2002 ( )

A hilarious take on outdoor adventure.

It seems simple enough. Just follow a trail that you found in your backyard. Sure that trail goes from Georgia to Maine. But invite a guy you haven't spoken with in years and don't bother training.

A great story with lots of insights to adventure and the human condition. Plus, lots of laughs. ( )

I just read an amazing book. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail was an informative, funny, eye-opening experience. I say "experience" because Bill Bryson pulls you onto the trail beside him. I feel as if I truly understand the hard work and stamina required for such an endeavor and, although I admire what Bryson accomplished and even fantasize about doing it myself, I know, based on what I've read, there's no way I would try to hike the Appalachian Trail.

That's not true. I'm sure I could be persuaded by a hefty dollar amount.

While I enjoy hiking and experiencing nature and new things, from my own personal experience with hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, I am very much an "indoor girl."

But that's what was so great about Bryson's writing. I could be inside in air conditioning, with a bottle of water next to me and absolutely no mosquitos, and still felt as if I was experiencing the trail with him. I felt as if I was there when he first set foot on the roughly 2,100 mile hike, felt exhilirated with the feeling of unknown adventure, terrified when his friend went missing, awed when he came face-to-face with a moose, and held my breath when something - or some thing - was just outside his tent in the middle of the night with nothing but a pair of staring, glowing eyes. I learned the importance of always packing (and double-checking that you packed) waterproof gear and how quickly the weather can change on a mountain. All of this took him months to learn and experience while fighting heat, exhaustion, rain, and wildlife. It took me just over 24 hours.

There are few books that I will read in less than 48 hours, and even fewer that I will read more than once. A Walk in the Woods has now fallen into both categories.

I enjoyed his wit (his humor is much the same as my own, which always makes a book more fun) and the hilarious banter between him and his friend Stephen Katz (who did most of the hiking with him). One aspect of the book that was incredibly informative but just as incredibly sad was the statistics that Bryson would seamlessly transition into when he reached a new part of the trail or came across a specific animal. I learned a lot about the different problems facing moose, bears (or the problems they present to us), and even specific species of trees.

This is a book I highly recommend. It's one I wish I hadn't waited to read.

Five out of five stars. ( )

Growing up in a city along the Appalachian Trail, Bryson captures the wonder and beauty that the trail inspires... and knows exactly when the wonder and beauty can be traded for a cheeseburger and running water. Another great work by Bryson, A Walk in the Woods is funny, tongue-in-cheek, and one of the most accurate portrayals of everything the Appalachians offer. ( )

Laugh-out-loud funny! I liked the bits of history & other info. Will read again this fall. ( )

Stupid, cranky, and fun. ( )

Not my normal read, it was given to me by a friend. It was well worth reading. It discusses the author's attempt to write about the Appalachian Trail, from reading about it to attempting to hike the entire length with a weird friend. Entertaining & educational. Did the park service really do all that?!!! ( )

Started out well. But Bryson started sneaking in criticism of the US Park Service and Forest Service and environmentalism, which I initially didn't have a problem with, until the book became more environment than hiking. Not that I hate the environment or anything, but it's not exactly what I was expecting. Eventually toward the end he got back business, but I'd say at least a third if not half of a book about hiking is not actually about hiking. I'm sure I would have like it more if I knew what I was getting myself into. ( )

Bill Bryson with his college buddy, Stephen Katz, take on the Appalachian Trail (AT) without much experience in the great American outdoors. The desired outcome was to complete the 2,100+ mile trail that traverses Georgia to Maine.

Traveling on the AT with Bryson and Katz was the highlight of the book, while the other half, which was dispersed throughout the book, was the preparation and history of the AT. The history was interesting (it really was), but I was so entralled with getting back to walking the trail with the guys that I didn't care to hear it.

Ultimately, the expedition was filled with witty and comical comments, along with some blunders and eye-opening experiences. Katz, being a one-of-a-kind character, together with Bryson, made quite a team. I could have listened to their conversations forever. (4.25/5)

Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy ( )

This book was required reading for a freshman seminar in undergrad school. I purchased the book begrudgingly for as nonfiction isn't exactly my go to choice for a book. I was pleasantly surprised by Bryson's humor and amusing storyline. I found myself wanting to walk the Appalachian Trail just to encounter all of the adventures discussed, well maybe only for brief minute. This book was a surprise hit, I would recommend to anyone looking for a new topic or genre. ( )

A Walk in the Woods with a Wonderful Guide: Bill Bryson's travel writing is filled with humor, introspection and fascinating information. In this work, Bryson takes us through the trials, tribulations an joys of hiking the Appalachian Trail. On the way, we learn of the origins of the trail, of the flora and fauna along it, of the tragedies that have occurred in it, but most of all, we are left with a deep and profound respect, and even awe, for nature's wonders. Adding to the flavor of the tale is Bryson's companion, an old friend who resumes his friendship with Bryson to join him on the trail, and is a foil to Bryson's personality, a sort of Sancho Panza to Bryson' Don Quixote.

