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Lisa Haynes
Ashley Marcum
English 111- revised version
4/28/2016
Lessons Learned from A Walk in the Woods
Bill Brysons A Walk in the Woods shows the struggles that Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz go
through to better themselves. This evidence is shown by the main characters. They are two
middle-aged men. Bryson, who lives in New Hampshire with his wife and Katz, Brysons
overweight, alcoholic college friend from Iowa. When Bryson first thought of someone to
accompany him, on a hike of the Appalachian Trail, his grumpy, estranged college friend,
Stephen Katz came to mind. As they start out. Bryson believes the hike is a way to just the grand
nation of America, but it leads to so much more.
When Bryson considers seeing the AT and nature, he states, Ive formed a number of
rationalizations. It would get me fit after years of waddle some sloth It would be an interesting
and reflective way to reacquaint myself with the scale and beauty of my native land after living
twenty years abroad. It would be useful (I wasnt quite sure in what way, but I was sure
nonetheless) to learn to fend for myself in the wilderness. When guys in camouflage pants and
hunting hast sat around in the Four Acres Diner talking about fearsome thing done out-of-doors, I
would no longer have to feel like such a cupcake. I wanted a little bit of swagger that comes from
being able to gaze at afar horizon through eyes of chipped granite and say with a slow, manly
sniff, Yeah, Ive shit in the woods (Bryson 4).

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The hike is filled with adventure, discovering the beauty of the AT trail and realizing their own
personal problems. The men conquer many areas of their lives that they were not strong in before
including fitness, cooperation with each other as well as others and Katz addressing his own
personal issues. Even though they didnt complete the entire trail, which was the original goal,
the achieved something more important, conquering their personal flaws, making this trip,
successful.
On the trip, the two men took on a huge task. They soon realize the Appalachian Trail, was
going to be a challenge. But they did not fully know that it was a nearly impossible task for the
human body. As the men began to pack for the journey, Katz decided to buy a lot of unhealthy
food for the trip. Katz picked up cookies, chips and Snickers, which were not the typical food
one should consume while undertaking such an intense physical journey. (Bryson 136) At the
beginning of the hike, the men ate noodles, which werent peculiarly healthy for them since they
provided little energy. (Bryson 138) As time went by, the men began to eat healthier food and as
a result they had a lot more energy for the hike. They went from doing around eight miles a day
to approximately sixteen miles a day. (Bryson 145) As a result of the longer hiking miles, Katz,
one lazy and overweight, became inspired by exercise and this helped his change this area of this
life. For the men, one key to their success was becoming healthier and gaining more endurance
on the trail.
Bryson describes his luck in being in the company of obnoxious, stupid people such as Mary
Ellen and Katz. I have long known that it is part of Gods plan for me to spend a little time with
each of the most stupid people on earth (Bryson 73). The interesting part of this statement is
that it paints a clear picture of Brysons quick temper and impatient personality. Katz is also
shown to have an impatient manner while hiking the AT. This is evident when Bryson says For

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two days, Katz barely spoke to me. On the second night, at nine oclock, unlikely noise came
from his tent-the-punctured-air click of a beverage can being opened- and Katz said in
pugnacious tone, Do you know what that was, Bryson? Cream soda. You know what else Im
drinking it right now, and Im not giving you any. Its delicious. There was a slurpy,
intentionally amplified drinking noise. Mmmm-mmmm. Dee-light-ful. Another slurp. And do
you know why Im drinking it now? Because its 9 P.M.-time for the X-Files, my favorite
program of all time. There was a long moments drinking noise, the sound of a tent zip parting,
the tink of an empty can landing in undergrowth, the tent zip closing. Man that was so good.
Now fuck you and good night (Bryson 122).
This also showed both men were short fused and quick to lose their tempers. An incident
occurred when their growth as patient human beings became evident. It occurred when the two
encountered the drunk couple. The men realized what they had to do was get in the car with the
couple and let them take Bryson and Katz to the nearest motel. The couple were loud, obnoxious
and very drunk, but impatient Bryson sat there and kept his mouth shut, showing he had learned
the art of diplomacy, which is a key example of Bryson and Katzs growth as a person.
Katz was a rather large man, he seemed to live a very unhealthy life, physically as well as
mentally. Mary Ellen calls him out: Youre too fat. You should have lost weight before you
came out here. Shoulda done some training, cause you could have like a serious, you know,
heart thing out here (Bryson 75). He was an alcoholic but he was trying to recover from years of
abuse to his body. I believe alcoholism was the first step, towards Katzs lack of self-confidence
and self-esteem. He says, Its of hard for me sometimes. He went on. I try Bryson, I really do,
but- He stopped there and shrugged reflectively , a little helplessly. Theres just this kind of
hole in my life where drinking used to be (Bryson 370). Katz was short on luck in the romance

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department and the AT was a way to make real connections with someone, for him to feel
confidence enough to woo a woman. While hiking, Katz flirted with several women from local
towns along the way. He didnt have success because most of them were either completely
deformed, worse yet, married. He jokes You know what I look for in a female these days? A
heartbeat and a full set of limbs. And its just my starting point, you realize. Im prepared to
compromise on the limbs. (Bryson 48) Being overweight, Katz felt somewhat embarrassed that
he was much slower than Bryson, who always seemed to be several miles even hours ahead of
him. He didnt let it defeat him: fighting many battles within himself along the way, he continued
to push through the trail, fighting through pain and the most physical endurance test known to
man. Bryson saw this and gained respect. He felt like he could accomplish anything he wanted,
even beating alcoholism. In the end, they didnt complete the trail but learned many things along
the way, most especially that they had a strong friendship and cared a lot about one another.
Bryson said of hiking the AT, But I got a great deal else from the experience. I learned to
pitch a tent and sleep beneath the stars. For a brief proud period, I was slender and fit. I gained a
profound respect for the wilderness, nature and the benign dark power of the woods. I understand
now in a way, I never did before, the colossal scale of the world. I found patience and fortitude
that I didnt know that I had. I discovered an America that millions of people scarcely know
exists. I made a friend, I came home (Bryson 393).
A Walk in the Woods teaches many moral issues, one of the most important being that one
must not give up when things get tough. There were a lot of times during the hike that both truly
wanted to give up or take the easy way out. But Bryson and Katz continued on. The book shows
many situations where they each had to deal with one another and their many flaws and
struggles. Katzs ability to hike up a steep hill, keep up with Bryson or even Brysons problem

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with obnoxious people along the trail. All of these are evident when there is a struggle and only
direction to go is forward. A Walk in the Woods shows that success doesnt only come from
achieving the intended goal but the steps along the way. Bryson and Katz didnt complete the
Appalachian Trail but they achieved many other personal goals. Which ended up being more
important in their lives than the original goal. Katz says, As far as Im concerned, I hiked the
Appalachian Trail. I hiked it in snow and I hiked it in heat. I hiked it in the South and I liked it in
the North. I hiked it til my feet bled. I hiked the Appalachian Trail, Bryson, (Bryson 390). It
shows the importance of personal success and the true definition of friendship between two very
different people.

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Works Cited
Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Print.