View Full Version : A Walk in the Woods Poll
Bottom line, did you enjoy reading A Walk in the Woods? Not whether it was factual or should be classified as non-fiction. Irrelevant whether he "gave back to the trail" or not. Just vote based on whether you enjoyed it or not.
Bottom line, did you enjoy reading A Walk in the Woods? Not whether it was factual or should be classified as non-fiction. Irrelevant whether he "gave back to the trail" or not. Just vote based on whether you enjoyed it or not.
I would have liked to see an "It was just OK" choice. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't a good read either. If you have not read it, you are not really missing anything.
JMHO.
I thought the first half of it was hilarious, and really enjoyed the read. It fizzled out at the end, though. It is said that he was running out of time on his contract, so he had to write something down quickly, and it shows. I would still recommend it, though.
generoll
03-31-2007, 16:44
yeah, like he said. The first half was hilarious. Once you read to Gatlinburg, throw the book away. He clearly has little use for southern towns or southerners, but he still has a wicked sense of humor.
I agree certain portions of A Walk in the Woods are what I would call hilarious, but I believe there are much better books about the A.T. It's unfortunate this is the book most people who read only one A.T. book will read, but I suppose it's better than none.
I didn't vote because I needed another option somewhere between the two alternatives available to me.
I thought the historical aspects were of great value. But any human aspect, meaning involving him, to me was less about hiking than about lazy Americans. Would love to see Bryson in Hiawassee spouting his opinions to the faces of those he disparages.
I prefer the Real Bill Bryson. Man had a backpack as big as a satellite.
troglobil
03-31-2007, 17:17
I'll have to agree, first half was hillarious. Second half was ok.
I loved the book, very fun story!
Bryson did not hike most of the trail it is true, I doubt he ever really wanted to. But hiked enough to get a flavor of things. It is an entertaining read.
David
fiddlehead
03-31-2007, 22:32
i couldn't vote because the poll was between like and hate. That's too broad of a range for me. I was definitely somewhere in between.
From experience, i don't normally like Bill Bryson's books at all. He tends to make fun of others and some people think that's funny. I never thought his stuff was funny. I just read some of his books because i had travelled in the same places: europe, Austrailia, and now the AT.
But of course i read "Walk in the woods" because it was about my 1st long distance trail. It was typical of his books, make fun of everyone around you and he can't cut the tough stuff.
But hate it? that's a tough statement. i don't HATE much in life but dislike many things.
This poll doesn't have enough categories to be useful. I enjoyed the book, as opposed to liking it. But I also thought it presented a totally distorted view of the trail and the people who walk it.
I read the book in a single sitting and very much enjoyed it. I've actually read every book he's published and almost every one had at least one laugh-out-loud moment. For Walk in the Woods, like all his work, I took with a grain of salt and enjoyed it for the entertainment it was.
Hell, if you read his latest The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid he notes that Katz (his sidekick) refers to Walk in the Woods as a 'work of mostly fiction'.
Brrrb Oregon
03-31-2007, 23:38
I would have liked to see an "It was just OK" choice. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't a good read either. If you have not read it, you are not really missing anything.
JMHO.
Exactly my thought. It was just OK.
yeah, like he said. The first half was hilarious. Once you read to Gatlinburg, throw the book away. He clearly has little use for southern towns or southerners, but he still has a wicked sense of humor.
The problem is that it was more wicked than humorous, and the farther I got into the book, the more I felt that way.
The bottom line is, this is not the kind of guy I would want to hike with. If he spoke about Southerners in that way at my house, he wouldn't be invited back. The South is a section of the country with a sense of humor about itself, it wasn't that. He just got too mean about it, and when someone is being cruel, I don't buy the "oh, c'mon it's just for fun" excuse.
Wanderingson
03-31-2007, 23:54
Here is my favorite quote from this book:
"You know what I look for in a female these days? A heartbeat and a full set of limbs."
Now that one was hilarious.
