View Full Version : "Walk In the Woods"
I was talking with my buddy about the book "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson. In it he describes a section of the trail, I think Georgia or Tennessee not really sure I know it was in the beginning of the book. Anyway the way he describes this particular part of the trail as a two feet wide path, with a vertical cliff going up on one side and a drop off on the other. At least that's the picture in my mind. Made it sounds like it seemed really easy to fall over the side. Was wondering if this is an exaggeration or not. Any pics would be cool to.
For anyone that read the book this happens right about the time they ran into the snow storm.
I was talking with my buddy about the book "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson. In it he describes a section of the trail, I think Georgia or Tennessee not really sure I know it was in the beginning of the book. Anyway the way he describes this particular part of the trail as a two feet wide path, with a vertical cliff going up on one side and a drop off on the other. At least that's the picture in my mind. Made it sounds like it seemed really easy to fall over the side. Was wondering if this is an exaggeration or not. Any pics would be cool to.
For anyone that read the book this happens right about the time they ran into the snow storm.
That would be Charlie's Bunion (http://mtleconte.barnesnet.net/Pictures/2005/IMG_5747.jpg)in Great Smoky Mountains NP.
orangebug
04-21-2006, 10:03
There is a section south of Mt. Albert that fits the description. Bryson uses some literary license, but he gets the sense of "***!" that we often enjoy.
Lion King
04-21-2006, 10:27
There is a section south of Mt. Albert that fits the description. Bryson uses some literary license, but he gets the sense of "***!" that we often enjoy.
Thats probably where he is refering to as right after, he complains about Rainbow Springs, which is now closed.
I was talking with my buddy about the book "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson. In it he describes a section of the trail, I think Georgia or Tennessee not really sure I know it was in the beginning of the book. Anyway the way he describes this particular part of the trail as a two feet wide path, with a vertical cliff going up on one side and a drop off on the other. At least that's the picture in my mind. Made it sounds like it seemed really easy to fall over the side. Was wondering if this is an exaggeration or not. Any pics would be cool to.For anyone that read the book this happens right about the time they ran into the snow storm.
Yo adh24:
If BILL BRYSON walked ANY of the A.T. he probably walked from the road crossings in a few miles...talked to "Thru-hikers", jotted down important notes, then wrote a nice book about "hiking the Appalachian Trail"....what a sweeeeeet gig!
Most hikers that have been around for a while...dont like to talk much about Mr. Bryson & his so-called walk in the woods...mostly fabricated...but, funny none-the-less.:D
section-hikin' w/ "Jigsaw" Pearisburg to Glasgow, VA
Apr 22-May 3
Most hikers that have been around for a while...dont like to talk much about Mr. Bryson & his so-called walk in the woods...mostly fabricated...but, funny none-the-less.:D
section-hikin' w/ "Jigsaw" Pearisburg to Glasgow, VA
Apr 22-May 3
LOL!!! Yeah that's the impression I get. I saw on one site a list of books about the AT and one of the reviews totally bashed Bryson. Still thought the book was funny made me go and read "Neither Here Nor There". I figured some of the book is embellished
I think that section is right before Albert Mtn as well. It made an impression in my head. Years later, when I finally read the book, that was the first place that I thought of.
Trail Dog
04-21-2006, 11:52
i seem to recall a certian someone wearing a certian shirt that claimed another certian someone was a "Candy Ass"
does this sound familiar to anyone?
Bryson's book is a great read! Folks don't need to take everything so literally. There is a slice of truth to most everything he wrote.
Pacific Tortuga
04-21-2006, 12:32
Bryson's book is a great read! Folks don't need to take everything so literally. There is a slice of truth to most everything he wrote.
And lobster is back,the book was a gift after surgery and yes I enjoyed it, until I awoke from my coma. :rolleyes:
SGT Rock
04-21-2006, 12:33
If I remember, the path around Big Butt in that area is about like he described. And as for Albert mountain, as I remember the book, he took the bypass because of snow.
icemanat95
04-21-2006, 12:48
There are quite a few places on the Southern AT where the AT slabs arounda steep hillside or spur. The trail bed is built up our cut out of the steep hillside and there is very steep ground to either side. I remember being impressed by how steep the terrain down there actually was, and how important those big switchbacks were. The first cliffs I really remember were Charlies Bunion and some of the stuff immediately north of Newfound Gap in the Smokies. Some of those ridgelines are sharp.
That would be Charlie's Bunion (http://mtleconte.barnesnet.net/Pictures/2005/IMG_5747.jpg)in Great Smoky Mountains NP.
If you believe the time-line given in the book, Bryson wimped out at Newfound Gap and took a taxi north to Virginia, thus while hiking NOBO he never saw the Bunion.
I think it's the section from Mooney Gap to the foot of Mt Albert. A short but fantastic stretch of trail, lots of view, lots of drama as you hang on the edge.
Being a humorist of sorts, I was surprised he didn't notice Pickens Nose just across the divide there.
......but then again, he missed a lot.
eArThworm
04-21-2006, 23:18
...the way he describes this particular part of the trail as a two feet wide path, with a vertical cliff going up on one side and a drop off on the other...Made it sounds like it seemed really easy to fall over the side. Was wondering if this is an exaggeration or not. Any pics would be cool to.
Pages 72-73 in my copy, "By midday we found ourselves plodding into a stinging, cold, hard-blowing storm. Soon after, we came to a narrow ledge of path along a wall of rock called Big Butt Mountain...It was like a window ledge on a skyscraper, no more than fourteen or sixteen inches wide, and crumbling in places, with a sharp drop on one side of perhaps eighty feet, and long, looming stretches of vertical granite on the other...And all the time as we crept along on this absurdly narrow, dangerous perch, we were half-blinded by flying snow and jostled by gusts of wind, which roared through the dancing trees and shook us by our packs...It was deeply unnerving. It took us over two hours to cover six-tenths of a miles of trail. By the time we reached solid ground at a place called Bearpen Gap, the snow was four or five inches deep..."
Everyone who guessed Big Butt gets a gold star. :-)
Pages 72-73 in my copy, "By midday we found ourselves plodding into a stinging, cold, hard-blowing storm. Soon after, we came to a narrow ledge of path along a wall of rock called Big Butt Mountain...It was like a window ledge on a skyscraper, no more than fourteen or sixteen inches wide, and crumbling in places, with a sharp drop on one side of perhaps eighty feet, and long, looming stretches of vertical granite on the other...And all the time as we crept along on this absurdly narrow, dangerous perch, we were half-blinded by flying snow and jostled by gusts of wind, which roared through the dancing trees and shook us by our packs...It was deeply unnerving. It took us over two hours to cover six-tenths of a miles of trail. By the time we reached solid ground at a place called Bearpen Gap, the snow was four or five inches deep..."
Everyone who guessed Big Butt gets a gold star. :-)Yes, I remember this spot. Didn't know it was called Bit Butt Mtn, though. It's jsut before Albert, as others have said. Too bad Bryson wasn't oukt this year. He could have had pancakes and coffee at Bearpen Gap, at Fishin' Fred's Trail Magic Extravaganza.
......... he probably walked from the road crossings in a few miles...talked to "Thru-hikers", jotted down important notes...........
I wouldn't give him that much credit!!
Lone Wolf
04-22-2006, 20:15
I've been on the AT 20 years. It's a good book. 1 of a million perspectives. At least it's better than most of the "journal" books out there. 99% boring.
I've been on the AT 20 years. It's a good book. 1 of a million perspectives. At least it's better than most of the "journal" books out there. 99% boring.
Great perspective. It is entertaining and has some historic elements. The thing that bothers most is his claim to have hiked the AT. I believe he did hike the AT, probably less than he claims and more than many give him credit for. So what. He hiked, he wrote, he entertained. End of story.
Lone Wolf
04-22-2006, 20:38
He never said he hiked the whole AT.
I know, but expecting to read a real AT thru-hike, many AT enthusiasts felt let down when he skipped sections and didn't even finish his attempt on the 100 mile wilderness. I think many read his comments about hiking the AT as a claim that he hiked the whole thing. I read it as entertainment.
RITBlake
04-23-2006, 04:23
He never said he hiked the whole AT.
and he's laughing all the way to the Bank. Its a fine book, it exactly what it claims to be. If you dont like the fact that Byrson quit, get out there and hike it yourself
Bryson's book is a great read! Folks don't need to take everything so literally. There is a slice of truth to most everything he wrote.
Yeah. Most sophisticated lies by experienced writers have an element of truth. They have learned that without that tiny leavening, no one would believe them.
I did chuckle while reading "A Walk in the Woods." But the trail he described had virtually nothing to do with the trail I saw and walked.
I think Bryson quickly discovered that this particular writing contract was not for him. He didn't like the trail. He didn't like the people he met on the trail. From the evidence of the book he never made a serious attempt to relate to other hikers or to understand the trail dynamic.
Bryson is a very talented writer. He had the ability to write an Appalachian Trail classic. Instead he settled for a bit of summer fluff, padded with a bit of library and internet research.
Weary
What Weary Said!
I enjoyed it, but I cringe to think that family and friends think that Bryson's experiencecapturesthe essenceof what its like on the Trail. Nothing he wrote seemed to speak to any joy of being out there,or the profound satisfaction of accomplishing what for me was a real challenge.
In 2000 there was a very nice sign about 200 yards north of Newfound Gap.
"Congratulations Northbounders, you have now hiked more of the AT than Bill Bryson". I know, I put it there, does anyone remember it? However his book was one funny book and I enjoyed every page of it. You just have to accept that he hiked very little of the trail, didn't meet or talk to many real thru hikers and glorified and expanded most experiences with both people and places. It's a shame because if he had hiked the trail, actually met Baltimore Jack, Jester, Lone Wolf, Miss Janet, Pirate, Warren Doyle and countless other "trail stories and characters" he could have really written a reallyGREAT book.
SGT Rock
04-23-2006, 12:51
I thought parts of the book were funny. And as a trail book it gives an account of what almost no one ever writes about - failing to finish the AT. And if you think about it, and the stats that most people never finish, it is good that it can give someone attempting to walk an idea that it is possible not to finish. And it also gives a good example of how to not successfullly hike the trail - so in that way it can tell people how to avoid failure.
In 2000 there was a very nice sign about 200 yards north of Newfound Gap.
"Congratulations Northbounders, you have now hiked more of the AT than Bill Bryson".
I hope that is a joke. If it is, it's kinda funny. If not, that is a shameful way to litter the backcountry. Again, hopefully you were joking.
I hope that is a joke. If it is, it's kinda funny. If not, that is a shameful way to litter the backcountry. Again, hopefully you were joking.
Guilty as charged, It was a paperboard sign, printed on with water soluable ink that would have faded in a couple of rainstorms. The sign paperboard, if it wasn't picked up would have become part of the forest in a couple of weeks, I also litter by leaving books, magazines, and hiker treats in a shelter near the section I maintain. I have also littered by putting up official signs pointing to "the caves" on a blue blaze a few hundred feet off the trail. I suppose the white blazes I've put on trees could be called grafeti. Perhaps my worse littering has been above the timberline where I built rock carns to guide the hikers and laid out little rock paths to guide hikers away from the alpine zone. No it wasn't a joke, it was a comment on Bryson's hiking style and what I thought of it and yes, I'd do it again if he writes another AT book.
I read the book with no more preconceived notion than it would include hiking and the Appalachian Trail. I wasn’t disappointed. I was let down by his light hearted - too forgiving, I thought - view of his friend littering all over the trail.
This is a tough readership. Most people don’t hike. Most hikers don’t attempt a Thru-Hike. Most Thru-Hike attempts are aborted.
Two thoughts occurred early on, that this book wasn’t written for experienced hikers, and there weren’t enough pages left to cover the entire trail at the rate he was going.
I thought the book would attract many more faintly interested hikers than experienced hikers. The book’s charm, for me, was capturing the shock experienced by a mature non-hiker coming into contact with some of the unadvertised aspects of hiking and nature. The tale of his Thru-Hike attempt started when he left his keyboard or turned off his television the last time; it didn’t start at a trail terminus.
Perhaps my worse littering has been above the timberline where I built rock carns to guide the hikers and laid out little rock paths to guide hikers away from the alpine zone.
I'm sure most can see the difference between cairns that keep people on the trail and safe and an obvious LNT violation to express an opinion.
