If Trees Could Talk

By: Woody Woodill

Narrated by: Braden Wright

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An experience of soul-reviving simplicity, forged in a 2,185 mile journey through the last remnants of the eastern forest. Follow the adventures of five accidental companions from north to south, from strangers to brothers, as they battle, survive, and laugh their way up and over the mountains of the Appalachian Trail. Leaving the comforts of the civilized world behind, these unlikely friends rediscover the simple pleasures of life and, through hardship, find the essential joy of fellowship. Reliving the miles and the passing scenery, we learn that all good things are studies in contrast, and that change is an inevitability of going from here to there.

©2016 Woody Woodill (P)2016 Woody Woodill

Appalachian Trail ...personal history

Of late my interest has been in the AT hikers....this fellow did the hardest hike...starting in Maine and ending in Georgia vs. the opposite which is much more often done since it is an easier beginning. His take on the Trail and his fellow hikers is not only interesting but certainly very real.....having read the reviews on the other AT books, I have chosen to only read 4, this was my third ......definitely gave me a sense, only a sense, but of being there....what an accomplishment, loved his attitude!

monotone

Reader is very monotone. The stories in the book are excellent but lack enthusiasm from reader....

A Check on the Bucket list

Any additional comments?

As I’m never going to make this modern American pilgrimage, I was curious about it. Woodill was interesting to follow on the trek.. good to be with a thru-hiker who can make the miles, clearly. He was brutally honest about how his goals were challenged, and the repetition of the days showed that the journey became about more than the miles.

Almost surprisingly engaging and a journey that drew me along with a good mix of dry humor that narrator Wright delivers beautifully, really making the experience come alive. Glad I got this audio hike.

Very Disapointed

What disappointed you about If Trees Could Talk?

Pretty boring book. Very monotonous. He woke up, he hiked, he slept. The author really doesnt get much into the personalities of the people he meets on and off the trail except to find something negative to say about them. He really doesnt say much about the trail and what he encounters along the way. I've read a lot of books from hikers that are younger and clearly not as educated in the english language as this author but were so much more entertaining. I finished it only because I paid for it.

What do you think your next listen will be?

In Movement There Is Peace

What three words best describe Braden Wright’s voice?

Very Very Monotone

Why?

Never found out anything about the author or what was his reason for hiking the AT. Just a list of the days events, which, after awhile got fairly monotonous.

Boring

The worst Through hike story I have ever heard. Don't waste your money on this one.

Zzzzzzz

I've read or listened to a lot of Appalachian Trail books, probably close to 20. This is the first one I couldn't get through. This would have been my second book on a Southbound thru hike, but I stopped listening before the author got out of Vermont. I don't know if it was the overuse of the word "conifers", the overuse of the word "knees", or just the fact that the narrator was the most boring I have ever heard. Perhaps it was the fact that the author felt the need to fill every sentence with as many adjectives as possible. Honestly, if it weren't for the narrator being so boring I probably would have given the book a little longer, but listening just made me want to fall asleep. If anything, I suggest reading the book which might be better.
UPDATE: I went back to this book to give it another chance. I would like to amend my previous statement and say you shouldn't bother reading the book. The overuse of adjectives is just too much to get past.