View Full Version : A Walk in the Woods
Just read this book over the summer by Bill Bryson about his experiences trying to through hike the AT after returning from a twenty year stay in Britain. Very Funny and also gives alot of histroy about the trail and its conservation. I really enjoyed it anyone else read it?
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 15:50
I read it and liked it too. One of the best AT books out there.
quick! duck! the scat just hit the fan
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 15:52
quick! duck! the scat just hit the fan
yeah i know :D
I also read it and enjoyed it, but this topic comes up often and emotions run high
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-28-2007, 16:00
It is well written and funny in places, but it does not give an accurate view of what it is to hike the AT IMO. I consider it a work of fiction rather than a biographical account. YMMV
From previous discussions, A Walk in the Woods is simply a funny book about someone who hiked his own hike and may have made some of it up, i.e. Fiction. Once you get past that it is NOT a thru-hiker's journal and realize it is just entertainment, then you can enjoy it for what it is. The whining about what is NOT is not very entertaining. :D
There are plenty of thru-hiking books out there for those looking for that. For example, Hiking the Happy Side of Misery by Model-T is a very entertaining thru-hiking book.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 16:02
It is well written and funny in places, but it does not give an accurate view of what it is to hike the AT IMO. I consider it a work of fiction rather than a biographical account. YMMV
he didn't hike the whole AT. it is totally accurate for what he did hike. most books on the AT are just journals. BORING
dessertrat
11-28-2007, 16:06
I enjoyed the book too. He did not pretend to hike the whole trail, and I don't think it is all that "fictionalized". Embellished in the descriptive sense, to pump some humor out of things, sure.
And there is a lot of merit to the fact that he points out: you can be a real hiker without being a thru-hiker. Bryson hiked a lot that summer, even if he was a novice. Most of us would say that a guy who hikes from Georgia to the Smokies, then goes through all of Shenandoah, does some day hikes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, then hikes Mount Washington and then hikes for a few days in Maine, all in a single summer, is a real hiker.
I liked the book, it was funny and well written, but like others have said, it is as much a work of fiction than anything.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 16:12
it is as much a work of fiction than anything.
what's fictional about it? have you hiked long distance on the AT?
I still have yet to hike long distance on the AT so i cant really give an opinion on how accurate the book was but i loved reading about the history of the conservation and development of the trail. It gave me some hope that when I finally if ever get the chance to attempt to through hike the trail it will still be as much a willderness experience as it was described in this book.
trippclark
11-28-2007, 16:42
I read it and liked it too. One of the best AT books out there.
I gotta agree with Lone Wolf on this one. I think that I have stated before that it was this book (actually the audio book) that first got me on the AT some 700 miles and 7 years ago. I figured that if Bryson and Katz could do as well as they did with their complete lack of outdoor experience, I could certainly handle some section hikes myself. The book is entertaining and funny, and is balanced with a bit of interesting science and history. It is certainly NOT a "how-to" guide, but it is a good book (IMHO).
Perhaps fiction wasn't the right word, but it is a book that is written to be funny more than anything else. I would be highly surprised if all of his "stories" were completely true. I am sure that even though they might not completely made up, they were exagerated to make them funnier, more dramatic etc, than they really were.
The longest section of the AT I have done is 73 miles. So yes, Bryson and Kaz, have done longer sections than I have.
bulldog49
11-28-2007, 16:49
what's fictional about it? have you hiked long distance on the AT?
I think I read somewhere that Katz was a fictional character, and yes, I have hiked long distances on the AT.
I've read a lot of books about hiking in general and the AT specifically. This book was one of the few I've read on the subject that I got bored with and did not finish.
Obviously, it's just a matter of opinion.
It's a great read, but probably not the most accurate to base a hike. If it were not for the humor and theatrics, it wouldn't have been a best seller.
turtle fast
11-28-2007, 16:52
Dittos trippclark. My wife had read the book while on vacation and it had inspired her to hike the AT... which was always a dream for me. Now we are hiking it togeather and radically changing our lifestyles. Myself, I understand the controversy in the hiking community...myself I am happy that it had inspired some people. Though, I also agree with L wolf that their are better books out there.
I understand there is a lot of "discussion" about Bill and this book. However, it was the book that really got me interested in the AT. Take it for what it is; funny reading with some good information - not intended as a guidebook or journal). If it gets people interested in the AT (like me), then it is a good thing. I first read it a year ago and am getting ready to read it again, now that I have a deeper understanding of the AT so it should give me a different appreciation of it. BTW, from my understanding, Katz, was a real person but his name was changed to protect the innocent (or in his case, the guilty!) It's a good read and I recommend it.
Creek Dancer
11-28-2007, 16:55
The first half of the book was entertaining; the second half was boring. I never finished it.
I think I read somewhere that Katz was a fictional character, and yes, I have hiked long distances on the AT.
Katz was, and still is, a real person. Don,t know that he is that 'Kramerish' though.