Re-reading your post I do wonder (unless of course you were with a sanctioned trail building crew in which case I apologize) what would happen if we all started building cairns and little rock paths above the treeline...
I'm not trying to start a fight or be confrontational, I'm just stating my opinions on how the backcountry should be free of as much human "contamination" as possible. :)
I'm sure most can see the difference between cairns that keep people on the trail and safe and an obvious LNT violation to express an opinion.
Re-reading your post I do wonder (unless of course you were with a sanctioned trail building crew in which case I apologize) what would happen if we all started building cairns and little rock paths above the treeline...
I'm not trying to start a fight or be confrontational, I'm just stating my opinions on how the backcountry should be free of as much human "contamination" as possible. :)
I can appreciate your love of the wilderness and desire to leave it alone. There are about 100 members of the Maine Applachian Trail Club who actually maintain the trail and if we didn't clear blowdowns, build bog bridges, construct carns, put up signs, and especially paint white blazes hikers would have a hard time finding their way after they left New Hampshire. If we all started building little rock parhs above the treeline to keep hikers out of fragile alpine zones it would make the few of us that do it have an easierjob, it is very hard work. Every trail maintainer is responsable for his or her own section and if you ever get to maine you will appreciate what we do. I asume from your attitude you have never hiked any distance on the AT or you would have a greater appreciation for our spoiling the wilderness with signs, paint, rock paths etc. Also it is a respected custom for thru hikers to often leave notes for fellow hikers along the trail and at trail heads. Things like, "Blister, I'm going into Erwin, I'll be at Miss Janets" or "caution*Wasp nest ahead,20 feet". Those little signs are picked up or evaporate in time. If you want a place with no human signs go to central Greenland, but don't expect to find no human traces on the AT.
Viking (US)
04-23-2006, 21:50
Speaking as someone who would almost certainly have died (or at least been really embarrassed) on several mountains in Maine without the rock cairns to point out the way through the rain and fog, I'd just like to thank Moxie00 and all the maintainers for all their hard work. Seriously, it can't be done enough.
:sun
Back to AWITW, I'd read some Bill Bryson before it came out and he uses the same narrative voice for all his books: that of a put upon, arrogant yet out of his depth Englishman (even though he was born and raised in Des Moines). It helps me to think of John Cleese's voice while reading.
I really only have one beef with the book, in the middle part where he basically just goes driving around. He goes looking for the Superfund sight outside Palmerton in PA and makes it seem like there's a big ominous X-filey conspiracy to keep it hidden from the public. But it's a HUGE FREAKING MOUNTAIN THAT LOOMS RIGHT OVER THE TOWN!!!! Jeez.
orangebug
04-24-2006, 06:57
I haven't listened to AWITW, but have heard Bryson's rendition of a Sunburned Country - regarding Australia. I even tried to listen to his Brief History of the Universe.
Use John Cleese's voice as you read him. It is much better.
BTW, I liked AWITW, and have been given at least 3 copies over the years. It is most ironic that he has made more money than all other AT journalists over the years, but he has also introduced the gold mine in out back yard to many Americans.
I wasn't going to buy his book, and didn't. I don't remember exactly why, I think I had some preconcieved notions about what a person can and can't say about the AT. Wrong!!! But, one of my best friends (a non-hiker) gave me a copy and went on and on about how funny it was. I read it, laughed at much of it, was offended by some of it.
Since then I have grown a little weary of non-hiking friends wanting to talk about the AT based on it.
The one thing that still really bothers me is the very last paragraph of the book when he says, "...and I don't care what anybody says. We hiked the Appalachian Trail." He knew he would cause controversy, especially in the AT community. Why the parting shot?
He could have just as easily ended the book with all the things he said he'd seen and gained in the few paragraphs before.
I read it and liked a lot. He's a novelist. Novelists write books for profit. That book probably made him enough money for him to retire off of if he wanted too. Regardless of anyone's preconceived notions of why novelists write books, that was a slam dunk success. And I can only believe that the book has inspired thousands of people who most probably would have never given the AT a second thought to try to check out the trail, even if it was only a day hike while renting a chalet in Gatlinburg on family vacation. I can't see how that's all bad. Who cares if he's a thru-hiker? J.K Rowland probably isn't a wizard either.
I've read AWITW twice now (we have some long winters in these parts) and laughed my arse off twice. Some people just take the trail too seriously. This book shows the humorous side to it all, and hardships too (for some).
The one thing that still really bothers me is the very last paragraph of the book when he says, "...and I don't care what anybody says. We hiked the Appalachian Trail." He knew he would cause controversy, especially in the AT community. Why the parting shot? I took it as he intended to explore what the AT had to offer and figures he did just that. He figures he got the flavor of the AT without diong every mile of it.
Sort of the way one might say he hiked the Grand Canyon, even though he did not set foot on evey inch of every trail.
It is good to remember that WB and thruhikers do not look at the trail the way an ordinary (normal?) person might. I think that most of the population would not take issue with his statemetn.
The fact that he begins with, "I don't care what anyone says" tells me Bryson did get something out of his experience. He hiked enough and mingled enough that he understood thruhikers might indeed take exception to the statement (as lots of us do).
About the only thing in teh book that offended me was the cavalier treatment of Katz's tossing food and gear all over the trail. But when I read the book, I had not yet hiked in GA in march/April. From all the crap I saw on the trail and especially in the shelters, Bryson wasn't that far off. I guess maybe he must have hiked at least some trail in GA.
About the only thing in teh book that offended me was the cavalier treatment of Katz's tossing food and gear all over the trail. But when I read the book, I had not yet hiked in GA in march/April. From all the crap I saw on the trail and especially in the shelters, Bryson wasn't that far off. I guess maybe he must have hiked at least some trail in GA.
I don't speak with any real knowledge of Bryson and Katz but I was on the trail in Maine when he hiked here and I checked the registration cards at Rainbow Springs in North Carolina where he stayed. No registration card for Katz. I also talked with people Bryson refered to in the book, Quite frankly I don't think Katz ever existed. No one remenmbers Katz and there is no record of him. I don't know it but I think Katz was Brysons imaginary alter ego. I think every stupid thing Bryson did like throwing away food he simply blamed on his imaginary friend Katz, I'll bet Bryson got lost in the 100 mile wilderness and quickly blamed Katz. Many people remember an inexperienced guy with a slight British acent but I have yet to meet anyone who remembers a klutz named Katz. Did anyone on Whiteblaze actually ever see Katz? I think I have read the book three times and loved it. Bryson was in many ways a jerk in the eyes of us serious hikers but he is a very talanted and extremely funny jerk.
Skidsteer
04-24-2006, 19:52
Bryson was in many ways a jerk in the eyes of us serious hikers but he is a very talanted and extremely funny jerk.
A not altogether unfair description of many "serious hikers".;)
I don't speak with any real knowledge of Bryson and Katz but I was on the trail in Maine when he hiked here and I checked the registration cards at Rainbow Springs in North Carolina where he stayed. No registration card for Katz. I also talked with people Bryson refered to in the book, Quite frankly I don't think Katz ever existed. No one remenmbers Katz and there is no record of him. I don't know it but I think Katz was Brysons imaginary alter ego. I think every stupid thing Bryson did like throwing away food he simply blamed on his imaginary friend Katz, I'll bet Bryson got lost in the 100 mile wilderness and quickly blamed Katz. Many people remember an inexperienced guy with a slight British acent but I have yet to meet anyone who remembers a klutz named Katz. Did anyone on Whiteblaze actually ever see Katz? I think I have read the book three times and loved it. Bryson was in many ways a jerk in the eyes of us serious hikers but he is a very talanted and extremely funny jerk.Katz could easily have been imaginary, not necessarily so Bryson could blame him for what Bryson himself did, but to "model" behavior he saw on the trail and to provide a person who could provide a different viewpoint.
It is a common writing and theatrical device. Just about every hero needs a sidekick. Think of all the western heroes you know. All had a sidekick. Private eyes like Spenser had Hawk. If nothing else, it prevents the author from using long monologues.
Do you know what year Bryson hiked then? Did he do it over a couple of years? It would have had to be at least three years before the book was published, I would think, to allow for writing, revising and at least 18 months to get the finished manuscript edited, printed, and into the bookstores.
A not altogether unfair description of many "serious hikers".;)
Hey, I resemble that remark! :D
I read it and liked a lot. He's a novelist. Novelists write books for profit. That book probably made him enough money for him to retire off of if he wanted too. Regardless of anyone's preconceived notions of why novelists write books, that was a slam dunk success. And I can only believe that the book has inspired thousands of people who most probably would have never given the AT a second thought to try to check out the trail, even if it was only a day hike while renting a chalet in Gatlinburg on family vacation. I can't see how that's all bad. Who cares if he's a thru-hiker? J.K Rowland probably isn't a wizard either.
Well, for starters. Bill Bryson is not a novelist, but a travel writer. He's also a very skilled professional writer, who has written some great things over the years.
A Walk in the Woods is not among his best efforts, but it probably made him the most money. Such is life. Mediocracy tends to beat quality, every time, and the mediocre never seem to notice.
Weary
greentick
04-24-2006, 23:11
... Such is life. Mediocracy tends to beat quality, every time, and the mediocre never seem to notice.
Weary
"Mediocre people are always at their best."
I think Colin Powell said something to that effect. I bought the book on the review of a friend and have read parts aloud to my wife and kids. Got some real good laughs. OTOH, I have to agree with the aforementioned t-shirt and was somewhat disappointed when he gave up.
I heard they were making a movie of the book starring Robert Redfors and Paul Newman. Any truth to that rumor.
I heard they were making a movie of the book starring Robert Redfors and Paul Newman. Any truth to that rumor.
Not a rumor, but not a movie yet either. I hope they make it, with federal funds drying up, the trail needs a influx of new interest.
cannonball
04-25-2006, 15:50
Personally I identified with Katz a great deal.
Jack Tarlin
04-25-2006, 16:43
The LAST thing the Trail needs is more people, Sly.
Been thru the Smokies lately? Believe me, the facilities are in bad enough shape already. Thousands more folks every spring would be a disaster.
The "influx of interest" you mention does NOT necessarily mean more funds or maintenance for the Trail. An influx of interest mainly means more people on a Trail that is already loved to death in many places.
The LAST thing the Trail needs is more people, Sly.
Been thru the Smokies lately? Believe me, the facilities are in bad enough shape already. Thousands more folks every spring would be a disaster.
Jack you take the most visited National Park in the country and make an example. Yes, I have been through the Smokies several times since '97, the latest last summer and haven't noticed any appreciable degradation.
According to the stats the number of thru-hikers is going down. Not everyone that sees the movie (if there ever is one) is going to thru-hike, but the interest has to increase. If you haven't noticed even the ATC has changed direction trying to increase membership. Certainly a movie about the trail can't hurt.
Actually, if the movie does a decent job portraying Katz, maybe usage would go down.
Personally I identified with Katz a great deal.
A figment of someone's imagination? :-?
Actually, if the movie does a decent job portraying Katz, maybe usage would go down.
Well, whatever way they portray Katz there'll be some that want to save the trail for whoever*.
*Whover that is?
Cuppa Joe
04-26-2006, 07:09
In my mind's eye I thnk the person to play Katz should be Jack Black :) To me he would just fit that role perfectly!
the mediocre never seem to notice.
WearyYou don't know how funny this is!!!! :D
Skidsteer
04-26-2006, 08:18
In my mind's eye I thnk the person to play Katz should be Jack Black :) To me he would just fit that role perfectly!
http://www.devilducky.com/media/4752/ (http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/4752/)
:D Go to this page and click on the link directly underneath the "Lord of the C*** Rings" title. Fans of LOTR and Jack Black will love it. "PG13" or thereabouts
In my mind, the person who I actually pictured as "Stephen Katz" is the actor who played the bungling computer engineer in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park. That's the guy I saw in my mind flinging stuff on the approach trail, flirting with the big woman at the laundromat, etc. Jack Black doesn't appear to be "Jewish enough" to play the guy with the last name "Katz".
In my mind, the person who I actually pictured as "Stephen Katz" is the actor who played the bungling computer engineer in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park.
Also had a part in Seinfeld. What's his name :?
Skidsteer
04-30-2006, 17:53
Also had a part in Seinfeld. What's his name :?
Yeah, he'd be good. I can't remember his name either.
