Book Review: A Walk in the Woods

To be honest, I picked up this book at a library sale but never had any intention of reading it. I love Bill Bryson and have read some of his other work but a book about his hiking the Appalachian Trail is something I would NEVER read! Strangely enough, I was bored one hot summer day and cracked it open only to find myself completely enthralled and racing through it as if it was a thriller. In other words, I loved it. So I supposed I have to say, Bryson may know my reading tastes better than myself!

The book starts with Bryson getting the idea that he should walk the Appalachian Trail as a way to reacquaint himself with his homeland. For twenty years, he had lived with his wife and four children in England. In 1995, they all moved back to the states and settled in New Hampshire (Bryson and his family have since moved BACK to the UK). Always an avid lover of nature but never much of a hiker, Bryson decides he'll hike from the southern most spot on the AT (Appalachian Trail) to Mount Katahdin in Maine. As is usual with Bryson, he reads all about the subject and focuses a great deal on bear stories, deaths out on the trail, and the sordid history of the trail itself. He spends copious amounts of money on his gear and plans out an extremely optimistic hiking schedule. As the date gets closer, he worries about doing the journey on his own until his old childhood friend from Des Moines, Iowa calls and asks if he can come along. The two were hiking buddies years before and the experience had almost ruined their friendship, however, Bryson jumps at the thought of having company. Bryson chronicles their hiking and adds in chapters on the history of the trail, the history of the National Parks Service, even the history of some of the towns that they stop in. He really does a thorough job and in until 300 pages, it flies by!

I have to say that I learned much more in this book than I ever thought possible. When the historic chapters came up, I often thought about skipping them but found myself just as engrossed as I was in the chapters detailing Katz and Bryson's odd couple-esque hiking trip. Bryson's reflections on the importance and significance of the AT in his life as well as in that of America is extremely well articulated. I have to say that it's the complete package! Bryson's humor always makes me chuckle but this book proves that he can also handle serious matters with great insight and understanding. It's excellent as far as I am concerned and certainly a read that anyone can enjoy (and how often can you say that about a book?!)

-DLP