I read the book in a single sitting and very much enjoyed it. I've actually read every book he's published and almost every one had at least one laugh-out-loud moment.
. . . Just one?
. . . Just one?
...at least. ;)
"So do you feel bad about leaving the trail?" Katz asked after a time.
I thought for a moment, unsure. I had come to realize that I didn't have any feelings toward the AT that weren't confused and contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistable; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this at once, every moment, on the trail or off. "I don't know," I said. "Yes and no, I guess. What about you?"
He nodded. "Yes and no."
We walked along for some minutes, lost in small thoughts.
- AWITW, paperback edition, pp 270-271
i liked it, in fact that book was what got me on the trail...........
Toolshed
04-01-2007, 10:05
On trips to the UK, My family always asks me about the AT. AWITW was one of Bryson's biggest sellers over there.
When I first read it, I was more into climbing in the NE with a lot of shorter backpack trips (3-7 days) and not so much AT oriented - I liked the book and thought Bryson was his usual self (His works are much more widely read in other countries). I also read it in one day.
When we moved to PA in 2000, very close to the AT, I decided to start section hiking the AT and I now re-read the book at least 1X per year. I have a hard time undertanding folks that hate Bryson.
NICKTHEGREEK
04-01-2007, 10:16
Certainly read it,
definately did not hate it
more than just liked it
poor poll choices
....I have a hard time undertanding folks that hate Bryson.
I have a hard time understanding folks who love Bryson so much, that they consider any criticism of him to be hate.
Weary
Toolshed
04-01-2007, 10:21
I have a hard time understanding folks who love Bryson so much, that they consider any criticism of him to be hate.
Weary
I agree - There are those out there like that - They are at both extremes...
Fly By Mike
04-01-2007, 10:38
I liked the book a lot. Regardless of it's accuracy or Bryson's actual trail miles, he is without doubt a talented writer and very funny. All his books are also generally very well researched. He might not understand the trail community 100% but who does? He does understand it enough to get a lot of people excited about it and wanting to experience it for themselves and to me thats a positive.
I read the book in a single sitting and very much enjoyed it. I've actually read every book he's published and almost every one had at least one laugh-out-loud moment. For Walk in the Woods, like all his work, I took with a grain of salt and enjoyed it for the entertainment it was.
Hell, if you read his latest The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid he notes that Katz (his sidekick) refers to Walk in the Woods as a 'work of mostly fiction'.
. . . Just one?
...at least. ;)
Thanks for having my back, Austexs! :-)
Terrapin, I put that condition in because his two books on the history of the English language are a bit more dry. There's no doubt his travel books are milk-through-the-nose funny. My personal fave is 'Sunburned Country' -- I think I almost got kicked off the plane to Australia because I inexplicably started laughing out loud four or five times.
Bryson is hard on southerners but he mocks pretty much everyone (and it should be noted that he spends twice as much time getting laughs at his own expense).
I liked the book a lot. Regardless of it's accuracy or Bryson's actual trail miles, he is without doubt a talented writer and very funny. All his books are also generally very well researched. He might not understand the trail community 100% but who does? He does understand it enough to get a lot of people excited about it and wanting to experience it for themselves and to me thats a positive.
I dunno. The number of hikers took a brief spurt after the book came out. Since then the numbers have plummeted.
Weary
I dunno. The number of hikers took a brief spurt after the book came out. Since then the numbers have plummeted.
Plummet? Really, now...
ATC's info (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851143/k.C36D/2000Milers_Facts_and_Statistics.htm) shows a cumulative 15% decline in the number of reported finishers between 2000 and 2005. They show a 38% rise (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851157/k.A5A/2000Miler_Count_by_Year.htm) in a single year, from 1998 to 1999. AWITW was first published in 1998.