Wardrobe might have to make him a custom pack, though.:eek:
Chef2000
04-30-2006, 18:27
NEWMAN!!!!!
also played bumbling barney fife type cop On Third Rock From the Sun, who scored with the hot female alien.
Wayne Knight is his name, and I can't agree more that he would make a great Katz. George Wendt, Norm from Cheers, would also make a good one.
What about Kramer from Seinfeld, he stumbles alot. And the nomination for Katz goes to....................
The greatest Katz of all would have been W.C. Fields.
I was thinking Curly (3 Stooges).
SGT Rock
04-30-2006, 22:33
I've always pictured John Goodman.
Rain Man
05-01-2006, 14:10
NEWMAN!!!!! also played bumbling barney fife type cop O...
Wayne Knight is a great actor, but of the two I'd like John Goodman more in the role of Katz.
And remember, there is a mean Barney Fife-type character in the book, at the closed zinc smelting plant in PA.
Rain:sunMan
.
Footslogger
05-01-2006, 14:21
The greatest Katz of all would have been W.C. Fields.
=============================
John Candy would have run a close second ...
'Slogger
QHShowoman
05-01-2006, 15:08
I always envisioned John Goodman to play Katz and the guy who play Al Borland on "Home Improvement" to play Bryson. If Chris Farley were still alive, he'd be a good Katz as well.
in 04 we were building cairnes from NC on....seems like people would drop off a rock as we went along and we would add one as we went thru too...
oh and i am not sure if the quote was given correctly or not, but that spot to me sounds more like the climb now into NOC before the last shelter...i fell there...was pretty sweet...right after the 12 puds
Skidsteer
05-01-2006, 18:26
=============================
John Candy would have run a close second ...
'Slogger
Second, hell! That's brilliant. He would have been perfect!
Another custom pack, though.:rolleyes:
Footslogger
05-01-2006, 18:38
Second, hell! That's brilliant. He would have been perfect!
Another custom pack, though.:rolleyes:
===================================
You're probably right. Remember him in Uncle Buck ??
'Slogger
Skidsteer
05-01-2006, 19:02
===================================
You're probably right. Remember him in Uncle Buck ??
'Slogger
Yep. And Splash. After about 30 seconds of racquetball with Tom Hanks He stumbles to a cooler stashed in a corner of the court, lifts the lid and asks( gasping for breath ), " So, you want a beer?"
Priceless.:D
Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie) from Lampoons Vacation, along with John Candy and Chevy Chase, would be a good one.
Try to picture the cast of "The Blues Brothers" doing "A walk in the Woods". Dan as Bryson, he would have pulled it off. John B. could play a very beliveable Katz, Carrie Fisher would be a little thin for Mary Ellen but what the heck. Ray Charles could be the rent a cop in Pa. and Cab Calloway could have played Keith Shaw. No car chase through a shopping center but they could pull off enough trail screw ups to make a great movie.
Skidsteer
05-01-2006, 22:16
Try to picture the cast of "The Blues Brothers" doing "A walk in the Woods". Dan as Bryson, he would have pulled it off. John B. could play a very beliveable Katz, Carrie Fisher would be a little thin for Mary Ellen but what the heck. Ray Charles could be the rent a cop in Pa. and Cab Calloway could have played Keith Shaw. No car chase through a shopping center but they could pull off enough trail screw ups to make a great movie.
Bryson/Ackroyd: " I think we missed a blaze."
......Katz/Belushi: " Is that serious?"
:cool:
Cookerhiker
05-02-2006, 21:08
Well I don't watch much TV or movies but I still think Drew Carey would make a good Katz.
mooseboy
05-17-2006, 21:28
I'm an actor and section-hiker (about 300 mi. so far & counting)-- have always pictured Paul Giammati as the Bryson character (he's got that warm but curmudeony quality), but couldn't think of a decent Katz till recently, when I was Philip Seymour Hoffman's stand-in for 6 weeks.
I think Hoffman would make an excellent Katz, and he & Giammati would make a great team, if you want to cast really talented actors in the roles and not necessarily go for a completely comic/campy adaptation.
All the names put forth here are intriguing, though. The real question is, Would "A Walk in the Woods" really work as a movie?
Bellagio
05-30-2010, 09:38
I don't speak with any real knowledge of Bryson and Katz but I was on the trail in Maine when he hiked here and I checked the registration cards at Rainbow Springs in North Carolina where he stayed. No registration card for Katz. I also talked with people Bryson refered to in the book, Quite frankly I don't think Katz ever existed. No one remenmbers Katz and there is no record of him. I don't know it but I think Katz was Brysons imaginary alter ego. I think every stupid thing Bryson did like throwing away food he simply blamed on his imaginary friend Katz, I'll bet Bryson got lost in the 100 mile wilderness and quickly blamed Katz. Many people remember an inexperienced guy with a slight British acent but I have yet to meet anyone who remembers a klutz named Katz. Did anyone on Whiteblaze actually ever see Katz? I think I have read the book three times and loved it. Bryson was in many ways a jerk in the eyes of us serious hikers but he is a very talanted and extremely funny jerk.
There's an outstanding reason why no-one named Katz is registered - that's not his real name. The guy's real name is Matt Angerer, and he does exist. In fact, when he had some medical problems some years back, Bryson paid his bills.
There's an outstanding reason why no-one named Katz is registered - that's not his real name. The guy's real name is Matt Angerer, and he does exist. In fact, when he had some medical problems some years back, Bryson paid his bills.
wow. 4 years since that post you replied to and since this thread has been active. it is a funny book. i re-read it every couple of years.
welcome to whiteblaze. :welcome
Bellagio
05-30-2010, 10:04
I'll fess up right off, I'm not a hiker (not in this kind of class, anyway): only came across this forum because I was doing some online research for a possible Bryson biography, and felt I had to right a small, probably insignificant, wrong. Katz/Angerer was even interviewed for a UK TV profile of Bryson a few years ago - and yes, he's not a small guy. :D
Bellagio
05-30-2010, 10:06
And thanks for the welcome - most civilized and appreciated. :)
And thanks for the welcome - most civilized and appreciated. :)
most here are welcoming and civilized. the hiker 'community' or whatever is usually a friendly bunch, spirited debates and all. :cool:
most here are welcoming and civilized. the hiker 'community' or whatever is usually a friendly bunch, spirited debates and all. :cool:
even most of the cyber hikers. ;)
Toolshed
05-30-2010, 10:28
And thanks for the welcome - most civilized and appreciated. :)
Welcome aboard Bellagio..... Some of us knew and liked Bryson's books even before he set foot on the AT. Others are bitter that he wrote about it (and made a fortune) without completing the AT and still others are displeased with the groundswell of people that started hiking the AT after his book seemed to open it up to to mainstream America.
Surplusman
05-30-2010, 17:34
I don't speak with any real knowledge of Bryson and Katz but I was on the trail in Maine when he hiked here and I checked the registration cards at Rainbow Springs in North Carolina where he stayed. No registration card for Katz. I also talked with people Bryson refered to in the book, Quite frankly I don't think Katz ever existed. No one remenmbers Katz and there is no record of him. I don't know it but I think Katz was Brysons imaginary alter ego. I think every stupid thing Bryson did like throwing away food he simply blamed on his imaginary friend Katz, I'll bet Bryson got lost in the 100 mile wilderness and quickly blamed Katz. Many people remember an inexperienced guy with a slight British acent but I have yet to meet anyone who remembers a klutz named Katz. Did anyone on Whiteblaze actually ever see Katz? I think I have read the book three times and loved it. Bryson was in many ways a jerk in the eyes of us serious hikers but he is a very talanted and extremely funny jerk.
Katz's real name is Matt Angerer.
Cowgirl Heart
05-30-2010, 18:41
Exactly! Just finished reading the first 90 pages today.
Welcome aboard Bellagio..... Some of us knew and liked Bryson's books even before he set foot on the AT. Others are bitter that he wrote about it (and made a fortune) without completing the AT and still others are displeased with the groundswell of people that started hiking the AT after his book seemed to open it up to to mainstream America.
And a few of us recognized that Bryson is a skilled writer, who wrote a very popular and comical book about a failed hike on a trail he basically disliked. Our problem with the book is that it is mostly a fictional account about a trail the author disliked so much that he was never really able to experience the trail or the diverse hiking community that uses the trail.
I've spent decades hiking and working on the Appalachian Trail. The trail Bryson describes is not a trail I ever saw or experienced.
Weary
Brushy Sage
05-30-2010, 19:45
I agree with you, Weary. Another problem I have with the book is that it has fueled a false understanding of the AT, one that is widespread. It's rare when I mention the AT in public, that no one asks me if I have read A Walk in the Woods -- because they liked it so much.
Lone Wolf
05-30-2010, 21:51
And a few of us recognized that Bryson is a skilled writer, who wrote a very popular and comical book about a failed hike on a trail he basically disliked. Our problem with the book is that it is mostly a fictional account about a trail the author disliked so much that he was never really able to experience the trail or the diverse hiking community that uses the trail.
I've spent decades hiking and working on the Appalachian Trail. The trail Bryson describes is not a trail I ever saw or experienced.
Weary
a "failed" hike? it was his hike and what he wrote about was factual. you, weary, hiked the trail once, long before bryson. you have no say
I didn't think his hike was a "failed hike".
Panzer
I didn't think his hike was a "failed hike".
Panzer
Agreed.
Most of us mouth the words "Hike your own hike" but don't really mean it. I think that Bryson intended to write a book about hiking the AT, attempted a thruhike, and decided it wasn't for him.
His book was a hoot. My sig. line comes from it - THAT part of the book was believable to me. I really believed Bryson enjoyed hiking. The camping and all of the (to him, apparantly) inferior people, plus the monotony (to a city bred man with a stomach that "resembled a ball-bag") of the long hike just wasn't for him.
And Jack, he probably is a "Candy Ass" :D.
You were his neighbor, so to speak.
Sierra Echo
05-30-2010, 23:30
I have been thinking about getting this book.
Is it worth the money?
earlyriser26
05-30-2010, 23:31
I loved the book. The start when the one hiker was throwing heavy "sh**" was very funny. We have all been there.
I have been thinking about getting this book.
Is it worth the money?
yes. very entertainin. if spending money is an issue, check it out at the library of find a used copy at amazon or elsewhere.
I have been reading all the anti-Bryson posts, and I am so disappointed that 'true thru hikers' are so condescending without thinking of all the aspects of this book.
Many years ago, about ten actually, I read this book around the same time as doing my first end to end on the Bibbulmun Track in Australia. It inspired me to research the AT and finally next year I get to make my own attempt.
I never for one moment thought Bryson was writing a history book, but it was a jolly good read, and certainly got my curiosity going. C'mon all you hikers, each to his own, live and let live!!!! Or are you all jealous that he made money from telling HIS story!
BigFoot2002
05-31-2010, 07:57
His descriptions of buying gear and of his first day on the trail I found especially funny. I went on to read a lot more of his books and enjoyed his humor in those too. Did you read his book on his Australian trip Allwen?
jersey joe
05-31-2010, 08:07
I didn't think his hike was a "failed hike".
Panzer
I don't think it was a failed hike either. But it was a failed thru hike. I was a bit disappointed when I got to the part where he skipped ahead on the trail, and even moreso when he day hiked with a car up north. Loved the book though.
Sierra Echo
05-31-2010, 08:46
yes. very entertainin. if spending money is an issue, check it out at the library of find a used copy at amazon or elsewhere.
Spending money isn't an issue. I would just hate to drop $15 on a book that sucks! :D
Blue Jay
05-31-2010, 09:17
C'mon all you hikers, each to his own, live and let live!!!! Or are you all jealous that he made money from telling HIS story!
My problem with Mr. Bryson is the fact that he made millions and never gave dime one to any organization that supports the Trail. In fact I've seen interviews where he gets very angry when asked about this subject. As Lone Wolf has pointed out, he is in no way required to do so, however I believe this says much about Mr. Bryson. I liked the book very much and I believe by bringing people from around the world to the Trail it has been a major benefit. IMO Mr Bryson himself is a slime ball.
Rain Man
05-31-2010, 09:27
The book is well worth the money. And can be got extremely cheap at sites such as www.alibris.com.
From the OP--
Anyway the way he describes this particular part of the trail as a two feet wide path, with a vertical cliff going up on one side and a drop off on the other. ... For anyone that read the book this happens right about the time they ran into the snow storm.
