A Walk In The Woods

Bill Bryson

Format: Physical book.

Finished: 3/18/2023

What’s it about: The book follows author Bryson, an unlikely candidate for an enormous physical undertaking, and a long lost friend, almost aquintance, Katz, as they attempt to trudge the Appalachian Trail.

Main Takeaway: First, I need to hike the Appalachian trail. It seems like just the physical struggle, pain of the elements, connectedness to nature, and unconnectedness to society and technology I need and would enjoy (type 2 fun). Maybe me and a friend will trade stocks for money and walk it some day.

Second, it sounds insanely hard. Bryson ends up making it about 870 miles of the 2,200+ of the AT, and seems to be in pain nearly every moment. But it sends you back to an earlier time, not much earlier in reality, when nature was wild and humans were at its mercy. The sheer magnitude of the American experience this side of the Mississippi can be encapsulated in one long walk, the Appalachian Trail.