A Walk In The Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson 305 pages; published by Doubleday; 1998; ISBN: 0767902521
My lifelong fascination with mountains includes the belief that hiking is one of the best ways to experience the natural world.
I have homesteaded on 200 acres in western Montana, farmed 80-acres for more than three decades while living in the Ocooch Mountains of Wisconsin, and explored the San Mateo Mountains and the Zuni’s while living in Cibola County, New Mexico. I still call New Mexico home but now live near the Sangre de Cristo mountains just a few miles south of the Colorado border.
Reading about adventurous mountain hikers is always a pleasure and this book remains one of my favorites.
Bill Bryson's pungent humor and insightful comments about the Appalachian Trail are a delightful way to explore a famous North American landmark. The first section of the trail, which spans 2,197 miles, was opened in 1923 in New York. Construction continued until 1937—the joint effort of volunteers from hiking clubs and other organizations coordinated by the Appalachian Trail Conference, federal agencies, and the Civilian Conservation Corps.
In 1948 Earl Shaffer, a World War II veteran, became the first person to walk the entire length. More recently M.J. Eberhardt, a resident of Alabama, set a record for the oldest hiker when he completed the full trail in 2021 at the age of 83.
Bryson had already written several books on travel and two books about language when he decided in 1996 to tackle the Appalachian Trail.
One day a little voice in his head said: 'Sounds neat! Let's do it!'
He then convinced Stephen Katz, a childhood friend from Iowa, to join him. They started at the southern trail head in Springer Mountain, Georgia, in early March. Their goal was the northern terminus, Mount Katahdin in Maine. Thousands of people had walked the trail by the time Bryson and Katz began their trek.
Most hikers walk for five to seven months and cover 14 to 20 miles per day, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. More than 3,000 people attempt to hike the entire trail each year but only about 25 percent succeed, according to the ATC.
Bryson and Katz were confident they would be part of that glorious 25 percent.
This book highlights some of the perils hikers may encounter - dangerous animals, killing diseases, and bears. Katz and Bryson have their first encounter with a bear early on in this story. They quickly realized that being in the woods for days on end can be an unnerving experience.
'The inestimably priggish and tiresome Henry David Thoreau thought nature was splendid, splendid indeed, so long as he could stroll to town for cakes and barley wine, but when he experienced real wilderness, on a visit to Katahdin in 1846, he was unnerved to the core,' wrote Bryson.
The author claims Americans may be destroying their environment, wiping out species, mismanaging ecology, but maintains that the forests remain vast and impressive.
I won't get into the pros and cons of the writer's views on the natural environment because this piece is about enjoying a good book.
The two hikers, both in their mid-40's, had completed 870 miles, 39.5 percent of the total trail by the time their adventure ended. Bryson and Katz were in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when they agreed that neither of them had the physical stamina to reach Maine.
This book is a most pleasant way to experience the Appalachian Trail without giving up the comforts of home.
'A Walk In The Woods' is available from public libraries. If the book is not part of their current collection, staff will request a copy through the Inter-library Loan System. Readers may also purchase it from booksellers.
SIDEBAR
Book Slappers This book by Bill Bryson was the source of the 2015 American biographical comedy-drama film with the same title. The movie was directed by Ken Kwapis and stars Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, and Emma Thompson.
A nice movie but my personal preference is reading the book.
I totally agree with John Rock who said:
'Every single movie production needs a person whose only job is to read the book, then slap the director with it every time they say, 'Yeah, but what if . . .' '