I section hiked through there in '04 or so. I had to take a major temporary uphill detour flagged through the woods south of Licklog Gap. I was told or read later that a big chunk of hillside had slid down the mountain, wiping out a place where the Konnarock crew had drilled into the rock to attach logs with rebar for a footpath along the "cliff face."
I never saw it, but imagined that could be where Bryson was describing just such a location. It seemed to be the right locale.
Rain:sunMan
.
Lone Wolf
05-31-2010, 10:14
My problem with Mr. Bryson is the fact that he made millions and never gave dime one to any organization that supports the Trail. IMO Mr Bryson himself is a slime ball.
how do you know that he never gave a dime to the ATC or other organizations? the fact is you don't know
Blue Jay
05-31-2010, 10:42
how do you know that he never gave a dime to the ATC or other organizations? the fact is you don't know
He is very very open about that fact. At least twice he has ended interviews when the subject is brought up.
My problem with Mr. Bryson is the fact that he made millions and never gave dime one to any organization that supports the Trail.
That shouldn't be a problem.
Panzer
That shouldn't be a problem.
Panzer
i'm sure he gave more to the federal government than most here
Lone Wolf
05-31-2010, 12:41
He is very very open about that fact. At least twice he has ended interviews when the subject is brought up.
open about what fact? the fact it's no one's business if he gives or not? you still don't know
I don't think it was a failed hike either. But it was a failed thru hike. I was a bit disappointed when I got to the part where he skipped ahead on the trail, and even moreso when he day hiked with a car up north. Loved the book though.
My point exactly.
Uncle Cranky
06-01-2010, 00:55
Mr. Bryson made his money the old fashion way...he earned it using his gifts and talents.
No one, that I am aware of, was forced to either purchase or read the product of his talents so I see no crime being committed deserving of censure or detraction.
I do believe that the only persons who need to know how Mr. Bryson spends his money and who he deems to give it to as charity are his accountant and the tax man.
Nor do I believe Mr. Bryon, in any way, is under even a moral obligation to provide one farthing of his legitimate earnings for trail upkeep for the mere act of setting his boot on any portion of the trail.
Having stated my case I would like to recommend you read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
Toolshed
06-01-2010, 06:36
And a few of us recognized that Bryson is a skilled writer, who wrote a very popular and comical book about a failed hike on a trail he basically disliked. ....I've spent decades hiking and working on the Appalachian Trail. The trail Bryson describes is not a trail I ever saw or experienced.
Weary
Bryson made it pretty clear that he hike a section of trail and realized that he didn't really want to do this day in and day out. He got a taste of what it was really like - much more so than the average American. First and foremost, he is a funny writer, not a thru-hiker or gear junky or trail maintainer or whoever else fantasizes year after year about the trail. Keeping this in mind, I think it was a pretty successful hike.
My problem with Mr. Bryson is the fact that he made millions and never gave dime one to any organization that supports the Trail. ..... IMO Mr Bryson himself is a slime ball.
Blue Jay summed up one of the major problems with this country right now. YOU MADE MONEY!! HOW DARE YOU NOT GIVE IT BACK!!! It's Bryson's money Blue Jay and none of any one's business how he spends (or doesn't spend it).
double d
06-01-2010, 07:59
We should keep in mind that Bryson is a professional writer (especially on subjects dealing with travel) and a very talented one at that. Like any book, there were sections that I liked and dislike about his observations of the AT, but it was his thoughts on paper, not mine. I have to say that I got tired of his witty stereotypes of other people he met or expected to meet on the AT (such as Southern folks and his endless complaining about his buddy Katz), but hey, its just a book and its just my opinion and if I'm not mistaken, the book is about 15 years old now (he wrote it in the mid-late 1990's). One thing that I always notice when I travel is that his book is still being sold at airport bookstores.
Bryson made it pretty clear that he hike a section of trail and realized that he didn't really want to do this day in and day out. He got a taste of what it was really like - much more so than the average American. First and foremost, he is a funny writer, not a thru-hiker or gear junky or trail maintainer or whoever else fantasizes year after year about the trail. Keeping this in mind, I think it was a pretty successful hike.
Blue Jay summed up one of the major problems with this country right now. YOU MADE MONEY!! HOW DARE YOU NOT GIVE IT BACK!!! It's Bryson's money Blue Jay and none of any one's business how he spends (or doesn't spend it).
as i recall he did 800 miles total, but whatever it was, i am sure he logged many more miles than many of the wb packsniffers. kudos to bryson for doing it his way, telling a funny tale, and making money at it
jersey joe
06-01-2010, 09:22
I have no problem with Bryson not giving anything to the ATC, if he in fact didn't give any money. I don't agree with expecting a gift. If someone thinks that people who use the trail should be required to pay, argue for a toll along the AT. But don't expect a gift.
berkshirebirder
06-01-2010, 09:23
[Bryson] is very very open about that fact. At least twice he has ended interviews when the subject is brought up. --Blue Jay
Yes, it's hard to believe there are people who choose not to reveal every private detail about their lives to the public, including what causes they do or do not support financially. How dare they?
Does everyone who writes about the Trail "owe" it something? Every hiker?
..... Blue Jay summed up one of the major problems with this country right now. YOU MADE MONEY!! HOW DARE YOU NOT GIVE IT BACK!!! It's Bryson's money Blue Jay and none of any one's business how he spends (or doesn't spend it).
Just as Bryson has a perfect right to not contribute to the volunteer effort that helped him make a lot of money, we have a perfect right to chide him for not doing so. It's known as freedom of speech.
If anyone would like to make a small contribution in Bill's behalf -- or your own behalf -- just open www.matc.org, or www.matlt.org, or the ATC website. All three organizations need funds.
Weary
Lone Wolf
06-01-2010, 10:36
Just as Bryson has a perfect right to not contribute to the volunteer effort that helped him make a lot of money, we have a perfect right to chide him for not doing so. It's known as freedom of speech.
how do you know he never contributed to the ATC.? produce a document
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 11:20
I don't know about documents, but several senior people (i.e. folks who'd be in a position to know) at the A.T.C. have confirmed to me that if Mr. Bryson ever gave anything back to the Trail thru this organization, then he chose to do it anonymously.
In short, the statement that Bryson has never chosen to publicly help out the Trail financially is probably a true one. If he chose to do so privately, well good for him. There's nothing wrong with quiet philanthropy. And if he chose to do nothing, well that's his choice, too. There may well be other charities that he's chosen to support that we know nothing about. At the end of the day, it's his business.
how do you know he never contributed to the ATC.? produce a document
We would have to shut down White Blaze if we required every comment to be based on verifiable truths. I've seen accounts of Bryson's charitable giving. There was no mention of the trail. If he wanted to still the comments, he need only produce a document telling us whether his giving involves the AT.
The trail remains a fragile institution always in need of more resources than anyone seems willing to offer. So I keep plugging away at urging donations.
Weary www.matlt.org, www.matc.org
Lone Wolf
06-01-2010, 11:50
I don't know about documents, but several senior people (i.e. folks who'd be in a position to know) at the A.T.C. have confirmed to me that if Mr. Bryson ever gave anything back to the Trail thru this organization, then he chose to do it anonymously.
it's very unprofessional and inappropriate of "folks in the position to know" at the ATC to give out any info like that.
fredmugs
06-01-2010, 11:54
Mr. Bryson made his money the old fashion way...he earned it using his gifts and talents.
No one, that I am aware of, was forced to either purchase or read the product of his talents so I see no crime being committed deserving of censure or detraction.
I do believe that the only persons who need to know how Mr. Bryson spends his money and who he deems to give it to as charity are his accountant and the tax man.
Nor do I believe Mr. Bryon, in any way, is under even a moral obligation to provide one farthing of his legitimate earnings for trail upkeep for the mere act of setting his boot on any portion of the trail.
Having stated my case I would like to recommend you read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
I agree with your points completely BUT since, in my opinion, the book is based on a lie I recommend that you NOT read it. It is advertised as a book about hiking the AT yet Mr. Bryson spends at least half of the book constantly complaining about the federal government in general and the NPS specifically. Neither really has anything to do with the trail.
It's in my Top 5 worst books I have even read. Right up there with Moby Dick and the two books I read by Dan Brown.
it's very unprofessional and inappropriate of "folks in the position to know" at the ATC to give out any info like that.
and even it was an in-confidence slip up (not excusable), it definitely should not be broadcast on a open forum
It's in my Top 5 worst books I have even read. Right up there with Moby Dick and the two books I read by Dan Brown.I simply cannot imagine how anyone with any interest in hiking could find this to be one of the Top 5 worst books they'd read. Unless they had a severe case of elitism, perhaps.
I don't know about documents, but several senior people (i.e. folks who'd be in a position to know) at the A.T.C. have confirmed to me that if Mr. Bryson ever gave anything back to the Trail thru this organization, then he chose to do it anonymously.
it's very unprofessional and inappropriate of "folks in the position to know" at the ATC to give out any info like that.
and even it was an in-confidence slip up (not excusable), it definitely should not be broadcast on a open forum
I am dumbfounded by this reported failure to keep confidential information regarding contributors confidential. This is potentially very damaging to the ATC and to Mr. Bryson. The ATC should be notified about a possible leak and, if true, should take appropriate action.
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 13:35
The last few comments are utterly ridiculous.
When it comes to the Appalachian Trail, Bill Bryson is a celebrity and is a public figure. If the ATC announced that President Obama hadn't made a public contribution to the organization, would this be a breach of confidence or trust? What about elected officials from Maryland or West Virginia?
When people make significant donations to the ATC, this is information is publicly shared and has been for years. (If you doubt this, all you need do is check out any issue of their magazine, where these donors are publicly named for all to see, there's nothing remotely secretive about it. And those who wish for their gifts to be private or anonymous always have this wish honored).
But for someone to say "To my knowledge this individual has not made a public donation" is hardly a breach of trust; it's a simple statement of fact about a public figure.
People like Wolf and Tin Man need to count to ten and calm down. They're making a fuss over nothing.
It's in my Top 5 worst books I have even read. Right up there with Moby Dick and the two books I read by Dan Brown.
You know what they say about opinions...
The last few comments are utterly ridiculous.
When it comes to the Appalachian Trail, Bill Bryson is a celebrity and is a public figure. If the ATC announced that President Obama hadn't made a public contribution to the organization, would this be a breach of confidence or trust? What about elected officials from Maryland or West Virginia?
When people make significant donations to the ATC, this is information is publicly shared and has been for years. (If you doubt this, all you need do is check out any issue of their magazine, where these donors are publicly named for all to see, there's nothing remotely secretive about it. And those who wish for their gifts to be private or anonymous always have this wish honored).
But for someone to say "To my knowledge this individual has not made a public donation" is hardly a breach of trust; it's a simple statement of fact about a public figure.
People like Wolf and Tin Man need to count to ten and calm down. They're making a fuss over nothing.
bs. if a non-profit organization has a confidential donation policy, the only reply can be 'no comment' when asked about whether someone is a donor or not. (i'm sure the law has something to say about large donations over a certain amt or percent of donations, but let's no go there.) let's follow your comment about mr. bryson to a logical conclusion. maybe he didn't donate as you suggested you were told. well, what if mr. bryson subsequently decides to make an anonymous donation, what would the reply be then if you asked again?? 'no comment' would then imply he did donate since before it was said he didn't when the reply was 'no'. that would break the confidentiality agreement. i don't care who said what, non-profits should not talk about individuals donors (or non-donors) and that information should not be posted on public board such as this.
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 14:54
Non profits list their major donors/contributors all the time, as has been previously pointed out.
Donors who wish to give anonymously can do so, and will have their wishes honored. The ATC does this all the time., and Tin Man knows this.
When public figures donate money to causes, organizations, politicians, whatever, it is not at all unusual for this information to become public.
People whose knickers are in a twist over this should calm themselves. It's a non-issue.
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 14:56
Tin Man: If Mr. Bryson did indeed wish to subsequently make an anonymous contribution to the ATC or other hiking organization, I have no doubt whatsoever that his wish would be honored, same as anyone else.
And your point was.......?
I don't know about documents, but several senior people (i.e. folks who'd be in a position to know) at the A.T.C. have confirmed to me that if Mr. Bryson ever gave anything back to the Trail thru this organization, then he chose to do it anonymously.
after re-reading what you said earlier, i may have taken the anonymous part out of context. my apologies.
still, sharing donor information should be left to press releases and publications as a matter of public record, not giving it out to the public at large (no matter how large that person may think he is :))
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 15:17
I don't understand the problem, TM. If an organization lists major donors and contributors in their publications, then this info is out there for all the world to know and see.
