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A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Written by Bill Bryson
Narrated by Rob McQuay
Book Actions
Start ListeningEditor's Note
Take it outside…
Why not take a hike? Bryson’s self-deprecating humor while walking the Appalachian Trail is the perfect listen for the trail.
Description
Now a major motion picture starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Written by Bill Bryson
Narrated by Rob McQuay
Editor's Note
Take it outside…
Why not take a hike? Bryson’s self-deprecating humor while walking the Appalachian Trail is the perfect listen for the trail.
Description
Now a major motion picture starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors.
About the author
Reviews
It just never captured my attention, and the much celebrated Bryson sense of humor didn't connect with mine. Not bad, just not as good as do many other outdoor travel stories that I much greatly preferred.
Interesting, informative, humorous. Very well-written. I would enjoy reading this again and would also like to read more from this author.
Re-read December 2013. Originally read September 2011. I wanted to re-read this book after seeing Bryson speak in person in October. This book was just as informative and hilarious the second time around. Still made me want to get out there and start hiking and see what adventures I could have. As an added bonus, I convinced my boy to read along with me!
Originally read September 23-26, 2011. This is only my second Bryson, but I'm incredibly eager to read all he's written. He takes the reader on an intimate adventure - I felt like I was alongside him for all of his journey hiking the Appalachian Trail. He's very honest, never makes himself out to sound more intelligent or fit than he actually is, and always admits his mistakes so others may learn from him... or laugh at him. Actually, I think he invites readers to laugh with him, because he has an excellent sense of humor and makes even the most mundane days on the trail seem like an exciting experience.
Originally read September 23-26, 2011. This is only my second Bryson, but I'm incredibly eager to read all he's written. He takes the reader on an intimate adventure - I felt like I was alongside him for all of his journey hiking the Appalachian Trail. He's very honest, never makes himself out to sound more intelligent or fit than he actually is, and always admits his mistakes so others may learn from him... or laugh at him. Actually, I think he invites readers to laugh with him, because he has an excellent sense of humor and makes even the most mundane days on the trail seem like an exciting experience.
first a confession,as far as i'm concerned bill bryson can do no wrong.this has to be one of the funniest books i have read in a long time,even when comparing it to his other books.if you don't want people looking at you like you have just escaped from the mental hospital then do not read in public.this book tells of his attempt to walk all of the appalachian trail and the people he meets along the way.
Bill Bryson with his college buddy, Stephen Katz, take on the Appalachian Trail (AT) without much experience in the great American outdoors. The desired outcome was to complete the 2,100+ mile trail that traverses Georgia to Maine.Traveling on the AT with Bryson and Katz was the highlight of the book, while the other half, which was dispersed throughout the book, was the preparation and history of the AT. The history was interesting (it really was), but I was so entralled with getting back to walking the trail with the guys that I didn't care to hear it.Ultimately, the expedition was filled with witty and comical comments, along with some blunders and eye-opening experiences. Katz, being a one-of-a-kind character, together with Bryson, made quite a team. I could have listened to their conversations forever. (4.25/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
This is really a story of two people experiencing the Appalachian Trail together over a period of months. While there is quite a bit of material on the trail itself, the real heart of the story is the connection between the friends.
Probably the best of Bryson's books, and it of course has now been made into a film starring Robert Redford. The book cannot be missed however - Bryson is at his flappable finest, with hilarious anecdotes on his preparation, and of course his usual tidbits from research. This will get you addicted to Bill Bryson.
Upon return to the U.S. from expatriate life Bryson decides to embrace his fatherland and reacquainte himself with it by walking the Appalachian Trail, a hike of 2,100 miles across the eastern states from Georgia to Maine. Accompanied by an old school friend the two set out on this physical and mental challenge. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a hilarious and exhilarating account of their trek, and encounters with some typical Americans and American culture. Part Two of the book might as well be skipped. Sublime reading, and very telling of what America stands for at the height of the 1990s (1996).