Bryson is a skilled craftsman with words, and gives vivid, memorable accounts of his ramble through the trail, all the while interjecting his own persona, his witty observations relating to the woods, environmental issues, the lore of the trail, without diminishing the powerful presence of the nature and environment in which he moves. As a very average Joe, in many respects, it becomes easy for the rest of us to identify with Bryson, with his fears and failures on the trail, with his frustrations and his triumphs. We are left with all the emotions and experience of the trail but without the bumps and bruises.

I am sure there are books about the Appalachian Trail that are jam-packed with facts, figures, topographical maps, photos, and so on. A Walk in the Woods is not such a book; rather, it is a humorous memoir of one person's effort to hike the trail from beginning to end. And along the way, the reader picks up an astonishing amount of information about the Appalachian Trail (AT)'s history, flora & fauna, weather, etc. The trail is over 2,000 miles long, and runs from Georgia to Maine. There are entry/exit points along the way, and shelters about every 10 miles. It's possible to hike pieces of the trail, but the mother of all hikes is "thru-hiking" from end to end. This endeavor takes several months and requires careful planning to accommodate the harshest weather conditions at each endpoint. In the mid-1990s, Bill Bryson recruited a friend from his hometown to join him in "thru-hiking" the AT. His book, A Walk in the Woods, recounts their journey.

Bryson and Stephen Katz were an unlikely pair. They were friends in their youth but their adult paths diverged. Neither man was in great physical condition. Bryson, at least, was an experienced hiker. Katz's top priority was pursuit of a hot meal and a real bed. But off they went. They met some interesting characters along the way, which Bryson recounted with great humor. He also used this memoir as a platform for giving the National Park Service a performance review for their preservation efforts, and conveying his disappointment in humankind's lack of respect & appreciation for the world around them. Bryson clearly thrived on the natural beauty found on the trail, and the hike itself had a profound personal impact on him, which he managed to communicate without getting overly philosophical. He also wove in a lot of trail history, and useful details for anyone considering an AT hike, such as the best and worst states for trail maintenance, the condition of shelters, and even amenities in some towns near the trail.

I'm unlikely to attempt such a hike myself, but I do enjoy nature writing and stories about taking on a challenge or overcoming adversity. Bryson's memoir was a very enjoyable read in all of these respects. ( )

Laugh Out Loud Funny... like Laurel and Hardy take to the woods. Hiking the AT has always been a dream of mine and after reading this, it is no less of a dream but the reality of it is much scarier. I didn't appreciate his view of the US Forest Service, mainly because my dad works for them, but you can't argue with Bryson's logic. A read almost anyone can enjoy. ( )

Not as funny as his other books and little too much geology and evolution for my tase. Very amusing nonetheless. ( )

Last year my husband and I took up hiking as a hobby we could do together. He has an aunt who is gradually hiking pieces of the Appalachian Trail. When I was looking for books to fill out my Travelogue category this one came up in my Recommendations and I thought it was very appropriate. I've read several reviews that say this book is hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny. I found a few humorous parts, but overall I wouldn't classify it as a hilarious book. There were several beautiful passages that I thought captured how I have felt when out in the great outdoors. And... there was a little more foul language than I care to read, which impeded my enjoyment of it a little. It did make me want to lace up my hiking boots, not to hike the AT, but to be outdoors in general. ( )

get immersed in the experience

Bill Bryson recounts his bumbling travels on the Appalachian Trail with an old friend, Stephen Katz. With lots of humor, vivid descriptions, and a smattering of botany and geology, this was a hugely enjoyable read. I'm not sure if I entirely believe his encounters with fellow travelers (they seem a little too humorous not to be embellished), but the stories are fun and I learned a lot along the way. I only wish I'd picked up the book earlier. ( )

This is not a book I was planning to read. A Walk in the Woods was thrust upon me by my wife’s scuba diving friend/coworker because not only is she a fine person, but she apparently also has excellent taste, and may have been aware that, as a lad and young adult, I had lived a mere dozen or so miles from the Appalachian Trail, and I had done an extensive amount of hiking, including that local (in the most expansive sense of the word) part of the AT.

Well, it seems that I have a new (to me) author to add to my ‘favorites’ list. It’s a book that really made me want to get up and do the hike with him. I am a notoriously slow reader, but polished this one off, all two hundred and seventy-four pages of this paperback edition, in less than a week – most of it on a treadmill. I was able to read about eight pages per mile (mine, not his) and reckon that I burned almost three thousand calories in the process.