Ridgerunner50
04-01-2007, 16:26
I found Bryson's Walk in the Woods to be a hilarious book. It actually brought tears to the eyes, I laughed so hard in parts of the book. I look forward to reading other Bryson writings. If you are looking for a good AT book, Peter Jenkins: Walk Across America was an excellent read as was his follow up book.;)
This scene takes place when Bryson and Katz are caught in a blizzard on the ascent of Albert Mountain, and looking for a shortcut to the next shelter.
"So, what're we going to do?", [Katz] said.
I sighed, unsure, then yanked the map out and examined it again. I looked from it to the logging road and back. "Well, it looks as if this logging road curves around the mountain and comes back near the trail on the other side. If it does and we can find it, then there's a shelter we can get to. If we can't get through, I don't know. I guess we take the road back downhill to lower ground and see if we can find a place out of the wind to camp." I shrugged a little helplessly. "I don't know. What do you think?"
Katz was looking at the sky, watching the flying snow. "Well, I think," he said thoughtfully, "that I'd like to have a long soak in a big jacuzzi, a big steak dinner with a baked potato and lots of sour cream, and I mean lots of sour cream, and then sex with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders on a tigerskin rug in front of a roaring fire in one of those big stone fireplaces like you get in a lodge at a ski resort. You know what I mean?" He looked at me. I nodded. "That's what I'd like. But I'm willing to try your plan if you think it will be more fun." He flicked snow from his brow. "Besides, it would be a shame to waste all this delightful snow." He issued a single bitter guffaw and and returned to the hysterical snow. I hoisted my pack and followed.
Plummet? Really, now...
ATC's info (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851143/k.C36D/2000Milers_Facts_and_Statistics.htm) shows a cumulative 15% decline in the number of reported finishers between 2000 and 2005. They show a 38% rise (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851157/k.A5A/2000Miler_Count_by_Year.htm) in a single year, from 1998 to 1999. AWITW was first published in 1998.
2,375 started the trail at Springer in 2001. Only 1,392 started from Springer in 2005. That's a 41 percent decline, i.e. use of the trail plummeted after the short spurt in interest following AWITW's publication.
Weary
wooby417
04-01-2007, 17:17
Why is it that we often disregard the fact that we are all individuals, each with his or her own thoughts and ideas, sometimes it seems as though we take things so literal or serious that it blinds us of eachothers individuality. My point is, that Bill Bryson is just sharing his own experiences in his own way. I wonder what the world would be like if we were all the same, say we were all auto design engineers, would we all live in our autos because there were no arcitects to design homes ? ......Just kidding people.... I know this servey is just another way to allow us to share our opinions as individuals,..... I personally enjoyed most of the book.
2,375 started the trail at Springer in 2001. Only 1,392 started from Springer in 2005. That's a 41 percent decline, i.e. use of the trail plummeted after the short spurt in interest following AWITW's publication.
Use of the trail plummeted? Only if you equate "use of the trail" with "attempted thru hikes." Either of those numbers (2,375 or 1,392) is insignificant compared to the three or four million visitors per year to the AT.
PS, can you provide a link for the starting counts (by year) that you cited?
In retrospect, I probably should have included more options and changed "hated it" to "didn't enjoy it". This poll was an offshoot of the Bryson thread were most posters were either firmly in one camp or the other. It was starting to resemble a dog or Wingfoot thread. Bill Bryson aside, I was just simply curious whether most posters enjoyed the book or not. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was, a tongue-in-cheek travelogue. People are disecting this book like it is the Dead Sea Scrolls for crissakes. As I have posted before, I don't believe the Three Stooges or WWF are real but I find them both funny as hell. Anyway, the voters have spoken, Bryson by a landslide. We need to do more hiking and less posting, me thinks.
Bryson pierced the thin white blaze. Said things no respectable hiker would say about other hikers or towns. Someone used the description "wicked". I think that may be giving him too much credit. Snide seems more appropriate. We are a small community where respect for those around you is a premium. Bill Bryson did not understand that. Probably, couldn't.
As I have posted before, I don't believe the Three Stooges or WWF are real but I find them both funny as hell.
