“A superb blend of historical narrative, commentary on the hardships of long-trail travel, interviews with local inhabitants, and personal reflections on the intersection of wilderness and civilization. … a joy to read.”
—Kenneth Wise, author of All Else is Mortal and A Natural History of Mount LeConte“[In regard to] Dahlman’s exceptional descriptive skills … I was reminded of Charles Kuralt’s A Life on the Road and even Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. In sum, Dahlman’s [book] is first-rate.”
—David Brill, journalist and author of Into the Mist and As Far as the Eye Can See: Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker“[E]njoyable, down-to-earth. … Although Dahlman does delve into history, this is basically a human-interest story about the very wide variety of people he meets along the way, including many who provide much appreciated hospitality. Actually, there are few books out there that give such a thorough and concrete snapshot of the people of contemporary Appalachia.”
—Appalachian Mountain Books
A Familiar Wilderness: Searching for Home on Daniel Boone’s Road is the story of my solo hike following Daniel Boone’s 1775 “trace” into the Kentucky wilderness, a route that opened up the west to white settlers and formed the basis of the iconic Wilderness Road. But the story of the hike also frames a consideration of the region, both its past and present, told largely by dozens of people I met along the way. As one reviewer said, “Although Dahlman does delve into history, this is basically a human-interest story about the very wide variety of people he meets along the way…. Actually, there are few books out there that give such a thorough and concrete snapshot of the people of contemporary Appalachia.”
University of Tennessee Press, 2019 (ISBN 978-1-62190-478-6)
www.utpress.org
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S. J. Dahlman 