Official Review: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Posted: 07 Jun 2015, 18:38
In the past month I read hiking books Wild and Almost Somewhere, but A Walk in the Woods was by far the most entertaining.
Bill Bryson, the author, had some woods by his house, and always yearned to take a long walk in them. So one day he bought some books and maps about the Appalachian Trail, as well as a backpack and a tent, and then invited his long lost friend who he hadn’t seen in over 20 years to go on this nice long walk with him.
Equipped with his heavy pack, his out-of-shape reformed alcoholic friend Stephen Katz, and plenty of information about all that could go wrong, they set off into the woods. Starting in Georgia and heading up to Maine, they kind of had an idea what they were getting themselves into, but a lot can happen on a 2,000-mile journey.Twenty percent of hikers don’t make it past the first leg of the Appalachian Trail, and less than 10% (out of 1,500 hikers a year) make it the whole way.
Bill stays alert of possible bear attacks, diseases, injury, and weather situations as he hikes the trail with Katz. They dealt with snow, cramped hostels, wet clothes, and steep, endless mountains. But I think the most constant problem they encountered were the crazy people they met on the trail. Ranging from ugly waitresses, angry husbands, and the famously annoying Mary Ellen to a drunk couple who drove them to the nearest town going 170 mph, it seems like Bill and Katz didn’t have a normal ‘ole boring hike. Their frankness, sarcasm, and incredible patience with the ignorant people they met along the way had me literally rolling on the ground laughing. Bryson definitely has a way with words.
As Bryson hiked the trail, he offered readers some educational facts and history as to who created the trail, different groups involvement with the trail, and how humans are affecting the landscape. Bryson covered the Delaware River flood, recent murders, bear attacks, and the effects of the Centralia mine fire/town perched upon a raging inferno.
Bryson painted the overall picture of the Appalachian Trail by noting the politics of the US Army Corps of Engineers, National Forest Service and Park Service being under-funded and not making the right decisions in the 60’s (like poisoning the rivers and making fish extinct, trees that've been around for hundreds of years now being extinct, and allowing hunters to kill off animals that really don’t deserve it).
Bryson also brought up tourism and the increasing popularity of hiking is affecting the landscape- Katz and Bill encountering full shelters, restaurants, and obese people eating ice cream and being transported up to places like Mt. Washington. There’s also an increasing problem of technology on the trail (like a couple of women on a day hike calling for a helicopter when they got tired).
Some of it is a bit depressing, but Bill and Katz’s smart-alecky remarks to stupid people offered a little bit of redemption.
This was the most entertaining hiking book I’ve read so far, and very well-written. I also came to two realizations from A Walk in the Woods:
* East Coast hiking is very different from West Coast hiking
* A man’s perspective of long distance hiking is very different from a woman’s perspective of hiking long distances (however, I think both genders have an equal fear of bears and encountering crazy people on the trail)
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because other books have made me want to hike the trails, but this book just made me want to hike anywhere with Bill Bryson, no matter where or how long the trail is. I totally agree on a review I read that A Walk in the Woods is “destined to become a modern classic of travel literature”. I would say that this book is for anyone into US history, adventure, environment, humor, and a little bit of suspense.
Bill Bryson, the author, had some woods by his house, and always yearned to take a long walk in them. So one day he bought some books and maps about the Appalachian Trail, as well as a backpack and a tent, and then invited his long lost friend who he hadn’t seen in over 20 years to go on this nice long walk with him.
Equipped with his heavy pack, his out-of-shape reformed alcoholic friend Stephen Katz, and plenty of information about all that could go wrong, they set off into the woods. Starting in Georgia and heading up to Maine, they kind of had an idea what they were getting themselves into, but a lot can happen on a 2,000-mile journey.Twenty percent of hikers don’t make it past the first leg of the Appalachian Trail, and less than 10% (out of 1,500 hikers a year) make it the whole way.
Bill stays alert of possible bear attacks, diseases, injury, and weather situations as he hikes the trail with Katz. They dealt with snow, cramped hostels, wet clothes, and steep, endless mountains. But I think the most constant problem they encountered were the crazy people they met on the trail. Ranging from ugly waitresses, angry husbands, and the famously annoying Mary Ellen to a drunk couple who drove them to the nearest town going 170 mph, it seems like Bill and Katz didn’t have a normal ‘ole boring hike. Their frankness, sarcasm, and incredible patience with the ignorant people they met along the way had me literally rolling on the ground laughing. Bryson definitely has a way with words.
As Bryson hiked the trail, he offered readers some educational facts and history as to who created the trail, different groups involvement with the trail, and how humans are affecting the landscape. Bryson covered the Delaware River flood, recent murders, bear attacks, and the effects of the Centralia mine fire/town perched upon a raging inferno.
Bryson painted the overall picture of the Appalachian Trail by noting the politics of the US Army Corps of Engineers, National Forest Service and Park Service being under-funded and not making the right decisions in the 60’s (like poisoning the rivers and making fish extinct, trees that've been around for hundreds of years now being extinct, and allowing hunters to kill off animals that really don’t deserve it).
Bryson also brought up tourism and the increasing popularity of hiking is affecting the landscape- Katz and Bill encountering full shelters, restaurants, and obese people eating ice cream and being transported up to places like Mt. Washington. There’s also an increasing problem of technology on the trail (like a couple of women on a day hike calling for a helicopter when they got tired).
Some of it is a bit depressing, but Bill and Katz’s smart-alecky remarks to stupid people offered a little bit of redemption.
This was the most entertaining hiking book I’ve read so far, and very well-written. I also came to two realizations from A Walk in the Woods:
* East Coast hiking is very different from West Coast hiking
* A man’s perspective of long distance hiking is very different from a woman’s perspective of hiking long distances (however, I think both genders have an equal fear of bears and encountering crazy people on the trail)
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because other books have made me want to hike the trails, but this book just made me want to hike anywhere with Bill Bryson, no matter where or how long the trail is. I totally agree on a review I read that A Walk in the Woods is “destined to become a modern classic of travel literature”. I would say that this book is for anyone into US history, adventure, environment, humor, and a little bit of suspense.
