Review: A Walk in the Woods

I don't know if I've ever reviewed a book (or anything else for that matter) in blog form before. In fact, I don't know if I've reviewed a book since Mrs. Victoria made me do it in 5th grade. Life is full of re-discoveries.

Over Christmas break, I purchased Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, which is Bill's account of walking the Appalachian Trail in 1996. He had recently returned to live in New Hampshire after spending 20 or so years living in Yorkshire, England, and thought the trail would be a wonderful way to reacquaint himself with his homeland. For those of you not in the know, I'm practically in love with Bryson's book Notes from a Small Island, which is his account of a "farewell tour" he took around Britain before moving back to the United States. Travel literature fascinates me, probably formed by the fact that I read said book while traveling myself. But, that's not the point. The point is, I'm reviewing this with unashamed bias. And since this is my personal slice of cyberspace (as Kevin has so duly noted in his happily reactivated blog), I'll do whatever the hell I want.

Let's review the premise. The Appalachian Trail is a 2,100 mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine, terminating at Mt. Katahdin. That's 2,100 miles through the mountains, mountains being the operative word. The two fellows hiking this magnificent wilderness are Bryson, who has been trained on day trips in the Cotswalds and Lake District, and Stephen Katz, an old school friend of Bryson's who he hasn't seen in 25 years. Here is a good indication of Katz's fitness (taken from page 23), as he arrived in New Hampshire to prepare for the trip

We drove home by way of Dunkin Donuts. My wife and I sat with him at the kitchen table and watched him eat five Boston cream doughnuts, which he washed down with two glasses of milk. Then he said he wanted to go and lie down a while. It took him whole minutes to get up the stairs.
My wife turned to me with a look of serene blankness.
"Please just don't say anything," I said.

There's the general idea. Two out of shape guys decide to try and hike 2,100 miles through the wilderness with 50 lb. packs on their back.

I found the book to be wonderfully well written. In Notes from a Small Island, the latter half of the book tends to grow a bit tedious. It is in fact, a rather lengthy read. A Walk in the Woods however, checks in at a toit 274 pages, and makes a very pleasant read. Bryson definitely keeps the action moving, and keeps the reader engrossed in the quest. One thing that amazes me about Bill's works is the amazing amount of extra research that goes into them. Any schmuck can write about cavorting off in the woods. It takes a true writer to inject meaningful fact into a story about cavorting in the woods. I honestly don't know where he digs most of this stuff up, but it certainly impresses me.

Perhaps the most important bits of little information and such are the copious amount devoted to bringing attention to conservation. Reading Notes, it was clear that Bill was in some ways a reactionary, he would much prefer to live in the small producers society of Jefferson, complete with quaint stone bridges and happy little main streets. In that vein, he devotes a considerable amount of pages to shedding light not only on the history of the Appalachian Trail, but also on the tragedies that have befallen America's wildernesses. He isn't shy on sharing his views on what he considers the correct use and conservation of the outdoors. In a sense, this book is as much a plea for the natural beauty of America as it is a travel narrative. The lively interplay between information and narrative keeps the reader interested, as well as providing "breaks" in the action.

Probably my favorite aspect of Bryson's writing is his incredibly wit and powers of observation. In Notes, he seemed to perfectly capture the feelings I felt about the idiosyncrasies of Britain. Here, he assuredly captures the idiosyncrasies of the AT and the completely ludicrous idea that a person would attempt to walk 2,100 miles for no real point except to walk 2,100 miles. I'm consistently impressed with the amazing language used, it just seems to flow off the page, transforming the woods into a tangible thing. The teeming life of the trees is transferred to the lively prose. To add to this, he is just so damn funny. As with his previous book, I openly laughed as I read. It really is a gift to have a wit like that, and to be able to perfectly relate the humor of nearly any given situation. Bryson has a unique ability to pull back and see the ridiculousness of life, but never seem to critique it too much. His observations nearly always show how much he cares, rather than how much he spites.

In summary, I would highly recommend A Walk in the Woods, both for entertainment and knowledge. Myself, I feel enriched by having read the book, especially in terms of learning about the AT and the challenges faced by America's wilderness. Plus, it's just a great time to hear about Bryson and Katz' exploits in the woods. Reading it, it sort of felt like having a conversation with an old friend. And if you haven't had the pleasure of reading Bryson's work in the past, this is a great introduction. Having been written mainly for an American audience, Bill really focuses on the experience of the AT, and keeps mention of his English heritage to a minimum. He also uses a much more Americanized English in comparison to Notes, but still packs some Brit-speak for when he needs it. Wonderful words like "trifle." Needless to say, it's very accessible. So, for a good introduction to Bill Bryson and one of America's greatest wildernesses, A Walk in the Woods will not disappoint.