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A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson chronicles the author’s attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, starting off in Georgia on March 9. The Appalachain Trail runs more than 2,100 miles across 14 states, from Georgia in the south to Maine in the northeast.
Before attempting the trail, Bryson does some research to get to know what he is up against. His list of creatures to be wary of include rattlesnakes, water moccasins, bears, loony hillbillies (his words), fire ants, blackflies, poison salamanders; even moose lethally deranged by a parasitic worm that burrows a nest in their brains and befuddles them into chasing hikers. The loony hillbilly comes up several times in the book, as Bryson imagines meeting genetically-challenged hill people named Zeke and Festus, and recalls the book and movie Deliverance with horror. However, he was excited to see the plants and animals of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, which include giant salamanders, tulip trees, and eerie jack-o-lantern mushroom which glows at night with a greenish phosphorescent light called foxfire. The United States is so large, I forget that it covers so many climate zones and corresponding flora and fauna.
After some investigation, the author freaks himself out by reading about bear attacks in the book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance. The book includes a grisly story about a grizzly who tore off the face of a hiker in Alaska (including his lips, teeth, nose, tongue, and vocal apparatus); fortunately for Bryson, there are no grizzlies east of the Mississippi. However, there are possibly 500,000-700,000 black bears in North America, and they are common along the Appalachian Trail. The book is full of amusing quips characteristic of Bill Bryson, including his reflections on what to do when faced with a bear: climb a tree or play dead if you are being chased by a grizzly; make a lot of noise if confronting a black bear. Except, he muses, bears are unpredictable and a grizzly may climb a tree after you if it’s angry enough, and a black bear might not like the loud noise and attack you anyway.
Bryson also covers the origin of the Appalachian Trail. The trail was originally thought up by Benton MacKaye in 1921, and his vision included a trail that connected mountaintop work camps, hostels, inns, and seasonal study centres. However, MacKaye didn’t actually have a hand in building the trail. A man named Myron Avery actually got the trial built, as he mapped it out, arranged volunteer crews, and even oversaw construction. Avery also extended the planned length from 1200 miles to well over 2000. The trail is said to be the largest volunteer-run undertaking on the planet; as of 1997 (the year the book was published), the trial was completely maintained by volunteers.
Bill Bryson is hilarious and this has always been one of my favorite books of his! I’ve done several long-distance hikes (although none longer than 120 miles at a time) and it never fails that I think about the part in this book where he starts ripping things out of his pack and tossing them. I’ve never tossed things like that, but I’ve always reached a point where I’ve wanted to, after a couple of days!
Yes, but I can’t imagine throwing out FOOD!
I’m going to have to read this one! I love Bill Bryson, but have only read A Short History of Everything and At Home. This one’s been on my list for a while! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the Wednesday Showcase!
At Home was great; I guess I have to read A Short History of Everything now!
Billy Bryson is always a good choice, entertaining and informative. I have not read this one but I know it is on our bookshelves. A good October read maybe.