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

Summary (from the publisher): Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes - and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

 

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.

 

Review: In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson decides to attempt to hike all 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. After sending out a call for any takers willing to go along, an old buddy, Stephen Katz, is the only one to respond. Despite not having seen each other in decades, Katz being severely out of shape, and neither being experienced with the Appalachian Trail, they purchase equipment and set out in Georgia hoping to make it all the way to Maine.

 

In the conversational style that I associate with Bryson, his book is a meandering description of not solely his own hike, but of the trail itself. Each chapter discourses on different topics including bear attacks, the history of the trail, murders on the trail, hypothermia, the Forest Service, and other related topics. In doing so, I learned a lot about the Appalachian Trail, which was originally envisioned in 1921 and finally completed in 1937 and was, at the time, the longest footpath in the world. Readers are also treated to some horrifying anecdotes - the man who had his face bitten off by a bear, the group that set out to canoe for the day and were all found the next day in the water, dead from hypothermia, and the two young female hikers found with their wrists bound and their throats cut.

 

But aside from my resolution to avoid the trail after reading these horrors, this book was quite funny, which made it both an entertaining and educational read. In particular, Katz's addition to his journey really made the book, since he was the source of much comedic relief in the form of his bumbling and rambling attempts to keep up with the demands of the journey.

 

As with Bryson's other books, I do wish this book had had a firmer organization. Although I appreciate his conversational style, I wish the chapters were more structured around the particular AT subject he chose to discuss in that chapter. Additionally, while minor, I sense a slight snobbery from this former ex-pat towards Americans, which I wasn't particularly keen about: "The parking lot was crowded with pickup trucks, and inside it was busy with meaty people in baseball caps. I had a feeling that if I'd said, 'Phone call for you, Bubba,' every man in the room would have risen" (66). And later, "when Americans load up their cars and drive enormous distances to a setting of rare natural splendor what most them want when they get there is to play a little miniature golf and eat dribbly food" (102). But then, Bryson is ruthless with many in the pursuit of comedy, describing the irritating woman they met on the trail by saying, "I have long known that it is part of God's plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on earth, and Mary Ellen was proof that even in the Appalachian woods I would not be spared" (51).

 

In the end, Bryson and Katz only manage to complete 870 miles of the trail, although they did walk a portion in each state. I did feel cheated to not get a complete experience of the trail, yet 870 miles is certainly still an accomplishment. An interesting and entertaining overview about the AT from somewho who actually attempted to hike it.

 

Stars: 4