A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

In the book, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson you can really experience a little piece of American wilderness, more specifically and better known as the Appalachian Trail.

A Walk in the Wood is a great book to read if you want to get a feel of nature. You experience everything he experienced and you feel the way he felt while he was hiking.

Bill Bryson lived in England for 20 years of his life and finally decided to move back to America where he was born. Not long after moving back he comes along a path that vanished in to the woods of the edge of town. There was a sign that read "Appalachian Trail." This trail runs 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine which wanders through 14 states. With this Bryson decides to do the impossible, walk the whole Appalachian Trail (only a very few people walk the full 2,100 miles). To walk the total trail it takes about 4 months from beginning to end. He has lots of mixed feeling about his adventure because it is a somewhat dangerous journey and anything can happen. Bryson talks about how people have been attacked by bears and survived and really quite the opposite as well.

Before his journey-as we all probably know before going on a four month hike-he researched a lot about the park and about what sort of wild life he could encounter. He also spent a lot of money on equipment. Do you think he went on his journey alone? Well of course not. Who do know would go hiking through the woods alone??? He calls a whole bunch of his friends and only one of them decides to go with him. His name is Stephan Katz which was Bryson's hiking partner through Europe in an earlier book he wrote.

Bryson describes his journey in great detail but not only that he gives some history about the trail. You can witness things that you couldn't even imagine of while you are watching a movie. Bryson's sarcasm (which is really quite humorous) and his wonderful description of his surroundings makes this book fun to read. You can experience his humor for example in this quote: "Do you know what that was, Bryson? Cream soda. You know what else? I'm drinking it right now..." Bryson continuously descibes his hiking partner as a little child. Katz still complains that he wasn't able to watch the X-files and this makes him sound like a four year old instead of a forty-five year old. Bryson ends the explaination by saying, "Man, that was so good. Now --- you and good night."

After reading only a hundred pages of the book, it has really caught my attention. i highly recommed this book because it will cause you to roll on the floor laughing.