At the recomendation of one of my bosses I took this book along on a strenuous 10 mile backcountry hike in Shenandoah that was full of amazing mountain-top vistas, stream crossings, and beautiful rocky trails framed with fall folliage.

It is a hilarious book that recounts Byson's aventure of preparing for and hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail- which actually passes through Shenandoah just miles from where we were camping.

I had started reading the book in the tent by the light of my flash-light when I came across Bryson's account of his prepatory reading before he left for his ambitious trip along with vivid discriptions of horrific bear incidents that have occourred along the Appalachian Trail. Bryson writes following these terrifying discriptions which even involved a small boy being ripped from his tent and mauled, "Now imagine reading a nonfiction book packed with stories such as this- true tales soberly related- just before setting off alone on a camping trip of your own in the North American wilderness."

Then I found myself wanting to shout back at the book, "NO, Bill Bryson- you imagine reading a nonfiction book such as this while you are in your tent in the dark- preparing to sleep just 100' away from a trail on which had passed numerous- and I mean numerous piles of bear droppings...."

In light of the fact that I was surely going to get little sleep- especially with my overactive imagination I read on and tried to listen for bears through the wind and my husband's bearlike snoring.

Let's just say that having this hardcover book along on the trip was worth adding it's weight to my backpack. It provided excllent night-time reading entertainment, and if a bear had tried to rip into our tent, I could have tried to use it as a protective weapon! ;-)

Nature writing and a travelogue with "oomph"!

Perhaps it was a fit of angst dealing with his own personal version of a mid-life crisis that led Bill Bryson to tackle the challenge of hiking the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail! It was certainly a solid understanding of his own personality and clear recognition of his own physical and mental limitations that prompted him to invite his friend, Stephen Katz, an overweight and out of shape recovering alcoholic with an inordinate fondness for snack foods and cream soda to accompany him on this daunting challenge. The demands of the AT ultimately proved too much for Bryson and Katz who sensibly (and with an almost relieved sense of philosophical acceptance) decided to abandon the notion of a complete through hike. But the resulting story, drawn from Bryson's daily journal of the summer's efforts, is an overwhelming success and pure joy in the reading.

A WALK IN THE WOODS is an extraordinary, entertaining travelogue on both the AT - the Appalachian Trail - and the people and places of small town America that dot the trail's path along the eastern seaboard from Georgia to Maine. At the same time, it is much, much more. Bryson is scathing in his political commentary and almost enraged criticism of the ongoing state of mismanagement and the sadly misguided policies of both the Parks and Forest Services of the US government. A WALK IN THE WOODS is also a deeply moving introspective examination on the nature of friendship, family, perseverance, joy and despondency. As he and Katz amble along rock strewn trails dappled with sunlight broken by the leafy forest canopy, Bryson frequently, effortlessly and almost without our even noticing the change, wanders metaphorically off the main trail and onto a side path of lightweight but nonetheless informative and educational sidebars of nature writing on an amazingly wide variety of topics. Glaciation, bears, bugs, ecology, continental drift, hypothermia, hypoxia and weather are only a few examples of the topics which he elucidates for the lay reader with his clear, concise prose.

Then there is the humour! It is perhaps an understatement to say that, in this regard, Bryson has a rare gift. He has treated his readers to laughs originating in every imaginable corner of the vast world of humour - wry sardonic wit; biting satire; slapstick; self effacement; sarcasm and insults; fear; and even extended comedy sketches worthy of stage or television. His description of the astonishingly stupid and entirely self-absorbed fellow hiker Mary Ellen who has the annoying habit of constantly clearing her sinuses with a grating honk is definitely laugh-out-loud material.

Pure entertainment and enjoyment from first page to last. I believe Bill Bryson would consider it a compliment if I suggested that A WALK IN THE WOODS is the first book I've ever read with a smile on my face during every single moment of the reading. Highly recommended - even if you've never spent a single night under nylon in the woods.

Paul Weiss

I love hiking. I love backpacking. In the winter months I love reading about hiking and backpacking.

I have already read a book or two about hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), so I felt that for my next outdoor book I would prefer something set more in the western U.S. closer to where I reside. I considered the recent Wild by Cheryl Strayed, but certain details I had learned about it sort of turned me off to it. Reluctantly, I settled on this one -- and I'm very glad I did.

Author Bill Bryson is not a hiker or an outdoorsman. Even so, he determines to tackle the entire 2100+ mile AT. A gruff and unlikely old friend of his, equally out of place in the out of doors, volunteers to join him. What follows is a tremendously interesting and surprisingly humorous adventure. I literally laughed out loud twice while reading this book -- which is impressive because I can only remember one other time I have ever done so before.