Bill admits to "exaggerate a little" regarding the people he met.
http://www.stanfords.co.uk/articles/interviews/bill-bryson-interview,57,AR.html
dessertrat
11-28-2007, 16:58
I don't think anybody said you should read this book to learn how to thru-hike.
trippclark
11-28-2007, 16:59
I think I read somewhere that Katz was a fictional character
See this thread
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18644
be sure to read post #12
Jack Tarlin
11-28-2007, 17:06
Gotta disagree with Lone Wolf.
The book is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies, mistakes, and exaggerations.
This includes historical errors, geographical ones, scientific, you name it.
There are probably several hundred of these errors if one were to take the time to look for them.
The fact checking on this book is virtually non-existent.
In truth, calling it a work of non-fiction is being charitable.
Flush2wice
11-28-2007, 17:09
The first half of the book was entertaining; the second half was boring. I never finished it.
I never finished it twice.
Gotta disagree with Lone Wolf.
The book is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies, mistakes, and exaggerations.
This includes historical errors, geographical ones, scientific, you name it.
There are probably several hundred of these errors if one were to take the time to look for them.
The fact checking on this book is virtually non-existent.
In truth, calling it a work of non-fiction is being charitable.
I tried to re-read it recently and remember a few factual errors. I can't recall specificaly what they were right now.
Footslogger
11-28-2007, 17:09
Funny thing is how well known the book is. I was just in Helena, MT for Thanksgiving and met a group of people (non-hikers) who found out I had hiked the AT. First question they asked me was if I had ever heard of "A Walk In the Woods".
'Slogger
Funny thing is how well known the book is. I was just in Helena, MT for Thanksgiving and met a group of people (non-hikers) who found out I had hiked the AT. First question they asked me was if I had ever heard of "A Walk In the Woods".
'Slogger
Did you ask why anyone would want to walk in the woods? :D
I read one interview with Bill where he admitted to slight factual errors in another travel book. Something like he would say a hotel was on the south west corner of one street when it was on the north east corner. He was not concerned about that level of detail as he was intention was not to write a detailed guide for which there are plenty available.
Jim Adams
11-28-2007, 17:22
I enjoyed it. I don't think that it is fiction but simply his views and accounts of his thru hike attempt.
He only hiked parts of sections of the trail (700 miles?). Without the access to the net and all of the literature available today...how accurately would any of our trail writings be as far as history, science, etc.
It may be imbellished to add to the story but who is to say that his story of his hike is wrong!
geek
It's an entertaining read, no more, no less.
I think it's cool that they named that town in North Carolina after him, though.
leeki pole
11-28-2007, 17:26
For the humor and entertainment value, it's a great read. I especially liked the newlywed couple picking Bryson and Katz up on a hitch. At least, I've got some "friends" around here that resemble that scene.:D
Tipi Walter
11-28-2007, 17:29
Ok, if we're gonna open up this tired old subject, let me share my favorite part of the book. This will probably get me muzzled by our online big brother but in one chapter they are hassled by a women backpacker, they can't seem to shake her or all her stupid questions, and when she asks Katz what his zodiac sun sign is, he replies, "cunnilingus", and she nods her head and mentions that she hasn't heard of that one.
Funny thing is how well known the book is. I was just in Helena, MT for Thanksgiving and met a group of people (non-hikers) who found out I had hiked the AT. First question they asked me was if I had ever heard of "A Walk In the Woods".
'Slogger
The conversation I'm sure most of us have had..no matter WHAT trail you hiked..
Me: Yep, I just came back from 4 mos of backpacking
Person: Hey..there's this book I read. It is by Bill Bryce?..Bill Rice? BILL BRYSON! Yeah that's it! I think it is called WALK IN THE MOUNTAINS? WALK ON THE TRAIL? ...no it's WALK IN THE WOODS!
Have you ever read this book ? It's SOOOO goood!
Me: Not too bad .....
Seriously, I (and many of my thru-hiker buddies AT, PCT, Colo Trail, etc.) have had this conversation so many times since 1998. :O
When I do a slideshow, I have an FAQ now before I take questions. My last bullet point?
YES, I'VE READ WALK IN THE WOODS. No, I do not know why there is a grizzly bear on the cover of a book about the AT. :D
It's an entertaining read, no more, no less.
Best summary!
Entertaining airport type book.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 17:38
It's an entertaining read, no more, no less.
same as all the other books on the AT. Bryson's is the funniest
NICKTHEGREEK
11-28-2007, 17:47
Gotta disagree with Lone Wolf.
The book is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies, mistakes, and exaggerations.
This includes historical errors, geographical ones, scientific, you name it.
There are probably several hundred of these errors if one were to take the time to look for them.
The fact checking on this book is virtually non-existent.
In truth, calling it a work of non-fiction is being charitable.
So do a better job, you've spent years of your life walking back and forth on the AT, you seem to think you know everything, and naturally you are never wrong. How many books have you sold?
Funny thing is how well known the book is. I was just in Helena, MT for Thanksgiving and met a group of people (non-hikers) who found out I had hiked the AT. First question they asked me was if I had ever heard of "A Walk In the Woods".
