A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

As someone who prefers experiencing nature through a window, I loved seeing it through this book even more. When I subsequently traveled (by accident, I assure you) to several points along the trail, I realized how informative this book was, as well. A fun read!

There are some good points that Bryson makes about ecology, communities, government agencies and the other aspects of the AT, but overall I think the book is overrated. I didn't get a lot out of the book and was actually left disappointed upon completing it. If I learned one thing from reading the book is that you can't always believe the hype.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is almost a satire that completely does away with any reverence for the sacred and legendary Appalachian Trail. It shows how Bryson decides to take on the immense task of completing the entire AT with absolutely no training, very little outdoor knowledge, and no equipment. Inexperienced with any long-term backpacking, Bryson decides to hike the 2,100 mile trail for no other reason but that it "Sounds neat!"
After buying hundreds of dollars worth of hiking equipment that he does not know what to do with, Bryson must convince somebody to hike with him. He finally finds Stephen Katz, a school friend who had been out of touch with Bryson for 25 years. Katz embodies everything that a determined hiker would not want in a companion, aside from comic relief; he is fat, profane, and easily frustrated. In addition to Katz, Bryson creates many other characters who are very believable and realistic, mainly because, well, they are real. Although the list stretches on and on as the book continues and the reader probably will lose track of them, numerous awkward, "Office-like" characters appear in the book, and Bryson does a fantastic job on expanding on their quirks.
Bryson is able to describe the enchanting American Northeast with startling objectivity, as he recently moved back to the U.S. from England, and he shows very little bias in his descriptions. He also is able to make the reader feel as if he or she is really scrambling up and down an infinite number of mountains and suffering through every grubby dinner of noodles. Bryson is informal in addressing his mammoth of a hike, as made evident by the irreverent title, A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is almost too sarcastic when making fun of other, more hardcore hikers, and manages to make the entire history of the AT sound like a bunch of bickering and crushed dreams. Occasionally, his descriptions can transform into rambling that take dozens of pages to get back to his actual hike. In the midst of his picture of how nature truly is, unfortunate descriptions of restaurants and trail-side shelters take top priority. After a few pages of true outdoors, Bryson begins to go on and on about how much he wants to get back to civilization.
Although A Walk in the Woods starts with a rush of anxiety and preparation, the tempo begins to slow down, just like in a real hiking trip, as the hike continues, and the story becomes a blur in the reader's mind. Bryson's account is not so much a nature-book as a comedy, and any hardcore hiker would do well to stay away from the irreverence of the woods that is commonplace throughout Bryson's descriptions. He manages to make fun of all hikers with the latest equipment (he presents Mary Ellen as an annoying gear-snob), conservationists (Katz throws trash and gear into the woods), and through-hikers. Bryson does not appear too concerned even when his sacred quest to complete the trail suddenly becomes much harder to obtain. He simply takes every easy way out of his crusade he can.
Bill Bryson, in his less-than-flattering account of hiking, A Walk in the Woods, mixes a good amount of humor in his first-hand account of the outdoors. Although his descriptions can sometimes become unbearable and the storyline drags along, Bryson's numerous humorous interjections about Appalachian Trail society lighten a fundamentally tiresome hike. His characters, based on actual people whom Bryson accoutered on the hike are very believable and funny. Although his story begins to crawl along towards the end, Bryson's objective and irreverent approach to hiking will entertain all but the most conservative of hikers.

Please don't buy this book if you are an uber-hiker who spends every weekend seeing how far you can get, and you think this book will teach you about the AT. It isn't meant for that. It's for the rest of us--who will talk to friends around a dinner table and remark about how cool it would be to hike sections of the AT someday... but we're probably not ever going to get there. Bryson's book gives us a nice taste of what kind of sacrifice is required for that sort of adventure. Most of us aren't willing to go quite that Spartan....

The book is meant to entertain, and entertain it does. A friend loaned me a copy and I developed the habit of reading it just before bed so I could go to sleep laughing. Bryson's style is witty and sarcastic--sometimes bitingly so; I wish I could suspend my good manners at times to say the types of things that Bryson and his friend Stephen Katz say to people. I hate to be rude... but some people just deserve a verbal palm slap in the middle of their foreheads. Anyway, I loved the book. I will definitely read other Bryson works now.

Thanks for the product. It was in great condition and got here fast. I would do business with again. Thanks!