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

This is a fall down, roll on the ground, laughing so hard you are crying book. Bill Bryson is brilliant and so is this book. If you want to laugh and forget the day's troubles, pick up this book! Now!

A must-read for anyone who has undertaken a long-distance backpacking trip, actually hiked the AT, aspires to hike the AT, or knows they could never actually hike the AT! Bryson pulls you along stride for stride on this humorous yet insightful look at America's views and relationships with nature, as well as commentary on how society is encroaching on the last great, wild places.

"bill bryson could write about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud"

Hilarious. I love this guy.

one of my favorite books

Funny book. I want to walk the Appalachian trail!

This is a fun book! Two middle aged overweight guys head off to hike the Appalachian trail. They're sarcastic and cynical, but hilarious. I love when they head to town for a hot shower and rootbeer.

after reading this i put this task on my "bucket list". at the very least i would like to do portions of it. maybe at the start of the trail up in Maine. if his out of shape friend can do it then that gives me hope.

A couple years before this book came out, Bryson drove through small town USA leaving a swath of vitriolic observations in his path. He described that journey in The Lost Continent. This time he takes on the Park Systems with his description of his attempt to hike the 2,100 mile length of the Appalachian Trail. While he didn't complete the full 2,100 miles, he experienced enough to give us a...more

A couple years before this book came out, Bryson drove through small town USA leaving a swath of vitriolic observations in his path. He described that journey in The Lost Continent. This time he takes on the Park Systems with his description of his attempt to hike the 2,100 mile length of the Appalachian Trail. While he didn't complete the full 2,100 miles, he experienced enough to give us a good picture of the experience, and succeeds where I felt he failed in the Lost Continent. Where he sounded jaded, sarcastic and unpleasant in Lost Continent, he sounds awestruck, witty and friendly in A Walk in the Woods. Makes me want to grab a backpack and head out--on second thought... Smiles.   hide