Humor and adventure and interesting snippets of the local history, geology, and ecology make this a great and enjoyable read. But what truly makes it worthy of my 5-star rating is the eloquent and heart-felt sentiment that the author is able to communicate about the astounding beauty, wonder, immensity, and power of nature -- of being completely enveloped in it and at its mercy for days at a time. This is a sentiment I have personally experienced many times and one which I have tried many times, and always failed, to convey to others.

At the end of his AT adventure Bryson reflects on what the journey meant to him:

n  I had come to realize that I didn't have any feelings towards the AT that weren't confused and contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistible; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this all at once, every moment, on the trail or off.n

Bryson has a great sense of humor, and does a good job of capturing the quirkiness of backwood folk. However, I was sometimes frustrated by his viewpoints, which dampened my opinion and enjoyment of this book. For instance, Bryson says on page 199:

"To tell you the truth I was getting a little wearied of this [remote wilderness]. I know the Apalachian Trail is suposed to be a wilderness experience, and I accept that there are countless places where it would be a tragedy for it to be otherwise, but sometimes, the ATC seems to be positively phobic about human contact. Personally, I would have been pleased to walking now through hamlets and past farms rather than through some silent 'protected corridor'".

I think that it is wonderful that we still have the amount of protected forest we do in the US. There are surely plenty of places to walk through lovely farmland in the US as there is in England, but fortunately we still have the luxury of having more secluded wilderness as well. Its unfortunate that he can't appreciate that, and walk along one of the other numerous trails that are more exposed to human contact rather than put misconceiving thoughts into uninformed minds. Its just frustrating. There are several other times throughout the book where this attitude is apparent, and it put a damper on my reading experience.

When I was in the Boy Scouts, we hiked during several summers on the Appalachian Trail maybe for 200 miles or more. At any rate, Bill Bryson's funny, realistic account of his hiking experiences was a real treat to read. His hiking amigo Katz is a riot. Bryson has an understanding wife since he's away so much, but she supports him. I love Bryson's lucid, flowing prose style. Recommended.

My sister and I read this book and we thought it was so funny! I am reading a little of it again for something lightheaded and fluffy! Wish I could hike.

Just finished it again for the third time and enjoyed it as much as the first time!

I know the amount of reviews I'm promising to write are really stacking up, but I will try to get to writing full comments soon. I've just been so busy with editing The First Empire, that's been consuming a huge amount of my time.

But...Once again I really enjoyed this book. Bryson is always entertaining and I've moved on to yet another one.

I delayed for so long reading a Bryson's book. I got to it just because I decided to clear the top of my reading list with a different algorithm that the usual I used in the last year. And oh , what a delightful jewel. This book was fun, and it was funny. Bryson is an outstanding story teller, an amazing person, and more than all the rest, he has his friend Katz (who was my star for this book).

Imagine that one morning, you wake up and decide to start walking. Walking a lot. Walking the Appalachian trail. About 2146 (or maybe 2159 or 2164.7, nobody actually knows, and different people measured it quite different very much at the same time). Imagine that you are also 44 years old, and not in a great shape. And you plan to do this on your own. And then Katz comes in, with a phone call, and decides to join the ride (or walk, actually?). An ex-alcoholic, overweight, doughnut and pretty slow guy, maybe not the best body for this adventure. Or maybe, he is the best one?!

I loved Katz, he was hilarious. In some parts where Bryson walked on his own, I missed Katz, and the gap was huge. I loved everything about this book, the complains, the people he met on the way (oh, Mary Ellen , what a great laugh), the places, and the animals. A bear, a moose, and a Chicken John, they are all going to make you enjoy this story.

Bryson can make your jaw hurt from smiling and laughing. Bryson can make you want to take yourself and get out there, and walk in the woods. Bryson is witty, funny and super sweet. I am a fan.

5 stars of joy.

Very entertaining so far!

Finally done! This was delightful to read. Bryson has a great sense of humor, and his view of the world is inviting and engaging. I took about six.months to read it because I read it only at bedtime and only a few pages at a time. I look forward to reading more by Bryson. Notes from a Small Island and Neither Here Nor There look the most promising.

I think he hates women. I get that it's supposed to be funny but all the women were either his wife, dead, stupid or fat. I just didn't care for how he talked about women in general.

The book itself was alright. Interesting in some parts, boring in a lot of others.

I adore Bill Bryson and this is one of the laugh-out-loud funniest books I have ever read. I never tire of reading it. Pure bliss.

4.5 stars Entertaining, funny, educational, and well done! I started reading it the day I fell while on a walk of my own. Confined to a chair with my leg up and covered in ice and only able to walk with crutches, I finished it in 48 hours. One of the interesting facts noted in the book was in a section describing the different types of people who have hiked the trail. One was a guy on crutches. Really! Well, that made me quit feeling sorry for myself real quick. I look forward to the movie due out soon.