From the Bookshelf of Read Between the Wines…

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Bill Bryson

Start date: August 1, 2012

Finish date: August 31, 2012

Discussion: Book Club Discussions

Why we're reading this: This book was nominated by Daniel.
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What Members Thought

Jul 24, 2011 Jason rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, wine-club, for-kindle

I am what some might call a pussy hiker. I do genuinely enjoy a leisurely stroll in the “mountains” of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. I like the pretty views. I always bring my conveniently-sized L.L. Bean backpack ($39.95 from the Kittery Outlets) so I have a place for my camera and cell phone. But by early afternoon, I would like to be done, please. I would like to be done and sitting at a booth in a pub with my burger and beer. Camping is certainly worthy of consideration, but here I am what some might call a pussy hiker. I do genuinely enjoy a leisurely stroll in the “mountains” of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. I like the pretty views. I always bring my conveniently-sized L.L. Bean backpack ($39.95 from the Kittery Outlets) so I have a place for my camera and cell phone. But by early afternoon, I would like to be done, please. I would like to be done and sitting at a booth in a pub with my burger and beer. Camping is certainly worthy of consideration, but here’s the deal: I don’t do rain. In light of the fact that weather reports are unreliable beyond a 48-hour window (and even that is pushing it in New England), it is unlikely I would ever camp for more than a two-night stay. Oh, and if I were to camp, I would like it to be at a site that has free Wi-Fi.

What this amounts to is that the Appalachian Trail, endearingly referred to by those hiking it as “the AT,” will never be anything more to me than a lovely little map.

(click to enlarge)

BUT. I am glad for gung-ho people like Bryson and his chubby checker friend Katz who did walk “the AT” and are kind enough to let me know what I am missing. As it turns out, I am not missing much. This is not to downplay the extraordinarity of a 2,200-mile trail of wilderness running from Georgia to Maine, a trail that takes the average thru-hiker six months to complete, but in terms of day-to-day variation, it is basically a shitload of trees followed by another shitload of trees.

For me, this book makes a better argument for the day hike. There are many parts of the trail I would enjoy, including the Smoky Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Delaware Water Gap. Like Bryson, though, I am a people person, and I enjoy my simple human comforts. I would like to see these areas without having to make an extended departure from civilization. Why can’t I have both—my nature and my nurture? Fortunately for me, almost a full third of the Appalachian Trail is in New England, so maybe I can have it all—because I think if there is one thing I’ve learned from Bryson’s experience, it is that I don’t have to suffer through long days of cold rain and hungry nights to enjoy what the Appalachian Trail has to offer. ...more

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Aug 20, 2014 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir-ee, wanderlust-for-nature, physical-library-read, modern-nonfic, beaurocratic-bullshit-corporations

I’m an outdoorsy person. I have a rather desperate need to spend as many hours outside as possible. During the spring/summer/and fall work week I spend most of my evenings outside walking the dog or sitting on my porch reading a book. I put up stickers of forests at my desk since I can’t see a window, and I’m known to get up and stare out a window in someone else’s office. I love camping, hiking, rock climbing, hunting, and kayaking.

So I absolutely applaud anyone that thinks “hmmm maybe I should I’m an outdoorsy person. I have a rather desperate need to spend as many hours outside as possible. During the spring/summer/and fall work week I spend most of my evenings outside walking the dog or sitting on my porch reading a book. I put up stickers of forests at my desk since I can’t see a window, and I’m known to get up and stare out a window in someone else’s office. I love camping, hiking, rock climbing, hunting, and kayaking.

So I absolutely applaud anyone that thinks “hmmm maybe I should go try this crazy adventure.” ((Caveat- so long as that adventure is appropriately planned and geared for because I don’t endorse people ambling off into the woods and needing rescued from their own stupidity by park rangers)) Bryson thoroughly researched his trip, spent hours buying and reviewing gear, scoffing at the prices (you and me both, sir, you and me both. I recently found out that at most places I have to buy a bucket lid separately from the bucket, what in the –actual- fuck is with that. Bryson and I could have a jovial time being miserly together), got into some amount of shape and then brought along the most ill-prepared man the AT has probably ever seen-Stephen Katz. Don’t get me wrong, Katz had gumption and bravado, frequently that means A LOT in these types of adventures, but he is woefully out of shape, also he litters (I strongly disapproved of these sections, even while I laughed at the desperate attempts to lighten the pack), and is absolutely the comic relief of the book.

Bryson is witty and funny too. I enjoy sarcasm. Bryson might be a bit pretentious at times, but he makes up for it by being self-deprecating at others. There were times that I actually guffawed at loud when he and Katz were interacting. I can also relate strongly to the rampant imagination that runs wild in deep dark forests. When you are away from the city in the trees it becomes very easy to believe in all the old folk tales of werewolves, intelligent bears, and hungry ogres. And then there were moments of brutal honesty- about aging, about addiction, about biting off more than you can chew. It’s a hard life for a lot of people out there, and Katz’s personal struggles with addiction even on the trail were insightful and meaningful.

In the end I greatly enjoyed this book. Its not a travelogue for the AT. It’s a book about growing up at any age. About trying new things at any age. About accepting yourself, your strengths, and limitations at any age. Its also about how we, as Americans, interact with nature and how we can change the attitude and consequences of those interactions. It’s a fun book full of crazy characters, longing and wanderlust, history of the trail, facts about the changing woods and preservation, and maybe, just maybe, it will encourage you to go out and do something impossible.
...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Allisen Lemay rated it it was ok

generally speaking, i hate nature. dont like bugs, dont like to sweat, dont like being dirty, dont like to pee in public, especially if there is no actual toilet, dont like, dont like, dont like...parts of this were good for a chuckle, parts of this felt like elementary school science class, parts of this were boring. many parts of this made me feel guilty about having lived in new england my entire life and never having stepped foot on the AT. that being said, please refer to the start of this ...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Keryn rated it liked it

Shelves: humour

Hiking the Appalachian Trail in the East Coast of the USA is clearly not a minor affair - hence 'A Walk in the Woods' it is not. My respect for those who have completed it is immense, and grew as the book progressed - I became increasingly partial to the 'thru-hikers' rather than the day-trippers, though fully cognisant of the fact that a day-trip is more my style, unless its in a comfy warm structure with a hot shower overnight. It also seems that a full thru-hike has a somewhat permanently deb ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Daniel rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was my first Bill Bryson book and to tell you the truth, I was expecting something a little different. There was very little suspense, but that isn't really what he is about now that I look at other titles of his. Next time I pick up an armchair travel book, I'll take it a little lighter and not expect kidnappings, animal attacks or explosions. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review