It is obviously "public" knowledge and information.
Unless someone has specifically asked that their philanthropy be private and anonymous, I can't see why talking about a public figure's contribution is any different than listing it in a public record or publication.
Mr. Bryson is a very public figure when it comes to the Appalachian Trail. Unless he specifically requested that his donations or contributions stay anonymous, then I can't see that the ATC did anything wrong here. And, as he is a public figure, if he hasn't made any contributions, well it's certainly OK to mention that, too.
The statement that "If he's made any contributions, they've been done anonymously" is hardly a breach of trust or privacy. It's merely a statement of fact about a public person, or at least it was at the time the statement was made. It's really not worth getting upset about, either here or anywhere else.
The newsletters I put out, list everyone who donates to our local land trust, and to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. We don't list the amount donated to the land trust. Just the names. We do list both the names and the amounts given to MATC by categories, $250 or more, $150 to $250, etc.
We've found that more people contribute when contributors are publicly listed, than when they aren't. Yes, you can also donate under "anonymous." but very few do so. Most are proud to have contributed to the trails and wild places they love.
I've never expected Bill Bryson to contribute to the trail. Reading his book makes it clear he loves neither the trail, not the kind of people he imagines use the trail.
I say "imagines" because the book makes it clear that Bryson never seriously interacted with trail users. The people he mentions are mostly imagined stereotypes.
Weary
I've never expected Bill Bryson to contribute to the trail. Reading his book makes it clear he loves neither the trail, not the kind of people he imagines use the trail.
I say "imagines" because the book makes it clear that Bryson never seriously interacted with trail users. The people he mentions are mostly imagined stereotypes.
Weary
and all the derogatory comments and candy ass shirts regarding mr. bryson and his hike certainly help to counter those images and stereotypes. :rolleyes:
Lone Wolf
06-01-2010, 15:45
and all the derogatory comments and candy ass shirts regarding mr. bryson and his hike certainly help to counter those images and stereotypes. :rolleyes:
it is ironic
Jack Tarlin
06-01-2010, 15:47
"All of the candy ass shirts?"
Um, I actually know of ONE such article of clothing. It's not like you see them everywhere, TM.
Once again, you are creating big issues out of very little substance.
And that comment on that one item of apparel, by the way, was based on a studied examination of Mr. Bryson as a hiker, i.e. it's based on his own words and his own account of his travels on the A.T.
I assure you the description on the shirt was generous. :D
flemdawg1
06-01-2010, 16:11
Isn't the candy #$$ comment based on a quote in the book by the hiker chic that joined them in GA?
I have no problem with Bryson not giving anything to the ATC, if he in fact didn't give any money. I don't agree with expecting a gift. ...
Yea, I agree with your thinking JJ.
Panzer
I have no problem with Bryson not giving anything to the ATC, if he in fact didn't give any money. I don't agree with expecting a gift. If someone thinks that people who use the trail should be required to pay, argue for a toll along the AT. But don't expect a gift.
The simple fact is that Congress voted big bucks to protect and restore a rapidly disappearing trail three decades ago after ATC and trail clubs promised that they did not expect large annual appropriations by the federal government. The trail still exists because of the expectation of private gifts of both volunteer work and dollars.
Those who use the trail and profess to love the trail, but who do not contribute to the best of their abilities, are either ignorant of the facts, or basically free loaders.
There's no magic source of needed funds. Dollars are either contributed, or much needed work doesn't get done.
Weary
Blue Jay
06-01-2010, 17:51
My problem with Mr. Bryson is the fact that he made millions and never gave dime one to any organization that supports the Trail. In fact I've seen interviews where he gets very angry when asked about this subject. As Lone Wolf has pointed out, he is in no way required to do so, however I believe this says much about Mr. Bryson. I liked the book very much and I believe by bringing people from around the world to the Trail it has been a major benefit. IMO Mr Bryson himself is a slime ball.
I thought I'd quote myself as Mr. Toolshed might want to reread it. There are light years of difference between "he is no way required to do so" and "YOU MADE MONEY, NOW GIVE IT BACK. How is a jump like that "civilized"? I like the book, I do not like the author in any way.
Blue Jay
06-01-2010, 17:54
The simple fact is that Congress voted big bucks to protect and restore a rapidly disappearing trail three decades ago after ATC and trail clubs promised that they did not expect large annual appropriations by the federal government. The trail still exists because of the expectation of private gifts of both volunteer work and dollars.
Those who use the trail and profess to love the trail, but who do not contribute to the best of their abilities, are either ignorant of the facts, or basically free loaders.
There's no magic source of needed funds. Dollars are either contributed, or much needed work doesn't get done.
Weary
As usual Weary explains these things sooooooo much better than I do.
berkshirebirder
06-01-2010, 18:12
...by bringing people from around the world to the Trail it has been a major benefit. --BlueJay
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
Isn't the candy #$$ comment based on a quote in the book by the hiker chic that joined them in GA?
maybe so, but so what. when writing a humorous tale, humor is often invoked, including poking fun at oneself. to extrapolate one such line and wear it on a shirt for over 10 years, is not meant to be humorous, . in fact, it is meant to degrade and detract from the author and his accomplishment - to write a funny travelogue for profit... imagine that. :rolleyes:
parading that one comment around on a shirt all these years speaks more of the character of the person wearing it than the person who originally included it in a book. :D
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
they will never leave him alone. statue of limitations never runs out on jealously and false sense of outrage.
Skidsteer
06-01-2010, 18:35
...and I believe by bringing people from around the world to the Trail it has been a major benefit.
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
No. People are pissed because he caused overcrowding on the trail too. :p
brotheral
06-01-2010, 18:35
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
I certainly agree with you !! I loved the book and it sparked a very healthy curiosity in myself and countless others.
Blue Jay
06-01-2010, 18:36
they will never leave him alone. statue of limitations never runs out on jealously and false sense of outrage.
Yes, old Bill is crying in his beer. He cares so much about our opinions.:banana
Pedaling Fool
06-01-2010, 18:57
No. People are pissed because he caused overcrowding on the trail too. :p
I know this was said in jest, but made me realize that the "conventional wisdom" is that Bill Bryson did a disservice to the AT, because he caused it to be overrun by many ("...caused irreparable damage to the trail...", as I've heard some say). But (I don't know) maybe in the end this was a good thing. I wonder how much the ATC and various clubs have profited from this influx.
No. People are pissed because he caused overcrowding on the trail too. :p
Not me. It's the only truly useful thing the book did -- aside from giving chuckles to a lot of armchair athletes who cheered him for "exposing" the alleged hypocrisy of trail supporters. Not that Bryson really caused any trail overcrowding. But a few got off their butts and attempted hiking. An absolutely good thing.
I spend my time, these days, encouraging people to get off their asses and out into the real world.
The book presents a pretty bizarre look at the trail and the trail community. But it did get a few to think about leaving their couches.
Weary
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
yea, we should. People from all over the world read the book and you see people from all over the world on the trail. That has to help the trail service providers at least a little bit.
2 weeks ago I did a 8 day section hike in New Jersey and met a man from Norway, another from South Africa (Spring Jumper) and another from Germany.
Panzer
Toolshed
06-01-2010, 20:04
I thought I'd quote myself as Mr. Toolshed might want to reread it. There are light years of difference between "he is no way required to do so" and "YOU MADE MONEY, NOW GIVE IT BACK. How is a jump like that "civilized"? I like the book, I do not like the author in any way.
Calling someone a slimeball because of, and saying that you have a problem with, the fact that they made millions and didn't give a dime back is a pretty clear indicator.....
Dance around the fine lines BlueJay, but the intent is still there.....:rolleyes:
Lone Wolf
06-01-2010, 21:12
Well then, can't we consider this Mr. Bryson's contribution to the Trail and leave him alone?
even IF bill didn't give a dime, he brought 100s if not 1000s to the AT that give Lots of $$$ to the ATC now
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]Yes, old Bill is crying in his beer. He cares so much about our opinions.:banana
you are so clever that you miss the whole point :rolleyes:
Sierra Echo
06-01-2010, 21:24
I can see both sides of the discussion. I think I will get the book and read
it on my hike inn vacation.
jersey joe
06-01-2010, 22:36
The simple fact is that Congress voted big bucks to protect and restore a rapidly disappearing trail three decades ago after ATC and trail clubs promised that they did not expect large annual appropriations by the federal government. The trail still exists because of the expectation of private gifts of both volunteer work and dollars.
Those who use the trail and profess to love the trail, but who do not contribute to the best of their abilities, are either ignorant of the facts, or basically free loaders.
There's no magic source of needed funds. Dollars are either contributed, or much needed work doesn't get done.
Weary
I think it is great that people give to the ATC and other organizations but I will maintain that no one should be expected to give a gift, even Bryson.
Jack Tarlin
06-03-2010, 13:31
Actually, Tin Man, the "candy-ass" shirt was indeed meant to invoke humor and to poke fun, and that's how it's been taken by hundreds of people who have seen it over the years. I can't even count all the people who wanted to know where they could buy one......I guess they all have questionable characters, too. Were my character truly flawed, tho, I would've made 20,000 bucks marketing the damned thing. :D
I can think of only a tiny handful of dour, humorless people over the years who found the shirt "degrading" in any way.
Bill Bryson's book was also meant to invoke humor and it pokes fun at all sorts of people, Tin Man (i.e. not just the author!), same as in all his other books. He's pretty much an equal opportunity mocker, at least when it comes to making sport of rural people, poor people, Southern people, people with bad teeth, people who drive old cars, you name it. Fact is, when it comes to treating people with derision, TM, Bryson's a lot better at it (and has made a ton of money from it, too!) than I could possibly be.
Incidentally, a quick perusal of several dictionary sites describes a "Candy-ass" as a "weak, ineffectual person, a wimp or a sissy."
Sounds about right to me.
Bryson's own book includes several accounts of his trail contemporaries and fellow hikers speaking of him in precisely such a light.
So calm yourself, TM. Describing him in such fashion is neither a novel concept nor a surprising one.
But if you wish to become the spokesperson of some sort of Candy-ass anti-defamation league, well by all means have at it.
After all, one should go where one is comfortable.
max patch
06-03-2010, 14:11
[QUOTE=Jack Tarlin;1019700]l Were my character truly flawed, tho, I would've made 20,000 bucks marketing the damned thing. :D
[/QUOTE
$20,020 - I'd buy one.
The irony is one funny book that uses people's attitudes to bring out humor has brought out the Ugly Hiker attitude in spades. Now future writers will have more material to profit from at the expense of hikers. Nice work. :rolleyes:
I look forward to the next great, funny AT adventure read. :)
When I bought it at an Airport BookStore, I found it interesting, funny and it was the first time I realized you could hike a long trail like the AT or PCT in one go. And for that I'll always be grateful. However, I tried reading it again a few months ago after I hiked the PCT and found that I had changed and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I once did. I guess my prespective had changed and that made a difference.
When I bought it at an Airport BookStore, I found it interesting, funny and it was the first time I realized you could hike a long trail like the AT or PCT in one go. And for that I'll always be grateful. However, I tried reading it again a few months ago after I hiked the PCT and found that I had changed and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I once did. I guess my prespective had changed and that made a difference.
don't make the same mistake many others have by looking for too much meaning that was never intended. it is a light-hearted travelogue, nothing more. :cool:
don't make the same mistake many others have by looking for too much meaning that was never intended. it is a light-hearted travelogue, nothing more. :cool:
When "A Walk..." came out I wrote a review that called it a bit of "summer fluff," and was bitterly attacked for not properly appreciating a great writer.
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]When "A Walk..." came out I wrote a review that called it a bit of "summer fluff," and was bitterly attacked for not properly appreciating a great writer.
a reviewer writes negative things about a book, then gets his feelings hurt when someone writes negative things about his review. go figure... :-?
Blue Jay
06-03-2010, 23:15
a reviewer writes negative things about a book, then gets his feelings hurt when someone writes negative things about his review. go figure... :-?
Actually you're the only one in this entire thread who keeps heaping on the drama, go figure...:-?
