A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is hardly the type one would regard as an active outdoorsman. By his own description, Bryson is the stereotypical Everyman--middle aged with a bit of paunch, someone unaccustomed to rigorous exercise, a man painfully lacking in practical outdoors skills. Nonetheless, almost by whim, Bryson decided to hike the Appalachian Trail (or "AT," as we learn). Of course, there is nothing "short" about the AT. Roughly 2,150 miles in length, depending on the reference you cite, the trail extends from Maine to Georgia, always in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains and crossing several of the most demanding wilderness areas that still ...  Read the complete review

A Walk in the Woods has been described in some quarters as one of the weaker books in Bill Bryson's varied oeuvre, and I have to confess that upon first reading I was ready to agree with some of the sterner critics. As time wore on, however, it began to grow on me, and though I still don't feel that it quite touches the heights of the superb The Lost Continent, it can certainly hold its head high and revel in the title of "proper Bryson". The book tells the story of Bryson's attempt to hike the infamous Appalachian Trail, running for more than 2000 miles in the eastern USA, with its multifarious terrors: hand-eating bears, scalp-shredding ...  Read the complete review

The Appalachian Trail is the longest continuous footpath in the world, running for over 2,100 miles along the East coast of the USA. Imagine, if you will, going for a walk in the woods near your hometown; a pleasant Sunday stroll, perhaps with your dog, to walk off that enormous roast chicken you just consumed en famille. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is 100 per cent nothing like a walk in the woods. It's an all-out do or die survival expedition and - get this - it's entirely voluntary, so you're doing this for fun. Now, it all starts off with Bryson thinking that hiking the Appalachian Trail is A Good Idea. One of the most important things to ...  Read the complete review

Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' serves as his diary of a somewhat ill-advised trek with his sugar-addict hapless friend along the Appalachian Trail. This is no mere woodland stroll, as the title suggests...more like a journey through his personal Hell. 2,200 miles of near-wilderness filled with all manner of obstacles - from mountains to bears, chuckling murderers and yuppie snobs, rattle snakes and disease-bearing ticks. Not my idea of a good time, I have to tell ya. The way Bryson writes, though, is just so engaging, so honest and funny and informative, you feel his every painful step, every blister, every euphoric moment on mountain tops, ...  Read the complete review

If you're new to Bryson then this would be as good a title as any to start with. Has all the humour you could possibly ask for in a decent travel book. And it had me laughing from the very first chapter. Although it does have some poignant references to the realities of the Appalachian Trail. For those of you who have read any of Bryson's other works it will come as no surprise to find that "a walk in the woods" is a really good read. I think I read it in about 3 days just by reading it in bed. It starts off with an introduction to what Bryson's journey this time is going to involve, and it's not exactly the easiest walk you could think ...  Read the complete review