Exactly what do you find unbelieveable about the Three Stooges? :-?
Please give examples, cite sources, etc...
Bryson pierced the thin white blaze. Said things no respectable hiker would say about other hikers or towns. Someone used the description "wicked". I think that may be giving him too much credit. Snide seems more appropriate. We are a small community where respect for those around you is a premium. Bill Bryson did not understand that. Probably, couldn't.I think Bryson understands a bit more than you give him credit for. Rather than not putting a premium on your values, he more likely he put a higher premium on saying what he observed and felt himself than on saying only things that others would approve of.
I respect your values, but doubt they are the values of everyone in your community unless you live in Stepford.
Use of the trail plummeted? Only if you equate "use of the trail" with "attempted thru hikes." Either of those numbers (2,375 or 1,392) is insignificant compared to the three or four million visitors per year to the AT.
PS, can you provide a link for the starting counts (by year) that you cited?
Terapin, it was an ATC site, but I can't quickly find which one, The years being compared were 2001 through 2005.
We are a small community where respect for those around you is a premium.
Outside of a couple of internet hiking forums, one never hears the expression, "trail community." IMO, it's somewhat of a myth.
Not sure about the timelines and all, but many of the wonderful hostels that get a lot of discussion on WB didn't exist in the early '90s, and may not have existed in '96, the year of Bryson's hike. I'm thinking of Miss Janet's, Kincorra, Ron Haven's place, etc.
Who did Bryson diss, exactly? Mary Ellen, Rainbow Springs, Gatlinburg. A gearhead hiker in the Smokies. Some yuppie weekend hikers in Shenandoah. A Christian couple at Shaws. He sure wasn't dissing Shaws. ;)
It may be small but it is a community to me.
As for me not liking Mr. Bryson's values, that couldn't be more true. And that was my pt. Those who don't like him had their values offended. Are you asking that I not be offended?
Bryson has the right to write whatever he likes and I have the right to not like it.
I compare it to Ball Four by Jim Bouton. Those outside of baseball loved it, and those who played the game hated it. I think there is some of that going on here.
Simply put, the book was unnecessarily rude in parts.
I'm not voting. The choices are either yay or nay. Some (many?) of us have other answers.
I enjoyed the first half, was bored to tears with the second half.
Outside of a couple of internet hiking forums, one never hears the expression, "trail community." IMO, it's somewhat of a myth.
Not sure about the timelines and all, but many of the wonderful hostels that get a lot of discussion on WB didn't exist in the early '90s, and may not have existed in '96, the year of Bryson's hike. I'm thinking of Miss Janet's, Kincorra, Ron Haven's place, etc.
Who did Bryson diss, exactly? Mary Ellen, Rainbow Springs, Gatlinburg. A gearhead hiker in the Smokies. Some yuppie weekend hikers in Shenandoah. A Christian couple at Shaws. He sure wasn't dissing Shaws. ;)
The security guard at Palmerton but with good reason. I have met that type of guard that takes their job justa little toooooo seriously. :D
dixicritter
04-03-2007, 08:02
Here's the way I see it... If you don't like the book... Don't read it! If you don't like what Bryson had to say in the book... write one of your own to counter what he had to say instead of sitting here behind your computer screens complaining that he made you look bad. In other words... quit taking what he had to say in HIS book so damn personally. He wrote about HIS hike... NOT your hike folks, get over it already. Good grief. :rolleyes:
Oh and yes I've read the book... I thought it was funny, but then I don't take myself quite so seriously.
Well said Dixicritter! Thank You for speaking your mind on this matter with which I agree:sun
As I have posted before, I don't believe the Three Stooges or WWF are real but I find them both funny as hell.
OK, dissing the Stooges is bad enough, but questioning the integrity of the WWF is just too much! Anybody else who says the WWF isn't real is gonna get himself an figure-four-leg-lock-off-the-top rope-flying-drop-kick-with-foreign-object! Don't make me open up a can of whoop-a$$...
