Hiker Trash: Notes, Sketches, and Other Detritus from the Appalachian Trail

Illustrator Sarah Kaizar and photographer Nicholas Reichard have recorded their impressions of their Appalachian Trail (AT) hike. Hiker Trash is a combination of elegantly expressive pen-and-ink sketches of the different shelters located at distant locations along the route and analogue photographs of sites and fellow hikers they encountered along the way. Complementing the illustrations are replicas of comments left by travelers in the shelter log books; a few are thoughtful, but many appear frivolous, like fitful comments uttered from fatigue. Traversing more than 2,000 miles of varying terrain through fourteen states extending from Georgia to Maine, this is an enduring walk that challenges both the physical body and the emotional spirit. Some embark on this course simply for the challenge of covering the distance while others seek the chance to commune with nature. Several hikers require the solitude and distance for reflection and healing. The authors describe their AT experience as transformative, one that releases memories and fosters reflection. Hikers and wanderers will relate to this illustrated record of AT recollections, especially for the eloquent drawings and hiker images. The book would have been stronger if short interviews with the diverse trail transients replaced the graffiti shelter log comments.