Right from the get-go, A Walk in the Woods is not your usual nature book. Bryson adds so much tongue-and-cheek humor that the books reads almost like a friend's diary, but only if that friend is funny, interesting, and extremely curious. A Walk in the Woods is a book about pushing limits and is a good lesson in focusing on the journey and not the destination.
Absolutely loved this book. Given to me from a dear friend who passed away. I didn't know what I was walking into when this one was handed to me. I generally rad a bit slower with nonfiction but I found myself hurrying through as new 'characters' were introduced. Bill Bryson's wit and humor kept me laughing along until the end.
Quite enjoyable, but occasionally too many statistics. Would not encourage me to walk the trail.
I really enjoyed this book after have no idea what to expect. Bryson basically tells his story of his on and off hike of the Appalachian Trail while mixing in a great deal of humor, history, and philosophy on life and nature. I found myself both pausing to think and laughing out loud multiple times. I will absolutely pick up another book by Bryson and am excited that I have discovered a new author.
Bryson is a funny writer, but this book is surely his gem in the comic travel genre. While the author cannot possibly be a slouch, given what he actually achieves, he writes from the perspective of a bumbler who barely manages to make it through. An adventure book for sure, but more than anything laugh out loud funny.
Very funny
Well worth reading. A little tiresome humor sprinkled in, but for the most part an informative and interesting piece of reporting. Hard not to somewhat like Bryson and company. But a steady diet would certainly be too much.
Hilarious, laugh out loud, fun read.
Very funny!
This was an all-around fun-book; The reader learns a bit about the Appalachian Trail and the 'sport' of hiking. Also, the author threw in enough colorful characterizations to keep it human and toughing in parts! I liked the book and would strongly recommend.
This is a very entertaining account of Bryson's experience hiking the Appalachian Trail with out-of-shape friend, Katz. He covers a lot of ground (pun intended) although it seems he made the trek broken up into segments. He includes information about how the trail is maintained, ecology, and history. He was funny without being silly, informative without droning on. Up to the usual Bryson high standards.
Funny, witty, interesting, and educational. What more could you want?
Having grown up in New England, my childhood was marked by periodic visits to sites along the New England Appalachian Trail. Because my brother and I were still young in those years, our hiking was limited to about four hours--first there was the drive from Boston to our destination, then 2 hours up a trail, 2 hours back down the trail to the parking lot, and the return trip home. These trips remain, however, amongst the highlight memories of my childhood, and as a later parent, I understood the amount of work and patience they required of our parents--the long car ride, the need to pack small 'motivational' snacks, the lack of toilet facilities for shy 8-year-old girls, my younger brother's demand to be carried on our father's shoulders for most of the trip back down. Later, as a young newlywed, my husband and I would often go hiking and camping around Moosehead Lake in Maine (where you saw not only moose but also way more snakes than I ever want to see again).
So Bryson's book brought back all those memories in addition to putting the trail, which I really hadn't given much thought to, into context. Like many other readers, I loved the details--the salamanders, the fear of bears and cougars, the chance encounter with a shy moose, the history, and even the statistics. Today, I turn over rocks looking for small salamanders for my grandchildren, and point out which side of a tree moss grows on, as my father did for me as we learned about forests. As Bryce notes, the trail was quite empty in the 50s and 60s; we rarely encountered other families and only an occasional 'hiker' on our weekend walks...even though they were all well within range of a road or parking lot. I suspect the same pattern holds true today. The forest in many parts of America is still thick and relatively unexplored. When, as young marrieds, we chanced upon the crash site of a small private plane dense in the Maine forest and reported it to the local authorities, we were waved off with a "Too much trouble to clean out" (and no one seemed to know or remember if there had been survivors or not).
This is a lovely book, a joy to read--a story enhanced by the author's brio and wildly unsuitable walking companion. My daughter, who loves to run in the woods, recommended it to me, for which I will be forever grateful. If you, too, like to walk in forests, I heartily recommend A Walk in the Woods.
