Outside of the U.S. this is perhaps the most famous book ever written about the Appalachian Trail. Iowa native Bill Bryson returns to the U.S. after 20 years in England and tries reconnect with his mother country by hiking the Appalachian Trail.
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
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4.7 (3) |
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Book Details
| Author | Bill Bryson |
| Publisher | Broadway Books, New York |
| Year Published | 1998 |
| Pages | 304 |
| Description | Returning to the U.S. after 20 years in England, Iowa native Bryson decided to reconnect with his mother country by hiking the length of the 2100-mile Appalachian Trail. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he nevertheless plunges into the wilderness and emerges with a consistently comical account of a neophyte woodsman learning hard lessons about self-reliance. Bryson (The Lost Continent) carries himself in an irresistibly bewildered manner, accepting each new calamity with wonder and hilarity. He reviews the characters of the AT (as the trail is called), from a pack of incompetent Boy Scouts to a perpetually lost geezer named Chicken John. Most amusing is his cranky, crude and inestimable companion, Katz, a reformed substance abuser who once had single-handedly "become, in effect, Iowa's drug culture." The uneasy but always entertaining relationship between Bryson and Katz keeps their walk interesting, even during the flat stretches. Bryson completes the trail as planned, and he records the misadventure with insight and elegance. He is a popular author in Britain and his impeccably graceful and witty style deserves a large American audience as well. |
User reviews
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The book is funny and informative. I've heard of serious hikers not liking it because of his slack packing and parking lot hiking, to each their own. On the whole it introduces non hikers to a wonderful world. I've been on hikes with guys like Bill's friend (carring ceramic coffe mugs, glass jars of peanut butter, etc) so it was fun to read.
Loved this book, have read it twice.
Great book - by the far the funniest book I've read about hiking the trail.
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