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]Actually you're the only one in this entire thread who keeps heaping on the drama, go figure...:-?
wrong again slick... bryson wrote a book over 10 years ago, the drama has been all over wb for years - jealous and hateful critics need to give it a rest, don't ya think?
bumblebee99
06-04-2010, 02:51
Back to a post a few pages ago that no one commented on.... Paul Giamatti is EXACTLY who I pictured while reading, but with a slightly lighter beard/hair color. Just thought I'd share that in the midst of the donation heat :)
don't make the same mistake many others have by looking for too much meaning that was never intended. it is a light-hearted travelogue, nothing more. :cool:
It was also appropriately for sale in the airport bookstore. That's how I've always described the book: A pleasant read to kill time on a 3 hr or so flight.
Considering this book came out over 10 yrs ago and people still talk about 'that book' by 'that guy'....he had to do something right. :)
(Though many people, even non-backpackers, feel that the beginning and end of the book are the best parts. The middle seems like contract filling material and aren't as interesting).
I wasn't going to buy his book, and didn't. I don't remember exactly why, I think I had some preconcieved notions about what a person can and can't say about the AT. Wrong!!! But, one of my best friends (a non-hiker) gave me a copy and went on and on about how funny it was. I read it, laughed at much of it, was offended by some of it.
Since then I have grown a little weary of non-hiking friends wanting to talk about the AT based on it.
The one thing that still really bothers me is the very last paragraph of the book when he says, "...and I don't care what anybody says. We hiked the Appalachian Trail." He knew he would cause controversy, especially in the AT community. Why the parting shot?
He could have just as easily ended the book with all the things he said he'd seen and gained in the few paragraphs before.Can't see why this would upset you. He felt that for his effort and time spent hiking on the AT, he was satisfied that he had hiked enough of it to feel he had accomplished and experienced what he had set out to do. I thought his book was very good. Lots of funny parts where I laughed, and interesting enough for a very good read.
max patch
06-04-2010, 10:16
It was also appropriately for sale in the airport bookstore.
What blew me away was seeing it for sale when it first came out in Costco. Costco! Of course I'd never heard of Bryson until this book.
double d
06-04-2010, 10:46
My opinion: its just a book! Bryson has written numerous books and on many topics, but who cares? I really thought the first 50 pages were very good, but I got tired of his endless complaints (bad weather, Southern people, Eastern Tennessee red necks, shuttle drivers, fat-middle age people, young people in general, thru hikers, gadget geeks, expensive gear manufactors he didn't want to but from even though the guy's got money to spend, his feet, his tent, his backpack, his boots, the bad food he ate each day, etc.-get my point?) and when I finished reading it (over 10 years ago) I put it next to my other books and moved on. I really never thought (my opinion) the book was really that "great", but some did and thats cool. But to talk about his book this long-some people call that a "disorder"!!!! and I gues I got it because why am I still writing about the guy?
My opinion: its just a book! Bryson has written numerous books and on many topics, but who cares? I really thought the first 50 pages were very good, but I got tired of his endless complaints (bad weather, Southern people, Eastern Tennessee red necks, shuttle drivers, fat-middle age people, young people in general, thru hikers, gadget geeks, expensive gear manufactors he didn't want to but from even though the guy's got money to spend, his feet, his tent, his backpack, his boots, the bad food he ate each day, etc.-get my point?) and when I finished reading it (over 10 years ago) I put it next to my other books and moved on. I really never thought (my opinion) the book was really that "great", but some did and thats cool. But to talk about his book this long-some people call that a "disorder"!!!! and I gues I got it because why am I still writing about the guy?
it's only a disorder when you get the t-shirt. :D
Jack Tarlin
06-04-2010, 12:32
Tin Man: Putting a "smiley face" on your repetitive, sad, whiny posts doesn't make them lightheated or "meant in jest"...... nor does it make them any less sad, whiny, or repetitive. You really need to give it a rest.
Like I said....instead of boring us here with your posts, why not actually go to work for that defense league for candy-asses like I recently suggested.
They'd hire you in a heart-beat, your credentials certainly seem in order.
I don't care what was said before...but from this point forward, try to keep the back and forth arguing to PMs. Thanks! Any further back and forth arguing posts will be edited with a series of dancing bananas....
:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana: banana:banana:banana
:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana: banana:banana
Jack Tarlin
06-04-2010, 12:52
:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana: banana:banana:banana
Ah Tinman. I was just agreeing with your contention that the book is just "a light hearted travelogue." My review called it "a bit of summer fluff."
Though I have to admit the book has lasted much longer than I expected, probably because it is the only "light hearted travelogue/summer fluff" yet to be written about the Appalachian Trail.
The Old Fhart
06-04-2010, 13:25
Bill Bryson wrote a book about the A.T.
Like all books it has high and low points.
Most readers take it as a light-hearted read.
Some take it personal for unknown reasons
and have declared Jihad against it. Get a life.
Sierra Echo
06-04-2010, 13:29
LOL Old Fhart! Every hobby/lifestyles has to have its condescending snobs. Hiking is no different.
Rain Man
06-04-2010, 15:27
Well said!
Bill Bryson wrote a book about the A.T.
Like all books it has high and low points.
Most readers take it as a light-hearted read.
Some take it personal for unknown reasons
and have declared Jihad against it. Get a life.
Bill Bryson wrote a book about the A.T.
Like all books it has high and low points.
Most readers take it as a light-hearted read.
Some take it personal for unknown reasons
and have declared Jihad against it. Get a life.
Great recap and this is all that's left to be said. The thread is past ready for closure. :cool:
No it isn't. It has to be left open so someone 4 or 5 years from now can revive it yet again and we can see if opinions have shifted.
No it isn't. It has to be left open so someone 4 or 5 years from now can revive it yet again and we can see if opinions have shifted.
uh yeah, good luck with that
double d
06-04-2010, 19:26
No it isn't. It has to be left open so someone 4 or 5 years from now can revive it yet again and we can see if opinions have shifted.
Kind of like my old 1970's album collection, about every 4-5 years I notice it's still in my closet and I shift it around to make room for other "things"!!!! Great post Miner.
Blue Jay
06-04-2010, 20:58
Bill Bryson wrote a book about the A.T.
Like all books it has high and low points.
Most readers take it as a light-hearted read.
Some take it personal for unknown reasons
and have declared Jihad against it. Get a life.
:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana (The Jihad was FOR it, no one reads anymore).
TrailSquirrel
06-04-2010, 23:47
It was an intersting and entertaining book, I had the audio version, which unforuanetly was abridged.
Hes written the only good book on the AT that I've gotten my hands on and I've read quite a few books on the AT and I think they all suck. I don't understand why people are so bitter about it. If you're gunna be upset, be upset that there going to be a big hollywood motion picture on the AT soon.
Pedaling Fool
06-25-2010, 11:18
Hes written the only good book on the AT that I've gotten my hands on and I've read quite a few books on the AT and I think they all suck. I don't understand why people are so bitter about it. If you're gunna be upset, be upset that there going to be a big hollywood motion picture on the AT soon.
Are you over-compensating for all the anti-bryson people out there? I'm no anti-bryson guy, I basically agree with you, except not to the same degree. "Hes written the only good book on the AT..." Really!?! Who else have you read? Ever read Model-T?
BTW, I get the impression that the picture isn't going to happen. I couldn't care less, just my impression.
BTW, I get the impression that the picture isn't going to happen. I couldn't care less, just my impression.
hiking is interesting. Watching someone else hike is boring. That's why I don't think they will make a movie about hiking the AT.
Panzer
Maybe I was exaggerating about his book being the only good one but there are a lot of crappy AT books. I've never read Model-T's book... I think I met him once at Neel's Gap or Hiawassee. Some people discovered the AT from reading th book and I think that aggravates some hikers.
I always wondered if the Mull's motel owners hate him.
The movie is posted on IMDB now and there was talk about it in that Winton Porter article in Backpacker. Who knows? Its still "In Development".
Philetus
06-26-2010, 00:13
I guess that I’m the only person here who actually agrees with big parts of the book.
I love the Trail, but I don’t know if there has ever been a day on any long-distance hike anywhere when the thought, “Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?” didn’t go through my head.
I’ve lived my entire life in Georgia and both Carolinas, and I’ve met a lot of the people he denigrates. A lot of them deserve to be denigrated. There’s a lot of stupid, backward-ass people up in dem hills. I know; I’m related to a lot of them. Rude, but true.
In May, I saw four or five piles of food, clothes and equipment sitting beside the Trail over our first two days. I’m pretty certain that Katz didn’t come back just to leave those sitting there. I met a few guys who were at least as inept as Bryson at his worst (including one kid who came out with two bookbags – one worn on his back, and the other on his front – with all cotton clothing, no means of cooking, no sleeping bag or tent and a deep-seated knowledge that “God had put [him] on the trail, and would protect [him] from any bears on Blood Mountain.” I tried to point out to him that somebody put the bears there for a reason too.)
And, if you believe Bryson’s math that he hiked 800 miles (There are people on this thread that don’t believe anything he’s written. You’ve made your point. Thanks for that), then I’ve got to believe he’s walked a heck of a lot more of the Trail than a lot of extremely knowledgeable, or at least extremely opinionated, posters on here. I know he’s walked more of it than I have so far.
What I think is interesting is that a lot of this thread seems to be the “thru-hikers are gods, and everyone else is a packsniffer” mentality that can be seen throughout a lot of Whiteblaze. I love that the ATC doesn’t differentiate between thru-hikers and section hikers when it comes to 2000-milers, but the community damn sure does. Even when I started putting together a plan to complete a hike, I didn’t consider a thru-hike. I love the Trail, I’ve always loved the Southern Apps, and I enjoy hiking. But I also really enjoy my life, and I love my wife deeply, and I don’t have any desire to leave either for five months at a time, even if work/school/money allowed me to. Guess that’s always going to kind of make me a second-class citizen on here. Such is life.
But I think that’s part of the vitriol directed at Bryson: that he dared to attempt a thru-hike and then gave up. He must suck at life, 800 miles be damned. As someone pointed out, “A Walk in the Woods” is the only book about *not* completing a thru-hike. That, to me, is what actually makes it a compelling read. Not just a travelogue, or a bit of summer fluff, but an interesting look into what makes Bryson tick. I’ve read a lot of inspiring tales, but to see the mentality of someone who genuinely wants to be able to do something, and then must make the conscious decision to quit, acknowledging that he isn’t able to do what those around him can do… That is unusual, and compelling.
Personally, I’m a “hike your own hike” fan, and I’m a section hiker, and I’ve given up on things that were emotionally devastating to admit that I couldn’t do. Guess I just have more in common with Bryson than most people here.
I'm a Bryson fan, too.
Hiking virtuosity is not the same thing as writing virtuosity. He may not be a hard-core hiker, but he is a heckuva writer. Some of the phrases he wrote in AWITW come back to me often. Every time I drive from the flatlands to the Smokies, I remember his sentence, "The Smokies don't so much rise up as rear up like startled beasts."
I think it was pretty funny how he described Hiawassee... You shouldn't be surprised if you pull into a gas station and find that your gas is being pumped by a cyclops. I have family there and its not that strange anymore but it was very different a decade or so ago. LOL
And It also has a lot of history in it and lots of startling environmental facts that are actually quite depressing.
Different Socks
06-27-2010, 00:21
Bryson's book is a great read! Folks don't need to take everything so literally. There is a slice of truth to most everything he wrote.
Can the same be said for Eric Ryback and the 2 books he wrote about (supposedly) doing the PCT and CDT?
Sarcasm the elf
06-27-2010, 02:20
I guess that I’m the only person here who actually agrees with big parts of the book.
I love the Trail, but I don’t know if there has ever been a day on any long-distance hike anywhere when the thought, “Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?” didn’t go through my head.
I’ve lived my entire life in Georgia and both Carolinas, and I’ve met a lot of the people he denigrates. A lot of them deserve to be denigrated. There’s a lot of stupid, backward-ass people up in dem hills. I know; I’m related to a lot of them. Rude, but true.
In May, I saw four or five piles of food, clothes and equipment sitting beside the Trail over our first two days. I’m pretty certain that Katz didn’t come back just to leave those sitting there. I met a few guys who were at least as inept as Bryson at his worst (including one kid who came out with two bookbags – one worn on his back, and the other on his front – with all cotton clothing, no means of cooking, no sleeping bag or tent and a deep-seated knowledge that “God had put [him] on the trail, and would protect [him] from any bears on Blood Mountain.” I tried to point out to him that somebody put the bears there for a reason too.)
