Other editions of book A Walk In The Woods

"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire, I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town." So begins Bill Bryson's hilarious book A Walk in the Woods. Following his return to America after twenty years in Britain, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT, as it's affectionately known to thousands of hikers, offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to test his own powers of ineptitude, and to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. For a start, there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa who accompanies the similarly unfit Bryson on the trail. Once Bryson and Katz settle into their stride, it's not long before they come across the fabulously annoying Mary Ellen, whose disappearance ruins a perfectly good slice of pie, a gang of Ralph Lauren-attired yuppies from whom Katz appropriates a key piece of equipment, and a security guard in Pennsylvania who, for no ascertainable reason, impounds Bryson's car. Mile by arduous mile these latter-day pioneers walk America, along the way surviving the threat of bear attacks, the loss of key provisions, and everything else this awe-inspiring country can throw at them. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this fragile and beautiful trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, a lament, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.

When journalist and travel writer Bill Bryson returned to the United States after 20 years in England, he could think of only one way to reacquaint himself with his native country: hike the Appalachian Trail. This best-selling book is his hilarious record of the dangers, quirky characters, and awe-inspiring scenery he encountered on his trek from Georgia to Maine. Stocking up for his journey at the sporting goods store, Bryson suspects he is getting into a lot more than a simple walk. There he is bewildered by a startling array of equipment, all designed to keep him alive in the great outdoors. Undaunted, he gathers his gear, says good-bye to his family, and sets off with a hiking companion even more unfit than himself. As Bryson travels slowly on foot, he shares his breath-taking adventures and the fascinating history of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. With narrator Ron McLarty's superb performance, you can discover the America most people will never experience.