Weather this spring has been quite unseasonably warm and dry. Memphis news station, WREG, reported temperatures to be 12 degrees above normal for this time of year. I am beginning to think Punxsutawney Phil, the official weather groundhog, has a gift. Not only did he predict the early spring for 2007, but also busied himself setting out the lounge and pouring iced tea.
The last two weeks of March and the first two weeks of April are prime times to begin a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail according to Bill Bryson’s book, A Walk in the Woods.
Just what is a thru hike you ask? A thru hike means walking from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine or visa versa in one season; which is over 2,174 miles from start to finish. Most thru hikers prefer to begin their odyssey in Georgia during early spring then arrive in Maine just as fall begins. In theory, they avoid extreme weather such as freezing sleet and snow.
This is how expatriate and author Bill Bryson begins his journey. The book jacket claims he took on this daunting task, “For reasons even he didn’t understand.” Some of us in Reading Round Table suspect his purpose was solely to write the book. Not an unfounded thought, since he wrote Neither Here Nor There after a 1991 back packing trip in Europe.
A Walk in the Woods was written in 1998 after Bryson “sort of” finished the trail in 1996. The book is laugh-out-loud funny. First off, Bryson sends out Christmas cards inviting any and all to join him. Out of all the possibilities, he has one taker, Stephen Katz; a man who exercises by watching T.V. and considers dinner a twice nightly event.
The first night of camp, Bryson realizes his new mate isn’t ideal, as Katz admits to tossing all their food down a ravine before falling instantly to sleep. For penitence Katz rises early and makes coffee. Unfortunately, the brew is contaminated with pink floating specks (toilet paper), as Katz explains tossing the filters, too.
As if going off trail for a bit, Bryson fills the book with “aside” information. Along with the running narrative, readers will learn much about our state parks and woodsy forests.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
A Walk in the Woods (copy)
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11 comments:
I really enjoy his writing. I think I've read all of his stuff
My friend likes his work. I must read this another time.
Hey guys! I love this book, but haven't read anything else by him b/c I'm afraid I will be disappointed. I am dying to read Thundrbolt Kid though.
I like Thoreau more so, but this book is a good one. Here's a book for you : "The Island at the Center of the World" by Russell Shorto. It is good history and a fascinating account of the Dutch settlement of Manhattan (aka New York City).
Hey Paul, thanks for the title. I do "heart" New York. :)
Um, I find Thoreau a little less jovial than Bryson. :P
I LOVED Stephen Katz, myself, and think he is one of the all-time great characters in nonfiction. Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but I found "Thunderbolt Kid" not as amusing as much of Bryson's travel lit; it almost felt like he was writing it for a much older crowd than usual. A bit too much nostalgia and wholesomeness for me, but more importantly, not enough Stephen Katz in it!
Thanks for this review, Maggie! I've always secretly (not so secretly now) wanted to do the App. Trail. Maybe I'll just read about it first...
Hi Nonanon!
Our discussion group said the book would be nothing w/out Katz. Although, I found his constant Deliverance jokes and jabs at Southerns to be amusing.
I think this one's my least-enjoyed Bryson because I found bits of it a little disturbing. And, yet, I loved it. When I think back, it's hard to recall but didn't he write about passing some women on the trail and then finding out they were murdered? That probably is the reason - I'm prone to nightmares. I'm dying to read The Thunderbolt Kid.
Oh, BF, I thought he told the story as the girls walked that part of the trail that they were walking 2/3 months later. I'll go back and check...meanwhile, the older thin man, whom they only see from the back, gave me the willies. Bryson sees him first for one day then Katz sees him the next day, always from the back and always ahead. Sounded like a Tennessee haint to me.
I don't remember an older thin man, but it's been a while and I read the condensed version. I found some Reader's Digest large-print condensed books and grabbed them for my grandmother-in-law, but I had to read them, first, you see. ;)
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