Why Helena? As big cities in MT go, I like that town.
dessertrat
11-28-2007, 17:54
YES, I'VE READ WALK IN THE WOODS. No, I do not know why there is a grizzly bear on the cover of a book about the AT. :D[/quote]
I thought it was a cinamon color black bear-- the ears look sort of big for a grizzy bear.
So do a better job, you've spent years of your life walking back and forth on the AT, you seem to think you know everything, and naturally you are never wrong.
When it comes to facts, Jack is pretty much right on and is hard to argue with. His opinions are another matter...
YES, I'VE READ WALK IN THE WOODS. No, I do not know why there is a grizzly bear on the cover of a book about the AT. :D
I thought it was a cinamon color black bear-- the ears look sort of big for a grizzy bear.[/quote]
It has been years since I've seen the cover. Ive been asked if there are Grizzes on the AT because of the cover this book. You may be right...
Regardless, you don't see very many cinnamon color black bears of the AT.
Don't lay the cover of the book on Bryson. Most authors, until they hit the big time, have zero input into the cover design.
So do a better job, you've spent years of your life walking back and forth on the AT, you seem to think you know everything, and naturally you are never wrong. How many books have you sold?
Hehehe. But seriously Jack, how about a short list of the alleged factual errors and "innacuracies" in AWITW? You claim hundreds, so maybe a dozen would do...
I'm with LW on this one. Most AT journals are boring. Perhaps "factually correct" but boring and humorless, nonetheless.
I loved AWITW, though (like others) I found the 2nd half of the book less compelling than the first. Mostly I love Bryson's sense of humor. I also liked the fact that Bryson (like me) attempted the trail in middle age. I made it somewhat farther than Bryson (on my first attempt) but like Bill, I didn't finish it either, on my first attempt.
Can't close this post without mentioning Jan Liteshoe's fantastic journal of the LT (The Ordinary Adventurer.) She's not exactly Bryson, but still a fantastic read. Witty and full of great insights.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 20:23
Can't close this post without mentioning Jan Liteshoe's fantastic journal of the LT (The Ordinary Adventurer.) She's not exactly Bryson, but still a fantastic read. Witty and full of great insights.
which i will purchase this weekend or at SORUCK.
I don't see any problem with there being a grizzly bear on the cover. The bears in AWITW are all products of his fevered imagination anyway.
The bear was more of a cartoon poking fun at Bryson himself who open admits that being eaten by a bear was his biggest fear.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 20:37
the folks that are so anal about the book sucking really didn't enjoy thier walk on the trail
Jack Tarlin
11-28-2007, 20:38
Ordinarily, I tend to ignore old NicktheGreek, but as a courtesy to Terrapin, here goes:
I just found a copy of A Walk in the Woods. I open it up and come to page 215, where Bryson is talking about Norwich, Vermont.
Here's one just part of one paragraph from that page, Terrapin, verbatim, where Bryson is talking about American soldier and educator Alden Partridge:
"Partridge was born in Norwich in 1755 and was a demon walker---possibly the first person on the whole planet who walked long distances for the simple pleasure of it. In 1785, he became superintendent of West Point at the unprecedentally youthful age of thirty......."
OK, let's examine this one paragraph for accuracy:
*First off, Alden Partridge was born 12 February 1785 and not in 1755
*He became acting Superintendent at West Point in September of 1813,
not 1785.
*He was 28 when he became Superintendent, and not 30
*And he couldn't have done much of anything at West Point in 1785 as the
United States Military Academy there wasn't even established until 1802.
So in other words, we have Bryson making four historical errors not just on one page, but in one paragraph. Actually, four in one sentence.
And this, mind you, is Bryson writing about a community within walking distance of his own home. If he was so ignorant of the facts of a town two miles from his desk, why should we have any confidence that he was any better with facts dealing with places he'd never seen or heard of ?
In short, there are mistakes like this throughout the book. Everywhere. Probably hundreds of them.
So, sorry if I don't have time to give you a dozen errors right now, Terrapin, but four in one sentence provides pretty good evidence of what I was talking about. I rather doubt I could go five pages without finding a mistake.
He needed a fact checker, badly, and even a casual examination of his writing proves this.
The only thing I found bothersome is that everyone he meets or talks to is depicted as a real bozo. But then he did most of his hiking south of the mason-dixon line, so maybe that is correct. :D
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-28-2007, 20:41
Ah, admit it Jack, you two are good buddies:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/CandyA.jpg
He needed a fact checker, badly, and even a casual examination of his writing proves this.
I hope he didn't have this "condition" when writing The History of Nearly Everything. If so, we might not even exist. ;)
Dino, you are so baaaaddddd!
Jack Tarlin
11-28-2007, 20:48
Actually, Dino, he has this "condition" every time he writes.
An Australian friend has told me that Bryson's Australia book contains even more gaffes than AWITW and I have no reason to doubt him.
Fiction or not, I think it's a great book! Honestly, had I not stumbled upon AWITW I prolly' wouldn't have discovered/adventured onto the AT. I recently moved to VA. from Colorado(kicking and screaming I'll admit)due to my wifes employment. Moving across the country is a huge shock to the system, but what kept me going was knowing that the AT wasn't far away. I found the AT and Whiteblaze because of Bill Bryson! I owe him a huge THANKS!
