[Contains no spoilers]
I surprise even myself saying that A Walk in the Woods is the first book I have read by Bill Bryson. With his reputation for being such a hilariously witty travel writer, surely he would be an immediate go to for someone who longs to be churning out some equally creditable pieces of work? But nope, this is indeed my first Bryson experience and I must admit it wasn’t what I was expecting.
This non-fiction book follows Bryon on his attempt to walk America’s Appalachian Trail with long term friend, Stephen Katz. The trail spans 14 states covering 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine. For an experienced hiker to go the full length, it would take around 6 months, all the while battling mountains, bears, hunger, snow, and heat.
To hike the whole trail, you are expected to be young, fit, and know exactly what you’re doing. Bryson quickly demonstrates how he fails to be any of those things, adding a whole lot of humour to the book straight away. He is relatable in his writing and that’s one of the things I most like about him. I think of myself as quite the outdoorys type – that is until I get outdoors. But he wants to change this, and sparked something in me which agrees with him. One of my favourite quotes in the book explains this quite well…
“When guys in camouflage pants and hunting hats sat around in the Four Aces Diner talking about fearsome things done out-of-doors, I would no longer have to feel like such a cupcake.”
However, a short way into the book and I realised it wasn’t all going to be quite as relatable and witty as this. His reputation and type of books he is known to write had me expecting hilariously described experiences, scattered with little trivial thoughts, and details of all the things that inevitably go wrong while travelling; making us feel more connected to the writer. I was very surprised to find this book rather missing these little things.
Instead Bryson intersperses his experiences with long details about the history of the trail, the nature, and America. While I found all of this quite interesting, it was not what I thought a third of the book would be about. The factual chapters were still funny for some parts, but I wanted to hear about what it was like to hike the trail from someone I could relate to, not how someone ended up destroying acres of woodland 60 years ago, partly because it really wasn’t very cheery…
In some ways Bryson made up for this with his brilliant description of people he met on the trail. While they weren’t all necessarily thought of as a valued addition to his experience, the characters came to life on the page. From Katz’s lowbrow personality and interests to the infamous Mary Ellen forever nattering away about something unimportant. To read it, it felt like these people were stood in front of me and I could share in Bryon’s laughter or frustration. The stark contrast in character between Bryson and Katz and the different ways the two of them saw the world created quite an amusing read as well.
In conclusion: even though this book wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting, it most certainly won’t be the last Bill Bryson book I read. Between the factual parts of it, the descriptions of Bryon’s experiences were still gripping, funny, and have most certainly rekindled a wanderlust that had me Googling how much it was for a proper backpack. The book interested me despite the slower parts but if you’re in it just for the humour I would suggest trying another one of Bill Bryon’s books first. Otherwise, go buy it, make yourself a cup of tea, get reading, and enjoy the bumpy ride through the Appalachian Trail. Just keep an eye out for the bears…
First book review… ooh. Hopefully it made sense and helped a few folk who weren’t sure decide to read the book. Or not? This is the first post in a rather long time. Oops. ‘Excuses, excuses.’ But plans are being made and adventures are on their way so check back for more soon!
Little Mishaps 