... If you don't like the book... Don't read it! .....
Hey, How would I know how bad the book is had I not read it. And when people praise it again and again, I had to read it again to make sure I hadn't missed something. I hadn't.
I don't believe he dissed anyone he met on the trail. From the evidence of the book he didn't talk to anyone. The conversations he quotes are both funny and mostly fictional, as near as I can tell.
Weary
IVAN PUTSKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chief Jay Strongbow
Superstar Billy Graham
Bob Bauckland
When the tights were tight and men were men.
I will crush all the pencil-necked geeks who disagree.
Ivan was cool.
We used to run around trying to give each other the "Lumberjack Death Claw." Spiced up more than one ice fishing trip. Bunch of yahoos.
Dances with Mice
04-03-2007, 11:30
ATC's info (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851143/k.C36D/2000Milers_Facts_and_Statistics.htm) shows a cumulative 15% decline in the number of reported finishers between 2000 and 2005. They show a 38% rise (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851157/k.A5A/2000Miler_Count_by_Year.htm) in a single year, from 1998 to 1999. AWITW was first published in 1998.The increase may be related to the book, maybe not. What caused the increases in '95 and '96?
OK, dissing the Stooges is bad enough, but questioning the integrity of the WWF is just too much! Anybody else who says the WWF isn't real is gonna get himself an figure-four-leg-lock-off-the-top rope-flying-drop-kick-with-foreign-object! Don't make me open up a can of whoop-a$$...
WWF: The participants are talented, they can probably open a can of whoop-a$$ on any of us here, but their moves are choreographed like a ballet.
The increase may be related to the book, maybe not. What caused the increases in '95 and '96?
Aside from the big jump in 98 to 99, the general trends match the US economy during both periods: generally healthy and upbeat from '92 to '00, generally declining from '00 to the present.
WWF: The participants are talented, they can probably open a can of whoop-a$$ on any of us here, but their moves are choreographed like a ballet.
Wait, so you're saying ballet is choreographed?! Oh man!!! Is nothing sacred??? Damn, that makes me wanna give those slipper-wearing phonies a big ole' Nutcracker! Thank God at least Rollerderby is real...
trippclark
04-03-2007, 15:50
i liked it, in fact that book was what got me on the trail...........
I was about to leave the same comment.
[I]PS, can you provide a link for the starting counts (by year) that you cited?
I finally clicked on your source of information. Guess what? We both used the exact same source. You used the percentage of reported 2000 milers. I used the number of hikers starting on Springer with the intention of reaching Katahdin.
I think the number of starters is most significant. Not finishers. I think the decline is ominous, since it rivals the decline in general park use. We suddenly have become a nation of couch potatoes.
Fewer and fewer of us are getting outdoors. There's a fascinating book that gradually is attracting attention called, "Last Child in the Woods," by a guy named Louv. I forget his first name. The book documents the decline in interest in outdoor activities and suggests ominous implications for kids and for society.
I read it and went back to buy a copy for a friend. The bookstore had sold out and had two dozen copies on back order, which puzzled the clerk I spoke to.
It's not a terribly well written book, but the subject makes it a very important book. I heartedly recommend it. The hard cover version, I think came out several years ago. The $10 paperback version last year.
Bryson's book obviously inspired a spurt in Appalachian trail hikers. I certainly don't blame him for the decline. But unless the slump stabilizes it has ominous mplications for those of us who love trails and the outdoors. If people show by their actions they no longer want or need wild places, you can be sure that Congress, state Legislatures, and the voting public won't support their tax money going for such purposes.
Most seem to find that televised nature is the "outdoors" that they need.
Weary
Although I've read and enjoyed the book I eyeballed the CD version at the local Library and plan on borrowing it and DL to my I-pod.
I finally clicked on your source of information. Guess what? We both used the exact same source. You used the percentage of reported 2000 milers. I used the number of hikers starting on Springer with the intention of reaching Katahdin.
