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

---

---

Editorial reviews

Product Description
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-08-10 rating:
Very funny, insightful and informative
A Walk in the Woods

On a recent trip to my local bookstore, the cover of this bright green paperback caught my attention. Or maybe it was the bear peering out at me. I'm not sure. I'm a frequent hiker myself, and have always dreamed of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, so reading the description for this book immediately peaked my interest.

I was not disappointed. With the book, that is. It was everything the back reviews said it would be--Bryson finds comic wit to expend on every situation. His hiking partner, Katz, had some one-liners that made me laugh out loud, if not cringe a bit at their social meanness. And I appreciated reading the story of a hiker who did not head out into the woods with a Bear Grylls level of fitness and training. Having hiked myself, I know the bone-weariness and utter despair that sometimes can come over you when you've just climbed an impossible hill to discover...another impossible hill. Bryson both loves and hates the woods and the trail and I think that's a pretty honest response to the wilderness. There's nowhere I'd rather ever be than out in the deep, green woods on a cool day. Or even a hot day or the cold, grey-brown of winter. But that doesn't mean the woods don't sometimes feel like they're crushing the life out of you. And, having not been a thru-hiker, I've never even had to do it with a 50-pound pack on!

I also appreciated that the book was sprinkled with short bits relating some of the history or botany of the trail. That is to say, I liked the facts, but sometimes rankled a bit at the preachiness. Bryson goes on at length about the loss of some species of tree, like the famous American chestnut. It's easy to be sad for the loss of the chestnut. One stupid asian fungus and the entire species of tree is wiped out! And while it's unquestionably human error that led to the fungus being transported here and killing off the species, there is an argument for Darwinism to be made here. Humans are not the only creatures who transport pollen, seeds, microbes, etc. from one part of the world to another. Birds do this, hurricanes do it, tsunamis certainly do it, even volcanic eruptions can cause massive shifts in atmospheric streams, raining foreign particles onto lands. In other words, if one tiny fungus was all it took to knock out an entire species, then that species, possibly, was just not strong enough to survive the brutality of the natural world. It was too cloistered for too long, and when it died off, it made room in the forests for hardier trees that could withstand the punishment. This is the way of it. In other words, had humans stepped in and genetically altered the chestnut or found a way to spray it with something that protected it from the fungus--well, what is really the unnatural occurrence here? What newer, cooler tree did we possibly prevent from evolving because we prodded the chestnut along beyond its natural lifespan? I mean, that's not to say that letting the tree die off was the "correct" course either. The point is there are arguments for right and wrong on both sides, so couching the "facts" that Bryson presents with such an air of superiority turned me off a bit from that aspect of the book.

The only other part that I found a tiny bit disappointing is that he doesn't, in fact, wind up hiking the trail. In fact, he only does about a third of it. Walking 800+ miles in one summer is no small feat, but I was kind of routing for him to really get out there and conquer the path.

In the end, I wound up finishing this book in two days. For a story about one, long walk through the woods, it's never once boring or repetitive. There is always a new interesting anecdote or, even better, funny character that Bryson meets along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who loves to hike, or thinks they may. One thing is for sure, reading it makes me want to hoist on my pack and head out for the nearest woods I can find.

---

review by: date: 2008-07-24 rating:
Good but loses steam
Ive not read anything by Bill Bryson before so I had no idea what to expect. I'm one of those who has always wanted to do the AT but from the comfort of my couch so this gave me a flavor of what I was missing! Two middle-aged out of shape men trying to prove to themselves that they're otherwise by trying to go the distance. The pace of the book moved along well with some interesting educational facts thrown in to put things in perspective. However, I felt the ending lacked the same punch the rest of the book had and not because they failed to meet their goal. Seemed like he ran out of things to say. Still, all in all this was an enjoyable read.

---

review by: date: 2008-07-19 rating:
Very interesting book - some off color language scattered throughout though.
Overall this was a very interesting book that I enjoyed reading. Off color language scattered throughout book though. Too bad that was not left out.

---

review by: Howardnoe date: 2008-07-02 rating:
Probably Bryson's Best Book
I bought this book as a replacement for a lost borrowed book. I had started reading it in Phoenix when I lost it. But the few pages I read there prompted me to buy this book from Amazon when I returned home. (And yes, I did return the new book to the lender.)


review by: Web Guru date: 2008-06-25 rating:
5 Stars for Part 1 & 3 1/2 Stars for Part 2
There are 2 parts to this book. Part 1 is awesome! It is a great story of 2 men hiking part of the Appalachian Trail and the ups and downs they had doing it. It's funny, witty and well written. Part 2 however lags a bit. The author drives part of the trail and walk parts of it in day trips, not nearly as exciting as part 1. The only thing in my opinion that save part 2 is the history and facts the author talks about. Especially about Pennsylvania and the Delaware Water Gap. Overall I gave it 4 stars. It could have been so much better if he hiked the whole thing, but overall was still a very good read.

---

Similar products

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
In a Sunburned Country
A Short History of Nearly Everything
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

---

Similar categories

Books . Subjects . Outdoors & Nature . Hiking & Camping . Excursion Guides . General
Books . Subjects . Outdoors & Nature . Hiking & Camping . Instructional
Books . Subjects . Travel . Reference & Tips . Essays & Travelogues
Books . Subjects . Travel . United States . Regions . Northeast . New England
Books . Subjects . Travel . General
Books . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . 4-for-3 Books Store . Outdoors & Nature . Hiking & Camping . Instructional
Books . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . 4-for-3 Books Store . Travel . General
Books . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . 4-for-3 Books Store . Travel . Reference & Tips . Essays & Travelogues
Books . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . 4-for-3 Books Store . Travel . United States . Regions . Northeast . New England
Books . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . 4-for-3 Books Store . All 4-for-3 Deals
Books . Refinements . Promotion (special_merchandising_browse-bin) . 4-for-3 Books
Books . Refinements . Binding (binding) . Paperback . Mass Market
Books . Refinements . Format (feature_browse-bin) . Printed Books

---