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 20:53
makes you wonder why all these thru-hikers that write books write sucky ones
generoll
11-28-2007, 20:56
:D Great pic, Dino. Finally the true Katz is revealed.
Tipi Walter
11-28-2007, 21:04
makes you wonder why all these thru-hikers that write books write sucky ones
Because they are not out long enough and so end up writing about their overwhelming intitial impressions. And boring treatises on gear . . .
Give me a guy(or gal??)who has lived on the trail for, say, 10 years, then he may be qualified to share his readable account. What's missing in most AT books is the Edward Abbey/Colin Fletcher touch, a mix of bitter disdain for civilization(Abbey's "syphilization"), a reverence for the freedom found in nature, and a dose of political rantings.
When a guy's pumping nylon for years with some weight on his shoulders in some ungodly beautiful pristine areas, and then he adds his rants on nature/gear/society and the sorry culture we call "modern life", I'll want to read it.
makes you wonder why all these thru-hikers that write books write sucky ones
Not really. Authors don't thru-hike and thru-hikers aren't really authors. You see the conflict, authors are concerned with entertainment and thru-hikers are concerned with details, at least some of them. ;)
So in other words, we have Bryson making four historical errors not just on one page, but in one paragraph. Actually, four in one sentence.
As you pick nits over dates, you miss the larger and more relevant point. Partridge is mentioned in the context of hiking and as an educator with a serious interest in physical education.
Bryson writes that Partridge was a "demon walker," who walked large distances just for fun. All of that seems quite relevant to a book about the AT. Are any of those points in dispute?
If you wish to extrapolate from that one paragraph to the rest of the book (or the entirety of Bryson's ouevre) that's your choice. Personally I'd guess you're just peeved that Bryson's rich and internationally famous and Chancellor of a University in England... and you're not. :D
makes you wonder why all these thru-hikers that write books write sucky ones
Partly, because they take themselves (and their "quest") too seriously.
Dakota Dan
11-28-2007, 23:00
........Bryson's rich and internationally famous and Chancellor of a University in England....
He's got the UK fooled too, this guy is a yank..:eek:
It's a great read, but probably not the most accurate to base a hike. If it were not for the humor and theatrics, it wouldn't have been a best seller.If it was an accurate account, it would have sold about 10 copies, so I agree with you there.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2007, 23:02
If it was an accurate account, it would have sold about 10 copies, so I agree with you there.
like the bible. they give that trash away
Dakota Dan
11-28-2007, 23:06
I sleep with some main stream hiking books when at home. They keep my bed level:banana
OMG I can't believe ye ole Walk in the Woods thread has been reborn. This book turned me on to the AT. This book is a call to arms for preservation of our dwindling natural heritage. Some will assail Bryson, some will praise him. I simply thank him for entertaining and educating me. He is a writer, and a good one.
Uncle Silly
11-29-2007, 00:26
like the bible. they give that trash away
no, no! that one's got to be true. it's been on the bestseller list since the invention of the printing press!
I read it. Very funny. Some facts disputed by members of AT hiking society.
Still very funny, and has led people to experience the AT for themselves.
Not too shabby.
I still wonder if Buddy and Jensine are chasing Bryson. All I know is that he doesn't live in Hanover, NH anymore.:p
Bill Bryson is a hiking GOD!
:D
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 07:57
When it comes to facts, Jack is pretty much right on and is hard to argue with. His opinions are another matter...
Has he sold any books? To me it looks like some folks are born with the talent to be authors, others have the skill to be proof readers. It's sad when the proof readers begin to think they serve a higher purpose than the authors. As far as being right I can't agree after some of the things he has said.
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 08:00
makes you wonder why all these thru-hikers that write books write sucky ones
Wait till Tarlin writes his
I understand there is a lot of "discussion" about Bill and this book. However, it was the book that really got me interested in the AT. Take it for what it is; funny reading with some good information - not intended as a guidebook or journal). If it gets people interested in the AT (like me), then it is a good thing. I first read it a year ago and am getting ready to read it again, now that I have a deeper understanding of the AT so it should give me a different appreciation of it. BTW, from my understanding, Katz, was a real person but his name was changed to protect the innocent (or in his case, the guilty!) It's a good read and I recommend it.
I'm with you, J5man! This is the book that got me and my husband more interested in the AT. The first book I read that made me an 'addict' was Colin Fletcher's Comlete Walker. A Walk In the Woods is hilarious! It was a great commical way to introduce people to the AT, and if it works, Great! I actually thought about taking this book with me to re-read just as a 'lighter side' approach while I am hiking. When I get to Springer this year, Katz will definitely be on my mind!:D
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 08:27
I'm with you, J5man! This is the book that got me and my husband more interested in the AT. The first book I read that made me an 'addict' was Colin Fletcher's Comlete Walker. A Walk In the Woods is hilarious! It was a great commical way to introduce people to the AT, and if it works, Great! I actually thought about taking this book with me to re-read just as a 'lighter side' approach while I am hiking. When I get to Springer this year, Katz will definitely be on my mind!:D
I think that's what "frosts" so many of Bryson's detractors. Some have spent a huge portion of their lives walking back and forth repeatedly and Bryson and Katz will forever be the posterboys of the AT.
