Bill Bryson’s family had moved to New Hampshire, his backyard is just a few yards to a signpost of the famous Appalachian Trail. He got interested and fascinated at the idea of hiking the AT. Pretty soon was telling everybody about it. Problem is, once he started reading on all the tales that happened on the AT, the gruesome details of bear maulings and similar accidents, illnesses, the difficulty of the trail on some parts, and the length, all 2,148 miles of trail from Georgia to Maine, he realized it was way, way out of his league.
He nevertheless plunges into his plans and into the woods. This is his account as he and his friend Katz, both neophyte woodsmen, middle aged, and both butt-heavy, tackled on the great Appalachian Trail, the greatest and most celebrated of all American trails. They emerged from this experience with greater respect of the mountains and the woods, and learned hard lessons of life and self-reliance.
From the time he went into the camping section of his local sport goods store, his comical chronicle of their misadventures entertained me a lot. He is witty, elegant, and just fun to read…err, listen to. McLarty reading is clear, precise. I can hear the frustration of walking miles and miles of wood, their shivering when caught in a snowstorm, fear when they thought a bear was near, his voice rising or falling, going along with the emotion of the moment.
I was greatly entertained in my drive to and from work. I found myself taking the long way, and hoping that the light is red on intersections so that I will have a little more time to know what was going to happen next. If you love the outdoors, or plan on hiking the AT sometime later, or just want to read about it and be entertained, this is a great book. I picked up walking again after lying low for some time. The book, and the fact that my girth seem to be getting bigger.
Great for road trips. With some no-good words – from Katz, who is a recovering substance abuser- so parental guidance is needed, if you have small children. Seven cassettes of approximately 1 hr each.
Would you like to walk some parts of the Appalachian Trail with me? Let’s do Shenandoah National Park first….
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