A Walk in the WoodsSean was nice enough to lend me an extra copy of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods since he knows I am an avid Appalachian Trail (AT) hiker.  Many people cite Bryson’s book as the reason they become interested in hiking the trail, yet many in the AT community reject it for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that Bryson doesn’t actually thru-hike the trail.  The definition of a thru-hike is to physically walk past every white blaze (trail marker) of the AT in one season.  Bryson falls short of this and pretty much gives up his thru-hike at Clingman’s Dome in NC.  He ends up hiking many sections of the trail, much by day-hike from his car.

The greatest part about this book is often lost on many hikers.  Simply put, it’s a fun read about the Appalachian Trail.  Bryson’s sense of humor keeps the book interesting, even if he is a bit derogatory toward local residents of various places near the trail.  He’s extremely critical of the US Forest Service and also the Army Corps of Engineers, pretty much calling them idiots.  While some of his points are valid, he does push the envelope a bit.  Maybe it’s just to get people’s attention.   His book is well researched and includes many facts about the history of the trail and its various controversies over the years.

If you’re able to roll with a few harsh comments, an unusually slow/unsuccessful hiker, and the fact that Bryson doesn’t actually hike all of the miles then I recommend this book.  If not, head on over to http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html to read Then the Hail Came by George Staffanos.  I highly recommend this trail book/journal filled with extreme detail and tons of humor.