Tipi Walter
11-29-2007, 08:34
I'm with you, J5man! This is the book that got me and my husband more interested in the AT. The first book I read that made me an 'addict' was Colin Fletcher's Comlete Walker. A Walk In the Woods is hilarious! It was a great commical way to introduce people to the AT, and if it works, Great! I actually thought about taking this book with me to re-read just as a 'lighter side' approach while I am hiking. When I get to Springer this year, Katz will definitely be on my mind!:D
Is having the general public introduced and interested in the AT necessarily a good thing? We could end up with more "Into The Wild" type events: Newby reads book . . . newby grabs blanket and garbage bag . . . dead body found lost on the side of Cheoah Bald . . . his body was found easily by following the discarded gear and twinkie wrapper trail . . .
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 08:50
Is having the general public introduced and interested in the AT necessarily a good thing?
ask the ATC that. they promote and encourage thru-hiking. they even give you a prize if you finish. so yes, introducing the public is a good thing. the AT isn't just for selfish elitists
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-29-2007, 08:51
The two things that chapped my Dino hide about Bryson's book are:
Glaring inaccuracies in his treatment of various historic events and figures (what Jack cited is the tip of a huge iceberg)
He set himself apart from the hiking community instead of becoming part of the community and then wrote about that experience as though it were the norm rather than the exception on the ATAs Tipi so aptly notes, this book has the potential to attract people to the attempt a long distance hike on the AT without proper preparation or forethought. While Tipi's example of the hiker found dead in a blanket covered with a garbage bag by following the string of Twinkie wrappers is extreme, it isn't that far off Bryson's account - and I find that frightening.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 08:55
this book has the potential to attract people to the attempt a long distance hike on the AT without proper preparation or forethought.
oh BS. so does every other book and newspaper article about thru-hiking then by your reasoning :rolleyes:
Bryson is a great author who wrote a best seller about an unsucessful AT thru hike. The facts - who gives a chit I didn't read it for the facts just the funnies.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 08:58
Bryson is a great author who wrote a best seller about an unsucessful AT thru hike.
there should be more books like his. it speaks to the majority of hikers
Tipi Walter
11-29-2007, 08:59
ask the ATC that. they promote and encourage thru-hiking. they even give you a prize if you finish. so yes, introducing the public is a good thing. the AT isn't just for selfish elitists
The AT is a good thing for the general public but only if they don't have to get out of their cars to do it.
superman
11-29-2007, 09:01
I read the book in 2000 only because other thru hikers were so upset about the book. So as I read it I was looking for offensive stuff. I didn't find anything offensive about it until the last page. Bryson states in effect, "he doesn't care what anyone says he considers himself a thru hiker." Other hikers were estimating that he might have hiked about 500 miles of the trail so that offended them. Personally couldn't care less what he calls himself. I saw a specialist foot doctor at the VA, for my heel pain, who fancies himself to god's gift to hiking. His claim to being in the hiker hall of fame is that he hikes up and stays the night in AMC huts, and then he hikes down. I'm surprised that the doc doesn't hurt himself patting himself on his back.
The doc does his hiking thing gets some exercise so it's that's good...I wish he'd been a better doctor though. Bryson wrote a book that is not entirely accurate but it inspired and impressed a bunch of people to hike and look at the woods...I guess that's a good thing.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-29-2007, 09:02
::: Prune-faced Dino looks over trifocals at LW and tries her best not to crack a smile :::
The two things that chapped my Dino hide about Bryson's book are:
Glaring inaccuracies in his treatment of various historic events and figures (what Jack cited is the tip of a huge iceberg)
He set himself apart from the hiking community instead of becoming part of the community and then wrote about that experience as though it were the norm rather than the exception on the ATAs Tipi so aptly notes, this book has the potential to attract people to the attempt a long distance hike on the AT without proper preparation or forethought. While Tipi's example of the hiker found dead in a blanket covered with a garbage bag by following the string of Twinkie wrappers is extreme, it isn't that far off Bryson's account - and I find that frightening.
Well the book has been out for awhile now and how many tragedies have been blamed on Bryson? I don't think that the "hiking community" ever warmed up to Bryson. "Glaring inaccuracies", I don't think it became a bestseller because buyers wanted an "accurate account" It sold because it is wet your pants funny!
