Bill Bryson returned to America after 20 years and decided to walk the Appalachian Trail for many reasons one of which was so he could say “Yeah, I’ve shit in the woods.”(Bryson, Pg 4) The Appalachian Trail is more than 2100 miles and it goes through 14 states. It was the first hiking trail in America and is maintained by volunteers. Bill wasn’t particularly keen on walking the trail on his own. He got his Stephen Katz an old school friend of his that had become “in effect, Iowa’s drug culture” (Bryson, Pg 21) to walk the trail with him.

They began their journey on March 9, 1996 not knowing what would come in the days ahead of them. Their first day “was hell” and “every step was a struggle”. (Bryson, Pg 35) It ended with Bill being “too tired to be indignant” and “too tired to be hungry” and being “asleep in moments.” Bill Bryson in between his day to day experiences on the trail gives information from books that he read during and before walking the trail. One of the funniest parts of the book in my opinion is when he is talking about the Forest Service in between the first and second day. He said “ Show them a stand of trees anyw

Katz and Bill after some time decided that they couldn’t take anymore of Mary Ellen. So they ditched her when they went to Dicks Creek Gap. They felt guilty for a while until they found out that Mary Ellen had called them “pussies”. (Bryson, Pg 69)

The weather got really bad so Bryson and Katz took a break. During this break Bryson was bored to a point where he was studying the photographs at a Burger King of a manager and his crew. Katz on the other hand was in heaven. He even bought a copy of the T.V guide! They finally left the town and carried on the trail. It was hard at first as the snow was deep. But the weather got better. Bryson “just walked” and he “was very happy.”

One day Katz got lost. Bryson went back on the trail to look for him. But he had no luck and had to camp without him. The next day Bryson continued to look for Katz. At a stream he saw a pack of Old Gold Cigarettes which he knew Katz smoked. He later found Katz on a rock. He had been really thirsty so he went into the woods and of the trail. He got back to the trail by accident. He was really glad to see Bryson. There was a look in Katz’s eye which made Bryson ask him if he wanted to go home. They both decided it was the right thing to do. They hitchhiked to a gas station at the fringe of a small town. “There is always a measure of shock when you leave the trail and find yourself parachuted into a world of comfort and choice, but it was different this time. This time it was permanent.”(Bryson, Pg 269) Bryson said that “he didn’t have any feelings towards the AT that weren’t confused and contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistible; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts.”(Bryson, Pg 271)

Bill picked up a book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance that made him stay awake at night thinking about bears. He says “how foolish one must be to be reassured by the information that no bear has killed a human in Vermont or New Hampshire in 200 years? That’s not because the bears have signed a treaty, you know.” I wish I could express how much this made me laugh.

Some topics in this essay:
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