A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail [MM0017]

2007 MMPB in excellent condition. The classic chronicle of a "terribly misguided and terribly funny" (The Washington Post) hike of the Appalachian Trail, from the author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Body. "The best way of escaping into nature."-The New York Times.

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes-and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is a modern classic of travel literature.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A hopeful hiking book that gave me the itch to get outside more frequently. A fantastic mix of story and history."; "This is a great book about hiking, friendship, and nature. If there is a book that may convince you to hike, it is this. There are times, especially in the middle part of the book, when I felt that an overload of information and random facts were being put out by the author. Still, it doesn't really affect how refreshing and eye-opening this book is, and how beautiful he narrates his experience with nature."; "Funny and enjoyable read. A good reminder to just try to do something new. Something out of your comfort zone."; "The combination of history and lived experience, albeit dramatized at times, was perfectly humorous, informational, interesting, and enjoyable. I enjoyed learning about the history and how poorly we've taken care of the nature/National Parks/conservation in America... heartbreaking and humbling. And I enjoyed Bryson's perspective and retelling of his time on the Appalachian Trail."