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 09:03
The AT is a good thing for the general public but only if they don't have to get out of their cars to do it.
the majority of hikers that start at springer are "general public" most have never backpacked/camped/hiked long distance. all potential thru-hikers should have to take a course and pass certain criteria being allowed to start
there should be more books like his. it speaks to the majority of hikers
I identified more with Bryson than any other Authors account of their thru-hike not that I didn't enjoy the other books.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 09:09
I identified more with Bryson than any other Authors account of their thru-hike not that I didn't enjoy the other books.
wait til my book comes out. you'll need to wear Depends!:D
dixicritter
11-29-2007, 09:10
Well I'm pretty sure that SGT Rock is happy he brought the book along on a car trip one year and read it aloud to the family. We all really enjoyed it and it is what finally got me more interested in what was at that time his fascination with backpacking. It was after hearing the story that I started coming to WB and getting more involved in hiking.
It is just a book, one of many. And I believe that there are many more people out there that have never even heard of it than have heard of it to be perfectly blunt about it. Until Rock introduced me to the book I'd never even heard of it before and the same goes for Bill Bryson.
dixicritter
11-29-2007, 09:11
wait til my book comes out. you'll need to wear Depends!:D
I'll be waiting for that book for sure...LOL.
written in lower case for sure
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 09:14
yeah. you know me. one finger typist
Tipi Walter
11-29-2007, 09:15
Well the book has been out for awhile now and how many tragedies have been blamed on Bryson? I don't think that the "hiking community" ever warmed up to Bryson. "Glaring" inaccuracies", I don't think it became a bestseller because buyers wanted an "accurate account" It sold because it is wet your pants funny!
Yeah, you're probably right, in fact fewer people probably use the AT since the book came out. As the Wheeled Tourists breeze along the interstate and see an AT crossing, a few of the car-bound will say, "Remember that AT book? Dang good." I can see a sell-out run on the book in Gatlinburg, "Why, that trail is just right here in our backyard! Hey, pass me the Dollywood tickets."
And as the tourists line up to take scenic helicopter flights around the Smokies, in their satchels will be, you got it, Bryson's book. "What a good read!"
dixicritter
11-29-2007, 09:15
with creativ wurd spellings 2 ;)
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 09:16
you sound awfully jealous, tipi
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-29-2007, 09:18
MRC, Bryson could have taken the time to get the historical facts right and still been "wet-your-pants" funny.... and he could have been a part of instead of apart from the community and given himself some fantastic opportunities to for even more 'wet-your-pants" funny stories. Read some of the accounts here - you couldn't make this stuff up. Jack pees on a copperhead... Jack applies Nikwax instead of chafing salve after headlamp goes dead.... every bit as funny as anything in Bryson's book.
::: Dino goes where angels fear to tred..... ::: GatorGump's trailjournal from the 2007 hiking season was an example of what Bryson's book could have been - "wet-your-pants" funny and a somewhat accurate account.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 09:18
with creativ wurd spellings 2 ;)
nah. i won't have dino breathing down my neck censoring me constantly
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-29-2007, 09:19
wait til my book comes out. you'll need to wear Depends!:DAnd this differs from normal how? :D
wait til my book comes out. you'll need to wear Depends!:D
Will depends come with the book.? Will we need just one or a whole box full?
I went through five of em reading a walk in the woods, piss your pants funny it was!
FD: IMO the history etc written by Bryson accurate and inaccurate was merely page fillers to get to the wyp stuff no one cared except for the "elitists" that there are inaccuracies. Bryson is a writer not a hiker I guess he'll warm up to the hiking community when he writes another book about hiking. If Jack's stories are so funny he should look for a publisher. Besides I'm waiting for David Blair's book.:)
The two things that chapped my Dino hide about Bryson's book are:
Glaring inaccuracies in his treatment of various historic events and figures (what Jack cited is the tip of a huge iceberg)
He set himself apart from the hiking community instead of becoming part of the community and then wrote about that experience as though it were the norm rather than the exception on the ATAs Tipi so aptly notes, this book has the potential to attract people to the attempt a long distance hike on the AT without proper preparation or forethought. While Tipi's example of the hiker found dead in a blanket covered with a garbage bag by following the string of Twinkie wrappers is extreme, it isn't that far off Bryson's account - and I find that frightening.
So please, let's have some more examples of those "glaring inaccuracies". If they're so prevalent, it should be easy to cite a few more examples.
I disagree with the notion of AWITIW encouraging newbies to disregard safety in the woods. In the second half of the book, there's a chapter about hypothermia, while walking with a friend over the Franconia Ridge. Very early in the book there are accounts of hiking and camping in a snow storm, near Mt. Albert (a day or so SOBO from Rainbow Springs campground.) Bryson doesn't minimize the difficulty or dangers of walking the AT. Quite the contrary, really...
ISTM Bryson's message is clear: the danger is real, take it seriously. Even so, Bryson manages to present his message with a sense of humor.
As for Bryson's relationship (or lack thereof) to "the hiking community" -- well, fooey. The so-called "hiking community" is a bit of a myth, IMO. A grand and noble concept, but impossible to define or enumerate, and it means something different to every hiker.
FD: IMO the history etc written by Bryson accurate and inaccurate was merely page fillers to get to the wyp stuff no one cared except for the "elitists" that there are inaccuracies.
Bryson admits to using history for filler because his hike, like many others, did not turn out to be what he expected. However, I think Jack is right in that if you are going to write about history, you should get it right. The funny thing is Bryson had to look up the history to write about it, how hard can it be to get events in the correct order and dates?
