A Walk in the Woods

Rating:
Summary: A hilarious and enjoyable novel
Review: Bryson's A Walk in the Woods was genuinely comical, inspiring, and educational. Bryson is your average Joe that embarked upon the most physically and mentally exhausting Appalachian Trail. In comparison, Bryson hiking in the wilderness is like Crocodile Dundee in New York City. He didn't know much of what to do with himself. He soon learned that experience can't be replaced by reading a book.
Also, along for the ride was his old friend Katz, whom had accompanied Bryson on a backpacking trip through Europe. Katz is a prime candidate for the Appalachian Trail. He is extremely overweight, must eat Snickers, and thrives on Little Debbie's. A feeling of embarrassment comes over you when you wonder whether these two "yahoos" know what they're getting themselves into. But you don't seem to care when you realize that these to guys are a walking comedy show. Katz's extreme sarcasm and short temper will leave you laughing and begging for more, meanwhile Bryson seems to "egg" Katz on and thrive upon frustrating him. He and Bryson, together, provide a great combination. Along with the comedy are the fun facts that we learn about our nation's wildlife. Bryson provides us with fascinating information that makes you wonder why it isn't more common knowledge, rather it is extremely trivial.
The story is a quick read with only one or two slow spots, one of which is towards the end, as Bryson takes a break from telling trail tales and seems to give us an overwhelming amount of History on the Appalachian Trail. But don't get me wrong, overlooking these sections would be a mistake. The information he provides us with is truly amazing and will put you in awe of our nation's wildlife. By far this is the most hilarious and enjoyable story I have read. Bryson has also written a few other novels that, after reading a walk in the woods, I absolutely must read.

Rating:
Summary: A hilarious, bawdy and lyrical account of a novice hiker.
Review: If you're a veteran trailblazer, or an overstuffed potato with a light dusting of chives, Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods is for you. It's a 274-page account of the author's attempt to cover the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, by foot or by taxi cab, and the laughter it provides alone would make it worth buying. Bryson has a gift for dropping in a punch line like a swift, silent hammer. And it's the humor at his own expense that makes this book so much fun. Sure, he's done his homework, and packed the book with fascinating facts, but he lets you know right off it's only research--he wasn't born with the knowledge, and he hasn't spent his best years acquiring it. He's out of his element walking 2,100 miles with a full pack, somewhat like George Plimpton in Paper Lion, lying on his back after attempting to play professional football.

Bryson, an Iowan who spent the last 20 years in Europe, is amazed at how big and beautiful America still is--and will be if we take care of it. He hoists his load of expensive equipment, and with one very out-of-shape boyhood friend, sets off for glory. Together, they find that the insects zum, the bears love Snickers, killers lurk in the woods, hiking is addictive, and hypothermia and exotic diseases can . . . well, you'll see for yourself.

Bryson can be as bawdy as an Italian comic opera, and as lyrical as a poet in the next breath:

"Twice I flushed grouse, always a terrifying experience: an instantaneous explosion from the undergrowth at your feet, like balled socks fired from a gun, followed by drifting feathers and a lingering residue of fussy, bitching noise."

"Hunters will tell you that a moose is a wily and ferocious forest creature. Nonsense. A moose is a cow drawn by a three-year-old. That's all there is to it."

Because he laughs at himself, Bryson makes me feel like I'm right there with him. It could be me falling down in the mud, slipping on the mossy rocks, or tackling one of the most daunting feats imaginable: a 2,100-mile hike past bears and starvation and killers and the swamps of the Hundred Mile Wilderness.

I suppose Bryson could have turned this into a great nonfiction novel, perhaps the story of his companion Katz's struggle against alcoholism, or a race against the seasons in that heroic quest to reach Maine's Mt. Katahdin. Instead it's heartwarming and probably more revealing about what it's really like to hike a wilderness trail than any fictionalized saga. It's also funny as hell. And an easy read. And you can't beat that.

Rating:
Summary: Experiencing a very special part of America
Review: Subtitled, "Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail", the author, Bill Bryson, brings the reader along with him, a novice hiker, who, at the age of 44, has just returned to the United States after 20 years in England. He's been a journalist for British publications and has written several travel memoirs. Now it was time to experience a part of the America he left behind by hiking this famous trail.

The Appalachian Trail consists of 2,100 rugged miles along the east coast and passes through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, built with the labor from public works in the 1930s. It has been re-routed slightly over the years and has never achieved the ideal which included many comfortable rest areas. Environmental disasters have taken its toil as well as the blunders and shortsightedness of governmental organizations. But it still exists as a challenge for hikers who often hike just a part of the trail.

With a companion from his college days, the overweight and sometimes blundering Stephen Katz from Des Moines, Bryson starts out in Georgia with the plan of completing the entire trail. They know this is a challenge for them. Both of them are novices, and with a sense of depreciating humor, he shares his personal point of view with the reader -- his apprehensions, his fatigue, the people he meets, the places he visits and his companionship with his friend.

Not is all deep woods, however, and their infrequent sojourns to towns where they can occasionally go to a restaurant and sleep in a motel are welcome relief before they pick up their packs again and once more walk all day and sleep in their tents at night. And then there is the part of the trail where they must sleep in rat-infested shelters with other hikers and well as weather conditions that include a roaring blizzard and icy conditions.

My son-in-law has hiked part of the Appalachian trail and gave me this book. It gave me insight into some of the experiences he must have had. And it also made me yearn for an outdoor adventure myself.

But whether you are a skilled outdoors person, or an armchair traveler like me, this book is a wonderful read.

Rating:
Summary: "Laugh And Learn"
Review: This is a nature book for non-nature people. Really works because it deals with two guys who are not experienced hikers. The writing is down to earth and loaded with wise crack observations. Bryson's companion, Katz, rules! If there is one man who shouldn't be hiking the AT, it's him. All along the way the two encounter all sorts of bizzare, interesting and friendly people. Mary Ellen was the best! Perhaps THE MOST ANNOYING WOMAN ON THE PLANET! The scenes with her were a riot! Bryson's observations on the Trail, its flora and fauna, its history, its future are done wonderfully. He does a good job of putting you on the AT, going through blizzards and heatwaves, sleeping in rickety wooden shelters buried in the woods and walking through little unheard of towns along the Trail. The book drags for a bit about 3/4 of the way through when Bryson hits Pennsylvania. Probably because PA is the worst part of the Trail. But his exploits there end with a hysterical scene where he's dealing with a security guard who thinks his badge gives him the right to act like Idi Amin. Want to know all about the AT? Get this book.

Rating:
Summary: Uncovers some effects of civilization...
Review: Though his book isn't the best book I've read in a while, it was entertaining and did make me walk to start hiking for often. The parts a appreciated most however dealt with the US Forest Service, logging, road building, acid rain, and hunting owls, lions, and bears for bounties. He cites some good sources for information on the destruction of the forests of North America, but fails to deal with the destruction of the planet as a global phenomenon. He also fails to connect the problem with choices being made by people--especially people just like him. While I learned something from his story, there is much more to be said about the violence of our culture and the demise of the natural world.