A Walk in the Woods
1997
- description and travel
- natural history
- travel
- journeys
- hiking
- nonfiction
- natural history, united states
- appalachian trail
- nyt:travel=2014-09-07
- nyt:travel=2016-01-10
The story
Bill Bryson describes his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his friend "Stephen Katz". The book is written in a humorous style, interspersed with more serious discussions of matters relating to the trail's history, and the surrounding sociology, ecology, trees, plants, animals and people.
What it’s like
Brisk, self-deprecating prose with a wry grin under every paragraph, the kind of voice that makes a sore-footed, sweaty trek sound like the best company you could ask for. Bryson's sentences move quickly and sly, dropping into clear-eyed digressions on forest ecology, the trail's history, mountain towns and the odd local characters before swinging back to a joke about his pack or his nerves. The feel is sunlit and open-air: green Appalachian ridgelines, misty mornings in hardwood forest, dusty roadside motels and diner coffee, all rendered through the eye of a restless armchair walker who knows the names of trees. Vibe: warm, funny, curious, low-stakes. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a long-haul flight, or a comfort read when you want the outdoors without the mud. Intensity is gentle; there is no violence, and any danger is mild, mostly bears, weather and wrong turns, treated with amusement rather than dread. Recommended for readers who love travel writing with a light touch, nature facts served with humour, and friendships that sour and mend along the way.
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