A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

As is usually the case, the first two thirds of the book move along at a good pace, the last third seems to drag a little.

If you're new to Bryson this is good, but look at "Lost Continent" or "Neither Here Nor There" for his best stuff travel stuff. His histories of language are also excellent!


This is one of his best !   June 12, 1998
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Bill has done it again, this is a masterpiece. I actually laughed out loud as I read and then into part 2 wished the book would never end... I just love this guy !!!! But then I'm from Iowa too !


So Bad it makes me want to get out on the trail!!   June 11, 1998
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

Bill Bryson is a competent writer. That said, I bought this book after reading an excerpt from early chapters in a magazine. Mr. Bryson certainly knows what to hide from a potential reader (the fact that he hiked only a tiny portion of the Appalachian Trail), and he is certainly willing to spoonfeed the reader his inconsistent mix of praise and criticism regarding every person, town, and political view he encounters.

He easily dismisses the failed attempt of a through-hiker a few short weeks before dropping off of the trail himself, and he spends much of the rest of the book in his car, road-tripping to various spots along the Appalachian trail so he can get his boots muddy and use that as an excuse to write with forced authority about something he clearly did not experience.

In the middle of this travelogue, the reader is forced to endure his tirades against the Army Core of Engineers, in favor of ROAD HIKING sections of the trail that parallel civilization, against any hiker who is slower (or faster) than he, against any town with, say, a lack of sidewalks or an abundance of roads ... you catch my drift. For a great american travelogue, instead of reading this blather, try "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon.

And why doesn't amazon have a ZERO STAR RATING for books like this one?

I need to go for a hike, before this book ruins me for experiencing the outdoors altogether. And to think Bill and I live in the same state. I'm soooo embarrased.


Out of shape 40'somethings tackle the AT   June 10, 1998
Bill Bryson had me laughing out loud from the very first chapter with one wise crack after another. The premise is inherently funny as Bryson and his pal Steven Katz attempt to thru hike the AT, he pokes fun at their incompetance, their (lack of) conditioning, and the people they meet along the way. After the first 6.5 weeks of hiking, Bryson and Katz take a break and it is here that the tale takes an abrupt change in tone. A more wistful and contemplative story emerges in Katz's absense and we learn much about the history of the AT as well as Bryson's thoughts on nature and his views on the environment. Although there were still some laughs in the second half of the book, the more serious tone was unmistakable and somewhat disconcerting. A lot of the humor in the first half had to do with the "fish out of water" aspect of their situation, in the second half, Bryson comes across as a more experienced hiker and isn't quite able to inject the same level of humor in it (although he still manages to get into some pretty dumb scrapes). I've hiked on the AT myself, although not to this extent, and the story caused me to fondly recall many of the same things Bryson experienced about the grind of life along the trail. After finishing the book, I was ready to lace up my boots and give the AT another shot!


Starts great, grinds to the same slow halt the author did.   June 9, 1998
Loved the first half of the book, even if Bryant wasn't as sour as usual {he actually seemed to enjoy himself, for once}. But, when he decides to quite the trail, the book basically quits, too. The rest is filler, with a few humorous moments, but overall I wish he'd stayed with the Trail.