And, if you believe Bryson’s math that he hiked 800 miles (There are people on this thread that don’t believe anything he’s written. You’ve made your point. Thanks for that), then I’ve got to believe he’s walked a heck of a lot more of the Trail than a lot of extremely knowledgeable, or at least extremely opinionated, posters on here. I know he’s walked more of it than I have so far.
What I think is interesting is that a lot of this thread seems to be the “thru-hikers are gods, and everyone else is a packsniffer” mentality that can be seen throughout a lot of Whiteblaze. I love that the ATC doesn’t differentiate between thru-hikers and section hikers when it comes to 2000-milers, but the community damn sure does. Even when I started putting together a plan to complete a hike, I didn’t consider a thru-hike. I love the Trail, I’ve always loved the Southern Apps, and I enjoy hiking. But I also really enjoy my life, and I love my wife deeply, and I don’t have any desire to leave either for five months at a time, even if work/school/money allowed me to. Guess that’s always going to kind of make me a second-class citizen on here. Such is life.
But I think that’s part of the vitriol directed at Bryson: that he dared to attempt a thru-hike and then gave up. He must suck at life, 800 miles be damned. As someone pointed out, “A Walk in the Woods” is the only book about *not* completing a thru-hike. That, to me, is what actually makes it a compelling read. Not just a travelogue, or a bit of summer fluff, but an interesting look into what makes Bryson tick. I’ve read a lot of inspiring tales, but to see the mentality of someone who genuinely wants to be able to do something, and then must make the conscious decision to quit, acknowledging that he isn’t able to do what those around him can do… That is unusual, and compelling.
Personally, I’m a “hike your own hike” fan, and I’m a section hiker, and I’ve given up on things that were emotionally devastating to admit that I couldn’t do. Guess I just have more in common with Bryson than most people here.
Philetus, Agreed! I couldn't have summarized it better myself. I was surprised when I saw how harshly some people wrote about Bryson on this thread. I've read his book twice and have always thought it was a great tongue-in-cheek look at someone trying to enter into trail life.
On the subject of “thru-hikers are gods, and everyone else is a packsniffer” I've been hiking since I was a kid and have to say that my opinions of the people I have met on the trail is often very different from my opinion of people who post on WB.
In defense of those who post here I like to think that all of us tend to exaggerate our own opinions when uploading them from the safety of our home computers. If everyone on the trail was this opinionated in person I think that most of us would start trying to hike in more remote locations:D.
I guess that I’m the only person here who actually agrees with big parts of the book.
I love the Trail, but I don’t know if there has ever been a day on any long-distance hike anywhere when the thought, “Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?” didn’t go through my head.
I’ve lived my entire life in Georgia and both Carolinas, and I’ve met a lot of the people he denigrates. A lot of them deserve to be denigrated. There’s a lot of stupid, backward-ass people up in dem hills. I know; I’m related to a lot of them. Rude, but true.
In May, I saw four or five piles of food, clothes and equipment sitting beside the Trail over our first two days. I’m pretty certain that Katz didn’t come back just to leave those sitting there. I met a few guys who were at least as inept as Bryson at his worst (including one kid who came out with two bookbags – one worn on his back, and the other on his front – with all cotton clothing, no means of cooking, no sleeping bag or tent and a deep-seated knowledge that “God had put [him] on the trail, and would protect [him] from any bears on Blood Mountain.” I tried to point out to him that somebody put the bears there for a reason too.)
And, if you believe Bryson’s math that he hiked 800 miles (There are people on this thread that don’t believe anything he’s written. You’ve made your point. Thanks for that), then I’ve got to believe he’s walked a heck of a lot more of the Trail than a lot of extremely knowledgeable, or at least extremely opinionated, posters on here. I know he’s walked more of it than I have so far.
What I think is interesting is that a lot of this thread seems to be the “thru-hikers are gods, and everyone else is a packsniffer” mentality that can be seen throughout a lot of Whiteblaze. I love that the ATC doesn’t differentiate between thru-hikers and section hikers when it comes to 2000-milers, but the community damn sure does. Even when I started putting together a plan to complete a hike, I didn’t consider a thru-hike. I love the Trail, I’ve always loved the Southern Apps, and I enjoy hiking. But I also really enjoy my life, and I love my wife deeply, and I don’t have any desire to leave either for five months at a time, even if work/school/money allowed me to. Guess that’s always going to kind of make me a second-class citizen on here. Such is life.
But I think that’s part of the vitriol directed at Bryson: that he dared to attempt a thru-hike and then gave up. He must suck at life, 800 miles be damned. As someone pointed out, “A Walk in the Woods” is the only book about *not* completing a thru-hike. That, to me, is what actually makes it a compelling read. Not just a travelogue, or a bit of summer fluff, but an interesting look into what makes Bryson tick. I’ve read a lot of inspiring tales, but to see the mentality of someone who genuinely wants to be able to do something, and then must make the conscious decision to quit, acknowledging that he isn’t able to do what those around him can do… That is unusual, and compelling.
Personally, I’m a “hike your own hike” fan, and I’m a section hiker, and I’ve given up on things that were emotionally devastating to admit that I couldn’t do. Guess I just have more in common with Bryson than most people here.
Well put, I completely agree.
Blue Jay
06-28-2010, 08:33
I guess that I’m the only person here who actually agrees with big parts of the book.
What I think is interesting is that a lot of this thread seems to be the “thru-hikers are gods, and everyone else is a packsniffer” mentality that can be seen throughout a lot of Whiteblaze.
No, actually large parts of the book are the best writing about the AT ever put to page. I and others have praised the book often. I have never heard thru-hikes even remoterly refered to as gods, however they are often refered to with respect. No thread that I have read (and I miss quite a few) has called a Flash (F long a section hiker) or standard weekly section hiker who is honestly attempting to do the whole trail, a packsniffer. Packsniffers are people who day hike with an occasional overnight and then get on the computer and give advise about things they know nothing about. Hope this clears it up for you.
Rain Man
06-28-2010, 09:41
Philetus, well said. I am a Bryson fan too. I'm plowing through two AT books right now (I received as Fathers Day gifts), and compared to Bryson, they are fairly pitiful as far as entertainment and information I didn't already know.
Bryson's book did go downhill once he abandoned his hike, but still, at 800 miles he has hiked more of the AT than I have so far (just barely) and far, far more than most lazy Americans.
I only give the guy his due. He's neither an AT god nor do I need to tear him down to build myself up. His AT book is great (but not the only great one).
Rain:sunMan
.
Is it just me, or do all the AT books seem to go downhill about midway through them? I certainly haven't read them all - would like to know which ones you think are the most complete.
When I read Walk in the Woods several years back, I was just getting interested in the AT and was so excited to be reading a book about a thru hike, that I was completely disappointed with it when it became something else. Now, I don't think I would care as much about what is or is not in the book with regard to the trail, but might be able to focus more on the themes.
flemdawg1
06-28-2010, 13:56
Quick Question: What hostel was BB referring to in GA?
Cookerhiker
06-28-2010, 14:36
Quick Question: What hostel was BB referring to in GA?
Didn't consult my book - relying on memory.
He didn't stay at a hostel in GA but he referred to Neel Gap having a hostel and I believe he used the shower there but then moved on hoping to ditch Mary Ellen but she caught up with them.
The only off-trail night he spent in GA was Mull's Motel in Hiawassee.
But I think that’s part of the vitriol directed at Bryson: that he dared to attempt a thru-hike and then gave up. He must suck at life, 800 miles be damned.
The worst attack I ever saw on Bryson was at one of the Gatherings in Hanover. When it was announced that Bryson was supposed to speak at one of the meetings so many people stood up and said that they would shout him down when he came to give his speech. The board had to call Bryson and tell him. He declined to come and talk. This despite he lives in Hanover.
Panzer
The Old Fhart
06-28-2010, 19:09
Panzer1-"The worst attack I ever saw on Bryson was at one of the Gatherings in Hanover. When it was announced that Bryson was supposed to speak at one of the meetings so many people stood up and said that they would shout him down when he came to give his speech. The board had to call Bryson and tell him. He declined to come and talk. This despite he lives in Hanover."A couple of things need clarifying. First, he was in Australia during the Gathering (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=685536&postcount=254) according to the referenced link so he couldn’t make it. Second, I believe he moved back to England a few of years ago so he no longer lives in Hanover.
The Gathering where he was going to speak, was, I believe, in 1997 in Hanover and I attended that meeting. Some of the same people who attended that session and were frothing at the mouth about AWITW back then, even though some hadn't even read the book, are still rabid about the book now. Pretty sad.
I also loose interest in a lot of AT books midway through. I was just given As Far As The Eye can See by a friend and read it cover to cover in two days... Good AT book in my opinion.
For the record I liked a Walk in the Woods, quit on a thru attempt, and have "hiked the Appalachian Trail".
Pretty sad.
yea, it was ALDHA's lowest point. :(
Panzer
Lemni Skate
06-28-2010, 22:15
Best line is something like this:
"What are the odds? There are only two men in the world who would [have sex with] her, and we're both in the same town."
I think about that every time I think of Waynesboro, and that's pretty often because I don't live to far away.
Cookerhiker
06-28-2010, 22:26
A couple of things need clarifying. First, he was in Australia during the Gathering (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=685536&postcount=254)according to the referenced link so he couldn’t make it. Second, I believe he moved back to England a few of years ago so he no longer lives in Hanover.
The Gathering where he was going to speak, was, I believe, in 1997 in Hanover and I attended that meeting. Some of the same people who attended that session and were frothing at the mouth about AWITW back then, even though some hadn't even read the book, are still rabid about the book now. Pretty sad.
I've got a hardcover first edition of his book which was copyrighted in 1998 so I don't think it was the '97 Gathering. He only did his hike in '96 so he wouldn't have have finished the book and done all the marketing by '97.
Bryson is mentioned in the fall 1999 ALDHA newsletter:
http://www.aldha.org/newsletr/fall99.pdf
Bill Bryson
We have invited author Bill Bryson, a
resident of Hanover, to walk over and join
us Sunday afternoon for an informal discussion
of his book, “A Walk in the
Woods.”
Panzer
The Old Fhart
06-29-2010, 07:12
Cookerhiker-"I've got a hardcover first edition of his book which was copyrighted in 1998 so I don't think it was the '97 Gathering."
Panzer1-"Bryson is mentioned in the fall 1999 ALDHA newsletter:"It was 1999, not 1997, I wasn't sure when I posted. The point being that from 1999 to the present is a long time for some posters to still be that upset about a book.
Rain Man
06-29-2010, 09:38
The worst attack I ever saw on Bryson was at one of the Gatherings in Hanover. When it was announced that Bryson was supposed to speak at one of the meetings so many people stood up and said that they would shout him down when he came to give his speech.
QUERY: I've been encouraged more than once to attend an ALDHA gathering. Why would I want to do such a thing, if this is the quality (or total lack thereof) of any folks at ALDHA gatherings?
This doesn't besmirch Bryson, it besmirches ALDHA much more.
Rain Man
.
Cookerhiker
06-29-2010, 09:45
I only started attending ALDHA Gatherings in '07 and have been every year since. Just in those 3 years, I find the program gets more varied and interesting each year with several presentations/workshops to choose from. Presentations include hiking trails from all around the world. And of course you get to meet your fellow AT and hiking afficianados.
berkshirebirder
06-29-2010, 10:01
The ALDHA meeting was a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG time ago. A Walk in the Woods had been published recently. It would be interesting to know more about how it was received back then. I'm guessing some felt certain portrayals would irritate townspeople in the South and make life even more difficult for long-distance hikers. Hikers who were too self-important to laugh at themselves (but who often parody "tourons" and "townies") probably hated the book.
It's just a book--an entertaining one, in my opinion.
The worst attack I ever saw on Bryson was at one of the Gatherings in Hanover. When it was announced that Bryson was supposed to speak at one of the meetings so many people stood up and said that they would shout him down when he came to give his speech. The board had to call Bryson and tell him. He declined to come and talk. This despite he lives in Hanover.
Panzer
That story simply is not even remotely true. I was there. I heard no one even hint that they would shout him down. Rather we sat chatting for an hour waiting for him to show. I vaguely remember later hearing that he was away at the time.
