A Walk in the Woods
Nov 29, 2005
(Author of Review unknown)
"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire, I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town."
The previous paragraph is the first step in Bill Bryson's description of his journey hiking the Appalachian Trail as chronicled in his book, A Walk in the Woods.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the longest continuous marked footpath in the World, and stretches from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia - or vice versa. It passes through some of the most interesting and scenic landscapes of the Eastern USA, wandering the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian mountain ranges for more than 2,150 miles - the actual distance is dependent on whose figures you use!
At the age of 44, following his return to his native land after 20-odd years in the UK, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with the land of his birth by hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (or AT).... as you do.
WHY? I hear you ask.
I've no idea, is my reply. Although possibly a big fat advance from his publisher might have just tipped the balance.
After doing a little research about the AT, and more specifically the number of bears that inhabit the wilderness surrounding it, Bryson looks for a companion to share the journey with. Very sensible, as anyone who knows anything about bears will tell you - a bear will only attack solo hikers...... aye right!
Of course bear attacks don't happen very often, but as Bryson says, "once is often enough!"
Weeding through the list of applicants, Bryson finally settles on his old drinking buddy, Stephen Katz (who also made an appearance in Neither Here Nor There). An easy choice really, as no-one else applied.
They make a perfect team though - neither outshadowing the other in lack of experience, lack of fitness, lack of pounds, lack of sense....
And so, after being separated from an indecent amount of hard cash in exchange for the latest in high-tech hiking gear, and suitably motivated, this most unlikely pair begin their journey northwards through the huge expanse of tangled woods which most sensible people take great pains to avoid. And not without just cause. As Bryson so eloquently points out, the AT is a haven for all sorts of dangerous animals, poisonous snakes....and plants, dangerous insects and deadly diseases, not to mention the occasional serial killer.
Just in case we don't quite get it, we are reminded that the movie Deliverance was filmed in the area they trek through in the first few days. Mental images of grown men "squealing like a hog" are never very far away.
However, what brings the author out in the worst, sweat-drenched fear, is encountering some of his fellow hikers along the way. Especially the ones who can talk for hours on the merits, or otherwise, of a Kelty backpack with transparent pockets.
A Walk in the Woods is liberally interspersed with facts and figures - especially about the flora and fauna along the trail. Some may find this a bit dry and dull, but I actually found it very interesting and I thought it was done in such a way as to add to the overall enjoyment of the book. Bryson seems to be able to impart hard information but still keep his prose amusing. He constantly points out the various species of animal and plant that have disappeared from the Appalachians and some of the human folly that has contributed to this state of affairs, but I don't think this aspect dominates in any way. In fact, I personally think the book would be all the poorer without it.
The book is not so much a travel guide to walking the AT, as a personal memoir - an anecdotal account of some of the situations and people - good, mad and/or mad - encountered by two middle-aged, overweight and sometimes comical figures blundering their way through the wilderness. And all the way through, Bryson paints a very vivid picture of the landscape he passes through.
If you're looking for the definitive guide to the AT and all it's splendour, look again. You won't learn many hints and tips on how to 'thru-hike' the correct way (although you may glean some pointers on what not to do), nor does it catalogue all there is to do, or see - I think 320 pages would be a little constricting for that anyway.
But you will laugh, and laugh out loud - and that can't be a bad thing.
Highly recommended.
Author: Bill Bryson
Published by Doubleday
ISBN 0385 408161