So Bryson's book brought back all those memories in addition to putting the trail, which I really hadn't given much thought to, into context. Like many other readers, I loved the details--the salamanders, the fear of bears and cougars, the chance encounter with a shy moose, the history, and even the statistics. Today, I turn over rocks looking for small salamanders for my grandchildren, and point out which side of a tree moss grows on, as my father did for me as we learned about forests. As Bryce notes, the trail was quite empty in the 50s and 60s; we rarely encountered other families and only an occasional 'hiker' on our weekend walks...even though they were all well within range of a road or parking lot. I suspect the same pattern holds true today. The forest in many parts of America is still thick and relatively unexplored. When, as young marrieds, we chanced upon the crash site of a small private plane dense in the Maine forest and reported it to the local authorities, we were waved off with a "Too much trouble to clean out" (and no one seemed to know or remember if there had been survivors or not).
This is a lovely book, a joy to read--a story enhanced by the author's brio and wildly unsuitable walking companion. My daughter, who loves to run in the woods, recommended it to me, for which I will be forever grateful. If you, too, like to walk in forests, I heartily recommend A Walk in the Woods.
I really enjoyed this book about the author's hike of the Appalachian Trail. Bryson has a fantastic ability to weave what could be dry bits of information about history, geology, geography, flora and fauna into his own story which is often funny and always brutally honest. I honestly don't know anyone else who could discuss the concept of continental plates colliding and drawing apart and make it profoundly interesting: Something over a billion years ago, the continents of Earth were a single mass called Pangaea surrounded by the lonely Panthalassan Sea. Then some unexplained turmoil within the earth's mantle caused the land to break apart and drift off as vast asymmetrical chunks. From time to time over the ages since -- three times at least -- the continents have held a kind of grand reunion, floating back to some central spot and bumping together with slow but crushing force. I just love the way he expresses things. And then when he is talking about the people he encounters on the road he has a deft touch that makes you see them. Of course, often he is poking fun at them or himself but other times he is fulsome in his praise. His travelling companion, Stephen Katz, comes in for lots of ridicule but Bryson also supports and honours him too. If I've learned only one thing from this book it would be that I NEVER want to spend time in Pennsylvania. It sounds unremittingly bleak from west to east and north to south. I'm not likely to travel the Appalachian Trail myself but now I feel like I have experienced it. Thanks Bill.
Mr. Bryson and a companion hiked a very small part of the Appalachian Trail (and really didn't rough it) to become fit as well as acquaint himself with nature and the territory. His manner of writing is easy and flowing. I enjoyed the ecology and the history of the trail as well as his knowledge of the trees. I often became bogged down in the daily details, they were all the same, get up, have coffee, hike, etc. Occasionally they met interesting people along the trail. I did not like the way Bryson and his companion made fun of others (their weight, dialect, etc.); it was just plain mean.Although this was a average good read, I probably would not read another of his books. 397 pages 3 stars
i loved this book!
Highly overrated, self-aggrandizing, misanthropic. An unpleasant companion.
BOOK NUMBER 85 for 2016Laugh out loud funny! Mr. Bryson never disappoints. Also very poignant story about friendship and the universal themes we struggle with. Such as preserving our beloved earth from the ravages of the human species. Reversing our blunders and discovering the Appalachian Trail.I've read several books about walking the trail. As a matter of fact I began reading one several weeks ago that I tossed aside before finishing 25 pages. I had read it before. I could not endure reading about hydrating the food one more time!Hydrated food! You must be kidding! All you need is a backpack full of snickers and slim jims, coffee and toilet paper and you've got it made!Serious advice about bears. ...avoid them!Best hiking book since reading WILD.
Walking, in the terms of a long exercise with a pack on your back and sleeping in a tent, has sometimes appealed to me. Not enough that I extended my own modest walks to an overnight stay, but it did kind of sound like something I could do. After reading this book, I have changed my mind. I loved reading about their adventures and the people they met, but it sounded rather miserable. But mostly funny. This is my first book by Bryson, but not my last.
funny AND educational!
I actually listened to the Audible edition of this book. I'm interested in the Appalachian Trail and enjoy Bryson's writing, so I really enjoyed it.
the hypoglycemic hiker