Saturday, September 17, 2005
A Journey Within
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk in the woods". That was a likely dialog that Bill Bryson had to go through when he decided to try and hike the 'AT'. This 2100 mile trail basically traverses the Eastern US from Georgia to Maine.
A Walk In The Woods is Mr. Bryson's account of this journey. From the planning to getting an old friend to join him to thier decision to quit in Maine.
What was weird about the book is that he seemed to spend much of it complaining about weather, food, his companion, and other concerns. He also digresses a lot about the Forest Service, the Trail, the National Parks System and other things.
There were some adventures, including an annoying traveller, an encounter with some sort of animal, a snowstorm, a stream and other delays.
What fascinated me about this was that this trip seemed as much a journey inward as along the trail. He seemed to have learned a lot about himself. When he needed to take time off, he seemed to be experiencing some "withdrawal" from hiking.
If you want an account of a "thru-hike" don't pick this book up (he only completed about 1/3 of the trail), but if you want an honest look at the difficulties that one faces and what a good walk can do for the psyche. Then give this book a try. ¶ 6:59 PM
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk in the woods". That was a likely dialog that Bill Bryson had to go through when he decided to try and hike the 'AT'. This 2100 mile trail basically traverses the Eastern US from Georgia to Maine.
A Walk In The Woods is Mr. Bryson's account of this journey. From the planning to getting an old friend to join him to thier decision to quit in Maine.
What was weird about the book is that he seemed to spend much of it complaining about weather, food, his companion, and other concerns. He also digresses a lot about the Forest Service, the Trail, the National Parks System and other things.
There were some adventures, including an annoying traveller, an encounter with some sort of animal, a snowstorm, a stream and other delays.
What fascinated me about this was that this trip seemed as much a journey inward as along the trail. He seemed to have learned a lot about himself. When he needed to take time off, he seemed to be experiencing some "withdrawal" from hiking.
If you want an account of a "thru-hike" don't pick this book up (he only completed about 1/3 of the trail), but if you want an honest look at the difficulties that one faces and what a good walk can do for the psyche. Then give this book a try. ¶ 6:59 PM