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 10:17
As for Bryson's relationship (or lack thereof) to "the hiking community" -- well, fooey. The so-called "hiking community" is a bit of a myth, IMO. A grand and noble concept, but impossible to define or enumerate, and it means something different to every hiker.
yeah. where is this "hiking community"? i picture a gated community full of packsniffers sitting around talking trail while wearing all thier patches.
I disagree with the notion of AWITIW encouraging newbies to disregard safety in the woods.
You can certainly read about how not to prepare for a hike from all the stuff he and Katz bought and discarded. The book is clearly not a manual on how to hike the AT anymore than it is a map of the AT. If anything, the book stirs interest in the trail from which a reasonable person will want to do his or her own research on how to go about a long distance hike.
It was an entertaining book. It isn't a how to or history book, get over it.
StarLyte
11-29-2007, 10:27
he didn't hike the whole AT. it is totally accurate for what he did hike. most books on the AT are just journals. BORING
I agree LW !
I hear stories from new and old hikers frequently that the book was an inspiration. He could have done without the picture of the black bear on the cover though, it was deceiving.
The book was entertaining, but that's it. Nothing else to say about Bryson.
It was an entertaining book. It isn't a how to or history book, get over it.
I agree that is entertaining and it is certainly clear that it is not a how to book. But to cite history inaccurately is kind of lame and historians may take exception with that kind of thing. But, hey I enjoyed the book and I am over it. ;)
dessertrat
11-29-2007, 10:35
The two things that chapped my Dino hide about Bryson's book are:
2. He set himself apart from the hiking community instead of becoming part of the community and then wrote about that experience as though it were the norm rather than the exception on the AT
I'm not sure how he did this? Maybe Bryson and Katz weren't very likeable guys, or maybe there weren't that many middle-aged folks leaving when it was 11 degrees on March 1? Then when he yellow-blazed up to SNP, he was ahead of a lot of them?
I don't expect a couple of guys Bryson and Katz's age to hang out with college aged kids on the trail. I didn't see any deliberate effort to set himself apart.
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 10:37
He could have done without the picture of the black bear on the cover though, it was deceiving.
you mean grizzly bear? deceiving how? hikers have an unhealthy fear of bears. hikers have an unhealthy fear of EVERYTHING in the woods. that's why they hike fast every day to cram into a box at the end of the day. then hurry to town. hikers aren't very comfortable in the woods. a griz on bryson's cover is great :)
dessertrat
11-29-2007, 10:38
Bryson states in effect, "he doesn't care what anyone says he considers himself a thru hiker." .
Actually, he says that he hiked the Appalachian Trail, even if he didn't hike all of it. He meant, it was readily obvious, that he had had a complete experience of it, not in terms of miles, but in terms of cold, heat, grime, etc. I think there is some merit to his contention. He really did "Hike his own hike" without regard for what other people saw as success or failure.
..... in one chapter they are hassled by a women backpacker, they can't seem to shake her or all her stupid questions, and when she asks Katz what his zodiac sun sign is, he replies, "cunnilingus", and she nods her head and mentions that she hasn't heard of that one.This is what the book should be remembered for.
Actually, he says that he hiked the Appalachian Trail, even if he didn't hike all of it. He meant, it was readily obvious, that he had had a complete experience of it, not in terms of miles, but in terms of cold, heat, grime, etc. I think there is some merit to his contention. He really did "Hike his own hike" without regard for what other people saw as success or failure.
I agree, but I doubt he will correct you if you mistakenly think he hiked the entire trail. Sort of like a lot of blue and yellow blazers. ;)
This is what the book should be remembered for.
Yup, he even entertained the bears as you can clearly see from the grinning bear on the cover.
briarpatch
11-29-2007, 10:45
The AT is a good thing for the general public but only if they don't have to get out of their cars to do it.
Its been done:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/08/05/AR2005041402321.html
And this differs from normal how? :D
TMI...........
Tipi Walter
11-29-2007, 11:50
Its been done:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/08/05/AR2005041402321.html
I had a gut feeling he'd mention Bryson's book and there it was on page 1.
Hey Tin man (post #50)
The only thing I found bothersome is that everyone he meets or talks to is depicted as a real bozo. But then he did most of his hiking south of the mason-dixon line, so maybe that is correct.
Lewis Grizzard RIP, once said, "ya know, people are always putting us ignorant Southerners down, but I'll tell you what, you won't ever see a Southerner pay to see a reptile farm."
and i will add, only a New Yorker, would even think of driving the AT.
Hiker Community = war stories and slide shows = BS
Besides I'm waiting for David Blair's book.:)
Blair's a hiker, not a writer. :p
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 12:42
Hiker Community = war stories and slide shows = BS
i hate AT slide shows. BORING
But thats what the HC is all about!
the AT isn't just for selfish elitistsMaybe, but we're still the creme de la creme...
Lone Wolf
11-29-2007, 12:53
Maybe, but we're still the creme de la creme...
...of what?
