A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

A excellent read for any person just might have the thought buried deep in the back of their mind..walking that long long trail..bring tissue and laugh until you cry.

This book book taught me a lot about friendship, American history, and most of all "rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" I learned about the Appalachian Trail--which I really didn't know about at all. I know I will explore the AT more in the near future. I will tell my son about this book and highly suggest to him that he read it. I will also read more by the author Bill Bryson--I enjoyed his sense of humor. :)

Bill will have you laughing out loud as he recounts his adventures on the Appalachian Trail. If you like long-distance hiking or great travel books, check this one out. It's a real pleasure to read and covers the history of the AT to boot.

Bill's use of humor to describe his experiences on his hike of the AT was quite refreshing. In several parts of the book, I actually broke out in very loud peals of laughter -- not just in one but many parts of the book.

I especially found his description of some of the major sites and our impact on the environment quite eye popping. He describes parts of the country that I would probably never read about in a general visitors' guide because of the lack of commerce and access routes. However, his description of these places shows the love that he has for the land that he is crossing.

While it is true that at times he seems to be a bit finger wagging, I found that it is well warranted and educational. I learned so much without realizing that I was being educated.

Overall, I would personally love to undertake parts of the trip, just to see those same sights. But if I do, I'll be sure to pack an extra set of Pop Tarts for trading currency.

After reading this book I learned it was completely what I had imagined it to be. I thought the book would be about one guys hiking on the AT and what he learned from it along with the conservation, what he noticed along the trail, and how he enjoys it. Wrong! I would love to meet this author because I do not consider him a backpacker in the remote least bit. He complains about the trail, is not in shape, enjoys smoking, his buddy throws everything away in the woods, and his lack of detail of his hike is the most disturbing part. There are 225 pages. He dedicates a paragraph to the hiking of Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Yet he has an entire chapter dedicated to the food and dining at Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Everything he encounters (whether its snow, some sleet, temperature) he believes that no one else has been there before and continues to explain how dangerous it is. Personally buddy (author) I have hiked the trail to Clingman's Dome in winter with 13" snow, and hiked in Grizzly bear terrority several times something he has never done. He barely spends nights outdoors, and just hikes a couple miles, walks into a town and gets a hotel room. Everyone he encounters on the trail is either too fit, too annoying, or just simply not him. I think he is personally a slacker and I cannot even began to understand WHY he hikes the trail. What does he get out of it? He complains about it, gets trapped in weather that he is not prepared for, etc. After reading this book it just goes to show that he is simply an amauter who wants that "outdoor rugged" personality but still has a redneck side to him. Overall the book is okay written, I just have such a problem with the author and his friend I can't believe this book gets such great reviews. Yes there is some humor in there but the rest of the book is lacking everything. Again, I just wish I could meet the author and try and figure him out. His book clearly didn't show me an appreciation or love for the outdoors to the point that I had even slightly expected.

-Reid