An American expat gets reacquainted with his homeland.
The perils are many on the 2175 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the legendary footpath that stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine: Black bears, deadly airborne viruses and ax-wielding murderers, to name a few. But there is also great beauty. Bill Bryson, a droll Iowa-born reporter and novelist who had just returned to the U.S. after spending nearly 20 years in England, decided to trek the trail as a way to become reacquainted with America. Mind you, he was in his mid 40s and woefully unfit. Bryson’s hiking companion (the only soul among his acquaintances who dared volunteer for such an ordeal) was childhood friend Stephen Katz, also out of shape as well as often out of sorts. (Katz’s idea of trail provisions was a selection of artery-clogging confections under the seemingly innocuous brand name Little Debbie). As an avid hiker, I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging account narrated by Bryson himself, whose years abroad have imbued his gentle voice with a subtle British clip. By turns raucous and revelatory, A Walk in the Woods is a joy from the first step, packed with snort-inducing anecdotes and savory tidbits of trail history and lore.