He certainly would have faced some questioning. If someone in the Gathering hierarchy persuaded him not to come, they were foolish to do so. It would have been mostly a friendly audience. At one point I thought I was the only one close to being shouted down, for having the temerity to suggest possible sensible questions that should be asked.
The most serious White Blaze attack dealing with "A Walk in the Woods" comes from Bryson lovers, who can't stand even a hint of criticism about their beloved book.
Weary
Sierra Echo
07-07-2010, 13:40
Ok. I started reading this book Sunday. In the book Bryson talks about
a town in PA that everyone was moved out of because of all the fires that were raging under the city. Is that true??
Hikes in Rain
07-07-2010, 13:45
You betcha! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania) <== clickable link
Sierra Echo
07-07-2010, 13:49
You betcha! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania) <== clickable link
Thank you, Hikes in Rain!
Thats amazing. I want to go see it, but with my luck I would fall through
the ground. Its like a modern day ghost town. Give it a years and someone will build an amusement park there!
That story simply is not even remotely true. I was there. I heard no one even hint that they would shout him down. Rather we sat chatting for an hour waiting for him to show. I vaguely remember later hearing that he was away at the time.
Weary, if you were "there" and didn't hear that then you weren't in the same place I was at.
Panzer
the goat
07-07-2010, 15:08
QUERY: I've been encouraged more than once to attend an ALDHA gathering. Why would I want to do such a thing, if this is the quality (or total lack thereof) of any folks at ALDHA gatherings?
This doesn't besmirch Bryson, it besmirches ALDHA much more.
Rain Man
you're right.
it's probably best that you form an opinion of an entire organization, with hundreds of members, based on an anecdote from one person about what some people allegedly said they might do when posed with a hypothetical speaking engagement that never happened in the first place.:rolleyes:
you're right.
it's probably best that you form an opinion of an entire organization, with hundreds of members, based on an anecdote from one person about what some people allegedly said they might do when posed with a hypothetical speaking engagement that never happened in the first place.:rolleyes:
Eh, I find it believable. Ever go read the Amazon.com reviews for A Walk in the Woods? A goodly number of those reviews are filled with righteous rage that Bryson (1)didn't do a thru-hike (2)poked fun at some Southerners and people on the trail(after reading Just Passin' Thru I'm inclined to think at least one or two of those portrayals are accurate) (3)used "junior high school language" and (4)Littered.
Of those 4 I'd say that only the last one is worth getting worked up over.
The Old Fhart
07-08-2010, 07:08
Bucherm-"......I'm inclined to think at least one or two of those portrayals are accurate) (3)used "junior high school language" and (4)Littered.
Of those 4 I'd say that only the last one is worth getting worked up over."If you actually read the book you will see that nowhere does Bryson say HE littered the trail. When he asks Katz where stuff is, it is Katz who said "flung it" and Bryson wasn't even there when the alleged flinging happened. If you take the account to be true then you are directing your indignation at the wrong person.
As to the "high school language" comment, a more accurate interpretation would be that the book was very readable and not erudite. AWITW critics are apparently getting upset and/or rabid because of prose style.
If you actually read the book you will see that nowhere does Bryson say HE littered the trail. When he asks Katz where stuff is, it is Katz who said "flung it" and Bryson wasn't even there when the alleged flinging happened. If you take the account to be true then you are directing your indignation at the wrong person.
I thought it was generally understood that this was a work of fiction based on his hike not an autobiographical account of his hike.
The Old Fhart
07-08-2010, 08:10
Ashman-"I thought it was generally understood that this was a work of fiction based on his hike not an autobiographical account of his hike."If you accept that AWITW is a work of fiction then people are complaining that Bryson is describing a fictional event where another character in the fiction, not Bryson, littered the trail. So they are bent out of shape over a second hand fictional event.:D
I know some of the events are true (well maybe embellished some for effect) because I was at Rainbow Springs Campground in 2000 when Jensine Crossman was discussing Bryson's register entry (and another from a hiker from Ohio) and showed me the entry in the 1996 register. Another WB member was there in 1996 during the storm and met Bryson and "Katz" so a least good part of the book is based on fact.
General Fireball
07-08-2010, 08:43
It's always seemed to me that AWITW generates such controversy because it's an irreverent book about something most of us revere--the AT. And sure, it's an idiosyncratic, biased take on one guy's very unprepared attempt to hike the Trail. It's a totally incomplete view of the AT, for sure, but I also thought it was funny as hell, and in the end, very pro-hiking and pro-AT. If you were looking for a fair, balanced, comprehensive overview, I think you picked up the wrong book. But because it's probably the biggest-selling book ever written about the AT, it gets the headlines.
Pedaling Fool
07-08-2010, 09:34
Geeez.....it's just a book:rolleyes:
Weary, if you were "there" and didn't hear that then you weren't in the same place I was at.
Panzer
Had anyone said they were going to shout Bryson down had he attempted to speak, that person would have been shouted down. As I was when I quietly voiced some criticism.
There were persons there who wanted to ask some tough questions. A lot of people recognized that the book was mostly fiction, designed to amuse, rather than enlighten. But overall I found the audience much friendlier than I had expected.
Weary
Sierra Echo
07-08-2010, 10:31
I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get this going again! :D
Bryson is a pretty good writer if you're in the mood for some fluff. I've read several of his books and he can be amusing.
Proust or Dickens he is not.
If you actually read the book you will see that nowhere does Bryson say HE littered the trail. When he asks Katz where stuff is, it is Katz who said "flung it" and Bryson wasn't even there when the alleged flinging happened. If you take the account to be true then you are directing your indignation at the wrong person.
Yeah you're right, sorry. Obviously the hiker who ignores his partner's littering habits is in no way culpable...especially when it happens again at the Start of the 100 mi wilderness.
FWIW I also recall Bryson tossing cigarette butts on the ground. One man's "it's just a cigarette butt" is another man's littering.
As to the "high school language" comment, a more accurate interpretation would be that the book was very readable and not erudite. AWITW critics are apparently getting upset and/or rabid because of prose style.
You'll note I didn't say it was worth getting worked up over. Also in the context of those reviews they were referring to profanity in the book. For example:
Even though the use of foul language may be common with hikers it has no place in writing.
I have no problems with readable books(what you seem to think I was saying) or profanity(what the majority of the reviews whining about junior high school language were whining about)(of course, I was in the USN so YMMV).
Just to be clear, I really enjoyed the book for what it was...a travelogue about the AT.
ebandlam
07-08-2010, 11:39
I read the book recently. It is funny, a bit poignant at some places and a bit preachy at others.
Although I have been a Georgian for only 5 years (I am a transplanted Yankee), I was offended nonetheless by his characterization of Southerns. No, they don't marry their kin and yes Southerner are highly educated people, sophisticated people, good-natured people, and a whole lot in between. Mr. Bryson comes off as a snobby New Englander.
Having said that, I do feel sorry for Mr. Bryson that he did not complete the thru-hike, sorry that he did not build a better relationship with his friend Katz, sorry that he did not see experience the better part of humanity.
Is the book captivating? Yes, it is. Funny? Sure! a Travelogue? I doubt that. Do I want to make this "the book that describes AT", HECK NO!!
... Having said that, I do feel sorry for Mr. Bryson that he did not complete the thru-hike, ...
No, don't be sorry he didn't complete his thru. That's the secret to the books success. The book is good because he didn't complete his thru. That's what makes his book so different from all the others.
Panzer
Hikes in Rain
07-08-2010, 12:34
Thank you, Hikes in Rain!
Thats amazing. I want to go see it, but with my luck I would fall through
the ground. Its like a modern day ghost town. Give it a years and someone will build an amusement park there!
You're more than welcome. I'd love to see it, too, but have the same (very rational in my view) fear as you. It's truly astonishing, that we've never been able to put that fire out. That can't be good for ....well, for anyone or anything!
....It's truly astonishing, that we've never been able to put that fire out. That can't be good for ....well, for anyone or anything!
Not really astonishing. there are a lot of things that humans start and then can't put out. Electricity, internal combustion engines, computers, television. 15-second attention spans.
Sierra Echo
07-08-2010, 18:57
Not really astonishing. there are a lot of things that humans start and then can't put out. Electricity, internal combustion engines, computers, television. 15-second attention spans.
huh? sorry you lost my attention!!
LOL :p
I just love the Grizzly bear on the cover!
chris948
07-08-2010, 23:50
No, don't be sorry he didn't complete his thru. That's the secret to the books success. The book is good because he didn't complete his thru. That's what makes his book so different from all the others.
Panzer
I was thinking the fact that it's written from basically a comedians perspective made it different. Very few books make me actually laugh out loud, his does and it doesn't matter how much he walked.
Hoop Time
07-12-2010, 20:26
When I read it originally, it was several years before I first started writing about the trail and began hiking a little of it. At the time, it really peaked my interest in the AT and got me thinking about doing some hiking again after not really doing any for over 20 years.
I'm thinking of re-reading it now that I have a little knowledge of the trail to see if my thoughts on the book change with that added knowledge. But when I read it back then, I really thought it was a good read.
Speer Carrier
07-12-2010, 20:51
Three facts about Bill Bryson and his book:
1. He made a ton of money from it.
2. He doesn't give a rat's ass about what white blazers think.
3. Every one I've ever talked to about hiking books think Bryson's book is very entertaining, and almost every other book written about hiking the AT are boring as hell.
Sassafras Lass
11-01-2010, 22:35
I just love the Grizzly bear on the cover!
Yeah - that was one of the first things that struck me when I started reading the book - "Wait a sec, grizzlies don't live out East!"
I came here this evening to look at posts concerning clothing and somehow ended up here. Reading through all of the tempers and mudslinging is almost as entertaining as reading AWITW itself :rolleyes:
As much as people say "Hike your own hike" here, you'd think we'd transfer that to a literary sense and say, "Write your own tale". Okay - so Katz's real name isn't Katz (I never expected it to be) and there are many grossly exaggerated scenarios and some outright lies. Okay. He never said it was a complete work of non-fiction, and I took it as a sarcastic jaunt peppered with reality and humor. I found most of it entertaining, some of it enlightening, and furthermore reading it seriously again (a few dozen times) is what jumpstarted DH and I to consider thruhiking the trail, which we are now doing come March.
I've not read a lick of his other works, but for what it was (and wasn't) I enjoyed AWITW.
Montana AT05
11-02-2010, 00:54
Exactly, he never claimed to have hiked the whole thing--besides, I doubt being a "purist" was his goal. Thank God.
Gotta love the hiking community when they exclaim "HYOH dudes!" then proceed to tell you exactly how you are to hike it.
The book was a fun read and it brought the AT to the attention of many people near and far (many English hikers I've known started long distance hiking as a result of reading Bryson's book). This is a GOOD thing and Bryson's experience neither adds to, nor diminishes, any other hikers experience.
The fact is--many hikers are envious of the book's success and of Bryson's. The book is good, so the Chakra-counting-wippy-hikers want to bring it down.
I met a guy on the PCT this year who complained that Bryson hadn't "given back" to the AT...this wippie hiker demanded that Bryson donate some undefined amount of money to the ATC. I responded: "So, you want to spend Mr. Bryson's money, huh?"
fredmugs
11-02-2010, 06:25
Three facts about Bill Bryson and his book:
1. He made a ton of money from it.
2. He doesn't give a rat's ass about what white blazers think.
3. Every one I've ever talked to about hiking books think Bryson's book is very entertaining, and almost every other book written about hiking the AT are boring as hell.
I did not find it entertaining or even mildly amusing.
There is a section south of Mt. Albert that fits the description. Bryson uses some literary license, but he gets the sense of "***!" that we often enjoy.
That's the first thing that jumped to my mind. That section before Albert is a bit scary.
berkshirebirder
11-02-2010, 10:45
Bryson had moved back to the U.S. and was living in New England, with four children to support. He wrote a book titled "A Walk in the Woods," not "A Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail." He approached the hike as many of us do--as greenhorns on a long and sometimes arduous journey. As a travelling companion, Bryson selected "Katz," someone horrendously less experienced and motivated than himself. Now that's funny, right there.
There are plenty of gruelling,step-by-tedious-step accounts of hikes along the Appalachian Trail. This isn't one of them. It wasn't intended to be.
By the way, in 2005, Bryson was appointed Chancellor of Durham University (England), succeeding the late Sir Peter Ustinov. Hmmmm....