Despite Mr. Bryson’s seeming infatuation with death-by-bear-or-murder that is visited several times in the book, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read for a number of reasons. He mentions a few books that he read in preparation for his hike. I happen to already have had two of them in my possession, as a thru-hike was once (several times, actually) a personal goal of mine. I also had out my copy of New York Walk Book so that when he wrote about trekking the AT in the New Jersey through west of the Hudson River part of New York (which I’ve done several times in my youth), I could compare notes and references. Alas, the author skipped that part entirely! I was, however, able to directly relate to his account of how things were on Skyline Drive and in Front Royal, Virginia. My first wife and I had bicycled through there about ten years earlier, and got a room at Skyland Manor (coincidentally on our 3rd wedding anniversary). We hiked a few miles of the AT while we were there.

This book is well written, witty, quite humorous throughout and sometimes sullen. I have no doubt that he wrote a truthful account of the adventure he and his hiking partner (or he alone) undertook, now thirteen years ago. There is a richness of description of the environments they found themselves in, of the people they met, and poignant histories of the areas he visited. This guy can really write!

As it turns out, this isn’t the first book of his I’ve read. I reference my eBook copy of his Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words more often than I care to admit. I wasn’t aware that it was the same Bill Bryson! Coincidentally, it was a mere two weeks ago that I bought a copy of his Dictionary for Writers and Editors (guess why). So, is it possible that this language/word-oriented fellow (who happens to be a mere year older than me) would be writing about arduous, plodding schleps in quasi-remote areas of seemingly nowhere? You bet your G.O.R.P. he did! I picked up another of his books last night. It’s not going to be my next read, but it’s taking a higher priority on my TBR list than the majority of books already there.

Get this book – you’ll love it! ( )

Reading A Walk in the Woods was an unusual experience. I loved it, I hated it, and then I liked it. That was the progression of the book for me, and I can’t help but wonder if, on some level, that parallels Bryson’s own feelings about the Appalachian Trail.

The book begins with a great deal of humanity, humor and wry reality as Bryson and his hiking companion, Steve Katz, get ready for and set out on the trail. The supplies they bought, even the decision to bring Katz along, the first few days and the long hauls later on, good experiences and bad, were all a delight to read.

Mid-way through the book, however, it took a disastrous turn. The book, I mean, not the hiking trip. Bryson soldiered on without Katz for a time, and as a “day hiker”, driving to locations along the trail, hiking for the day, returning to his car and going home. He describes very vividly how unsatisfying this often was. The problem is, he also chose this part of the book to delve into forestry, ecology, environmental debate, and industrialization for long passages at a time. It was – quite miserable to get through, to be frank. Especially after the delightful and personal account that began the book, I did not enjoy the abrupt shift into textbook-like, didactic material. Why did the tone change so drastically? Was Bryson’s experience of those separate legs of the trip similarly, disjointedly changed?

In the end, Bryson and Katz hike together again and the writing style goes back to something like what it was in the beginning. It was hard, though, to shake off those middle bits, and the end felt a bit unsatisfying as a result. But I liked the book, I did; at least, the first half was wonderful enough to make up for the rest. ( )

hands down one of the funniest and best written books I have ever read. I work in a public library and this is the easiest sell I have. I can recmmend this book to teens and parents alike - they will all love it.

Bougtht this book in the Smoky Mountains at NOC. It was a great summer read - hard to put down and just plowed right through. Parts are laugh out loud funny. Parts are very serious with commentary on the National Park Service and the development of the AT. We visit the Smokies yearly and are working up to hiking some sections of the AT. I found this book inspired me to do this with humor and realism. ( )

review from the chicago sun-times: "bill bryson could write...about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud." ( )

This is a wandering story of Mr. Bryson's exploration of the Appalachian Trail one hiking year. While he and his hiking partner make a valiant beginning and Mr. Bryson gives a good sense of what he is beginning to gain, too soon they have ended their hike - not to meet up until later in the summer. There isn't much more to their hiking - just day hike dabblings and a brush with getting lost that ended their hike at the end of the book. Much of the rest of the memoir is interesting facts Mr. Bryson discovered about the Appalachian Trail, along with his wry commentary on just about everything. An amusing read. ( )

I love Katz! ( )

This book was a lot of fun to read. My favorite sections were any scenes with Katz as I found his personality very similar to my own, especially when it comes to hiking the AT. The information given about the history of the AT, wildlife, and agriculture found in and near the trail could sometimes drag, but was interesting most of the time. I loved the ending as it accepted reality as well as achieved victory. ( )