Trouble is, there are no comparable statistics (thru-hike starts at Springer) for years before 2000. At least none that I could find, at that site.
I think the number of starters is most significant. Not finishers. I think the decline is ominous, since it rivals the decline in general park use. We suddenly have become a nation of couch potatoes.It might be as you say, or it might just be a lousy economy, particularly for those in the middle or lower income ranges. This began in 2000 with the collapse of the dot-com bubble, and took another jump for the worse in September 2001. For example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a drop in museum and zoo attendance (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm#outlook) in recent years, which they attribute to the weak economy.
FWIW, here's a table of visits to US National Parks (http://www2.nature.nps.gov/stats/) which shows numbers of recreational visits essentially unchanged since the mid 1980s, at least.
IMO, the overall national "mood" just isn't as upbeat as it was in the 1990s. Not really surprising, all things considered...
walkin' wally
04-04-2007, 13:04
Exactly what do you find unbelieveable about the Three Stooges? :-?
Please give examples, cite sources, etc...
That Moe was the 'smart' one.
Just watch a few episodes, you can tell. ;)
SunnyWalker
04-05-2007, 22:32
I thought AHITW was very funny and enjoyed it immensely. I thought his description of Katz was hilarious, very human (like all of us underneath, downdeep perhaps?). Not the SUPERhuman you OTHER hikers are!!???!!!! I saw right away they were "newbies" but that added to the laughs and entertainment value. I turned each page to see what they were going to do next. Dumb and Dumber! Hee, hee, ha, ha, ho, ho. Fun read. Take it with you on the AT. -SunnyWalker
orangebug
04-06-2007, 06:44
I have friends who read the book and try to give it to me. I think it is to try to understand why I hike. I don't think it succeeds at that goal, but it is very entertaining, gives a very nice/accurate look at a number of hiker community denizens (sometimes without naming names), and gives a glimpse at the newbie character of everyone approaching Springer for their first time.
It is preachy and less entertaining/accessable toward the second half.
BTW, I heartily recommend listening to Bryson via iPod. A Sunburned Country was excellent. A Short History of Nearly Everything is too long. His reading style is very good for a long drive or walk.
Johnny Swank
04-06-2007, 10:14
Wait, so you're saying ballet is choreographed Thank God at least Rollerderby is real...
My ladyfriend's in the Carolina Rollergirls. It's definitly for real!:sun
I have friends who read the book and try to give it to me. I think it is to try to understand why I hike. I don't think it succeeds at that goal, but it is very entertaining, gives a very nice/accurate look at a number of hiker community denizens (sometimes without naming names), and gives a glimpse at the newbie character of everyone approaching Springer for their first time.
It is preachy and less entertaining/accessable toward the second half.
That's essentially my view. A good airport book: Not too taxing, easy reading. The first 100 pages are entertaining. An (almost second half) that feels like filler material. A funny last 20 pages or so when he is back in Maine.
I don't think it is the anti-christ of AT books. Nor do I think it is best AT book ever. In fact, I really don't consider it an AT book per se. I just look at is a a "Bing Crosby and Bob Hope" adventure that happens to take place on the AT..well for the first 100 pages and last 20 pages of the book.
My three sentence review: Light reading, entertaining beginning and end. Long winded and meandering middle filler section. Buy it for a flight of ~3 hrs.
flyfisher
04-06-2007, 15:43
I was wondering if I could vote that I loved it and hated it...
I have called AWITW the hiker's favorite book to hate - like the windows operating system for computer geeks. It was also my first window into the AT, like so many others. It is nowhere near the best book about the trail - actually it is near the bottom on my list. But I still pull up the audio verison and listen to it occasionally.
I a gree that the first half of the book was hilarious! There is another book (can't recall the name) about a fellow who was a thru-hiker. His marriage
ends and he writes about hiking another trail...life as a single person again.
It was a compelling book. Does anyone know the name?
Aspen