Rating:
3/5 failed trail tales
Author:
Bill Bryson
Amazon Link:
referral program on hold :(
After idly chatting about my interest in the Pacific Crest Trail with a co-worker, I was pleasantly surprised to have a copy of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods appear on my desk a few days later. Although I had never heard of Bryson before this gift was bestowed, I was assured that his clever wit and nuanced character development would be entertaining; at the very least. In addition, his knack for thorough investigation of a given topic would maybe even be informative, if I ever considered hiking the Appalachian Trail in the future.
I can say that I appreciated the read, Bryson is indeed very entertaining and I found myself laughing to myself and trying to not startle those around me on the DC metro each morning and evening as I followed his journey. I was also informed by his short digressions into the woeful inadequacy of the US Forest Service, the potential danger of bears, and the details of various murders which had occurred on the trail over its long history. I can confidently say that Bryson’s book has reaffirmed my aversion to the Appalachian Trail, confirming all of my misgivings and not providing any newfound motivation to consider an alternative to the Pacific Crest Trail. It was a book worth reading, if just for the wit and dry humor, although I think Bryson succeeds only by virtue of his talent for characterizing his friends and acquaintances as lovable and flawed narrative devices.
Every portion of Bryson’s journey that he undertook alone, I found to be painfully dull and unmotivated. Whether he is describing the daily challenges of coordinating progress with his hiking companion or keenly deconstructing the various personalities he encountered on the trail, Bryson shines when his focus is on someone besides himself. I’ve always seen long-distance trail hiking as a fundamentally solitary journey, something that one does to prove something to themselves, move themselves along in emotional or spiritual development, or perhaps show themselves that they indeed exist as a human and are intimately connected to nature after all. Bryson doesn’t have a need for the trail, he is never drawn to it by his own motivations, he is simply wanting to understand why others would undertake the journey. This hurts his narrative in my view, because he never really commits to achieving that fundamental progress that the trail promises those who feel they really need it.
In the end, I enjoyed the book and I’m glad I read it. I would recommend the book to fans of Bryson or those who are interested in a narrative associated with the Appalachian Trail. For those who lack those two driving motivations, I don’t think there is anything particularly profound about A Walk in the Woods. It is mediocre but capable, a vehicle for personality driven storytelling first and foremost with a factual review of the trail providing the necessary context and setting. An entertaining read; but missing the underlying solitary understanding of nature and man’s place in it that is fundamental to my personal affinity for national trails.