Davis's 47 days on the trail, bookended by chapters giving foreground and background of her life and what the hike meant to her. Her faith seems genuine, and is mentioned from time to time, as she felt called to try for the speed record, and close to her God on the trail. She writes convincingly of her painful exhaustion and physical troubles, as well as her deep connection to the outdoors.

What didn't work so well: I didn't find Davis to be a sympathetic narrator. She calls herself a diva and she refers to the role of her friends as mules, and I have to give her points for honesty. I thought she treated her friends and husband badly in her pursuit of her own goal. It was all about her, her, her--which left me with little feeling of connection to any "big picture" growth or insight that I might take to heart for me or my life.

Bottom line: I don't have to like the protagonist to honestly review the book, and this book kept me reading until the end.
How I got this book: sent to me by the publisher via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers group. ( )