Plenty of Humor but Also an Important Message

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	• A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail Bill Bryson Anchor, 2006 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 60 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Plenty of Humor but Also an Important Message

I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 only because I found the beginning part of the book (before they actually start hiking) to be slow and boring. Once they started the Trail, though, it was anything but boring. Not only were there constant laughs to be had and great stories of their adventures on the trail, but I am really thankful to Mr. Bryson for including so much of the environmental information that he did. It was really eye opening and incredibly sad what we are doing to our natural resources, and I think Mr. Bryson has found a brilliant way to use humor to share this information in a way that is not only accessible but enjoyable. Bravo, Bill!

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Gut-buster

I was so incredibly saddened to finish the last page of this book and realize that there was no more....Both Bob and I laughed so hard, we cried...he isn't done, yet, and it's hard for me not to highlight the parts that I've read and he hasn't. It was informative and entertaining and insightful. Excellent read!! I highly recommend it whether you're a hiker or not.

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Enjoyable read - funny and informative

I don't remember when I've read a book that I enjoyed more - especially non-fiction. It is laugh out loud funny, and informative with excellent descriptions of the AT. I absolutely recommend this book.

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Read this book!

Quite honestly, I couldn't put this book down. I just loved it! The author, Bill Bryson, does a superb job in describing the Appalachians. Upon finishing reading this book, I ordered books from amazon.com on the Appalachian Trail. You guessed it: my next adventure will be to hike the Trail.

Not many books succeed in motivating you to leave your coach and explore the beautiful world around you. If you are a hiker, A Walk in the Woods might just be the best book you will read this year! However, a word of caution: Do not read it at bedtime; your heart will beat so fast from excitement you'll lose sleep.

The story is about the author and his friend Stephen Katz, a hilarious character, deciding to hike the whole 2100 miles or so of the Appalachian Trail. They end up hiking half of it (just less than 900 miles), deciding that they are not cut out for this; still, quite an achievement.

The author narrates the history of the Appalachian Trail; statistics on how many hikers succeed or fail in hiking the whole trail; bear attack statistics (only 9 bear attacks in the last few decades); fatal and non-fatal diseases one can get hiking the Trail (some are horrific and probably you never heard of them or expected to be present in your backyard); snake bites (apparently none were fatal); murder on the trail (the Trail is not immune from murderers, and there was a murder committed at the time the author was hiking the Trail); and most importantly, loads of laughter!

Read this book; you'll be glad you did.

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pretty good stuff

An enjoyable read. It was quite amusing how he chose his hiking partner, whose main qualifications seemed to be that he had a pulse, was an acquaintance of Bryson, had nothing else to do at the time, and most importantly, was the only person willing to go. That he was a bona fide neurotic was a bonus.

It's hard to imagine two guys less prepared for a long hike. As someone for whom being fit is a normal part of life, it's just amazing, even hilarious, to see how people prepare for highly vigorous physical activities. Bryson's method consisted of asking no one for advice, and taking 2 long walks. His partner did even less. Then when they're out on the trail, obviously having a very difficult time, Bryson bitterly resents the fit people racing by him, having no problems lifting their packs overhead when crossing the river. Nothing about "maybe I should have actually prepared for the hike" or anything like that. I had to chuckle and remind myself that intelligence and writing ability are no guarantee of having the slightest clue about physical activities.

To their credit, they did walk a significant length of the trail - not like these high-rollers who pop in, walk a few miles on the trail, and hog the whole campsite because, ew, you other people smell!

I enjoyed Bryson's observations about the regions he was walking through, and the historical background of the trail and its environs. It was somewhat disappointing that they didn't finish the trail, but that's the way life goes sometimes, and despite a complete lack of preparation, by the end he clearly had learned a lot about hiking and the trail.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, page 10, 11, 12

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