A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (Tourfolio.com)

The first book that I want to talk about is A Walk in the Woods. I picked this book up about three weeks ago and had some time this weekend to finish reading it. The author is Bill Bryson who continues with his charming and humorous story telling style as he hikes the Appalachian Trail.

Overview:
At the surface this book might come across as two out of shape middle aged men attempting to hike the the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail but you would be wrong thinking that. A few pages into this book I realized that it is really about rediscovering the Appalachian Trail, national state parks throughout America and other locations that were popular years ago but have been forgotten over time. The author makes a great point about how people rarely use national state parks nowadays after he hiked around the Delaware Water Gap and noted how many citizens live nearby. It’s a bit staggering to think that a few million people live near by these parks and you might only see a handful of people hiking up and down the trails. This 397 page book reminded me of some interesting places along the Appalachian Trail such as Centralia, Pennsylvania and Mount Washington, New Hampshire that I look forward to visiting in the near future with my trusty Nikon D50.

My favorite line:
“…I gained a profound respect for wilderness and nature and the benign dark power of woods. I understand now, in a way I never did before, the colossal scale of the world…I discovered an America that millions of people scarcely know exists.”

Who would like this book:
This book is great for those who enjoying hiking by themselves or with good friends. If you have a good sense of humor you will be finding yourself laughing at Bill Bryson’s comments of his sloth-like hiking buddy Stephen Katz and the characters they meet along the way. There are also some great learning points about conservatism as well as small dosage of science added into the book.

Who wouldn’t like this book:
If you don’t like the occasional swearing when reading, this book might not be for you. This book is not technical guide to hiking the entire Appalachian Trail as it does not contain any specific details to aid you in the hike. I would recommend a professional hiking book that can help you mentally and physically prepare for an intense hike such as the Appalachian Trail.

Tourfolio Rating:

Note: The scale goes from 0 planes (lowest rating) to 5 planes (highest rating).

Purchasing this book:
If this book sounds something that you, family member or friend would enjoy, please click on this link to purchase from Amazon.