"(Bryson, Pg 51) She talked a lot and was always clearing her Eustachian tubes. She camped with them. Bryson accepted this by saying that "it was part of God's plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on earth."(Bryson, Pg 51) They soon went to their first shop since being on the trail. The way he felt at that point made him realize that "the whole point of the experience is to remove yourself so thoroughly from the conveniences of everyday life so that the most ordinary things fill you with wonder and gratitude."(Bryson, pg 55) .
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).
Bryson said that when you hike time loses its meaning. He also said "However far or long you plod, you are always in the same place: in the woods. It's where you were yesterday, where you will be tomorrow." (Bryson, Pg 71-72).
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.".
They reached the Smokies soon after that. It began to rain continuously and for both Katz and Bryson everything went "downhill from there."(Bryson, Pg 99) When they had no dry things left they went to the nearest town. In that town Bryson saw a map that showed the whole of the Appalachian Trail. Out of 4 feet of the map Bryson realized they had done only the bottom 2 inches. Bryson said that "all that we had experienced and done came to 2 inches."(Bryson, Pg 105) He decided that they were never going to walk to Maine.