He set himself apart from the hiking community instead of becoming part of the community and then wrote about that experience as though it were the norm rather than the exception on the ATNot defending Bryson or the book, but this is the ONLY way to accurately write about any society, large or small.
Once you become part of a group or "tribe," you can no longer be objective about it. Once you accept the conventions and general way of doing things, all you can do is parrot back the groupspeak.
An outsider, who knows nothing about what is acceptable and what is not, can simply lay things out as he sees them.
If you are going to write for AT readers, i.e., the hiking community, write a journal. We love them. They reinforce what we know to be true.
But in the grand scheme of things, it is incestuous writing. Merely putting a stamp of approval on what the "tribe" already agrees is the way it is.
For an accurate portrayal of the way it is, you need an unbiased view, someone who can say the emperor has no clothes.
That is why the absolute best depiction of emerging democracy was written by Alexis di Tocqueville, a Frenchman who toured the US in 1831 (or thereabouts) and recorded what he saw without being hampered by growing up in America and blinded by how things were supposed to be. A similar account written by someone who grew up with the colonies, lived through the revolution and subsequent expansion, might have more poignant details, and would probably be more accurate with minute details, but he would miss the overall picture because he would be portraying it with his own biases. (It islike being able to describe all the trees accurately, but unable to see the forest, and therefore unable to describe it.
Also, an insider account always has tons of details and each detail is usually accurate, but an insider always has a bias, sometimes a deliberate agenda, always an unintentional bias. To get an accurate protrayal, the journalist must not be emtionally or psychologically tied to the subject matter.
This is a lot more than I meant to say. I wonder what that means?
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 13:33
Hey Tin man (post #50)
Lewis Grizzard RIP, once said, "ya know, people are always putting us ignorant Southerners down, but I'll tell you what, you won't ever see a Southerner pay to see a reptile farm."
and i will add, only a New Yorker, would even think of driving the AT.
They would however pay to see some one a). wrestle one, b). eat one
c). race around in circles with one.
Lion King
11-29-2007, 13:44
They would however pay to see some one a). wrestle one, b). eat one
c). race around in circles with one.
A New Yorker or a reptile?
StarLyte
11-29-2007, 14:04
Sometimes at the Ruck(s) Spur (http://www.artofthetrail.com/) and Ready, excellent photographers, will present one or more of their slideshows, their DVDs are very nice. Jim and Ginny Owen (http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/spiriteagle.html) has constructed beautiful slide shows from a lot of trails as well. You can always be assured they will show up with one at a Ruck :D
Two years ago Clyde put together a great slide show for the Southern Ruck, it was a surprise, compiled of many AT thru hikers from previous years with music. Awesome Clyde.
gosh am I off topic or what...
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 14:06
A New Yorker or a reptile?
Is there a difference??
trippedoutnatureboy
11-29-2007, 14:18
I would have to agree with the people who enjoyed the book for what is was and what is was not and for anyone to speculate that it was not a true account of Mr brysons expierience on the AT is absurd some of the things we read in Registers and trail journals may appear to be fiction as well because it is ones perception and if I have learned anything in my lifetime so far it is everyones is different I found the book to be very entertaining as well as motivational the AT thru being a boyhood dream of mine + this book =fruition of thru attempt also we all have our own opinion and A@#H!@ES so that is that later yall
Hey Tin man (post #50)
Lewis Grizzard RIP, once said, "ya know, people are always putting us ignorant Southerners down, but I'll tell you what, you won't ever see a Southerner pay to see a reptile farm."
and i will add, only a New Yorker, would even think of driving the AT.
For the record I was born in GA, my parents live in VA and my Uncle from PA calls my father Bubba. So any southerner comments from me are merely in jest, pride too I reckon. ;)
I would have to agree with the people who enjoyed the book for what is was and what is was not and for anyone to speculate that it was not a true account of Mr brysons expierience on the AT is absurd some of the things we read in Registers and trail journals may appear to be fiction as well because it is ones perception and if I have learned anything in my lifetime so far it is everyones is different I found the book to be very entertaining as well as motivational the AT thru being a boyhood dream of mine + this book =fruition of thru attempt also we all have our own opinion and A@#H!@ES so that is that later yall
In other words, Hikers are no different than Fisherman with their tall tales, or was that Hunters with their tails? :D
Jack Tarlin
11-29-2007, 15:30
Hey Terrapin, anyone ever tell you you're a real piece of work?
You send along a post asking that I produce a short list of Bryson's errors, basically demanding that I prove my contention that he was sloppy with his writing and there was little or no fact checking of his work.
And what do I do?
I immediately show you where he made four mistakes, i.e. he said four things that weren't true IN ONE SENTENCE. And this was just one example, I could find dozens more.
And your reply: I'm being nitpicky.
Well, you're being ridiculous. You asked me to show you some errors. I did so. You asked me to prove that his book is full of mistakes and that nobody was checking his writing. Well, I did that, too.
Yet you come back and say my criticisms are nitpicky.
Are you really interested in discussing the accuracy of this book, or are you just interested in defending Bryson and critizing me?
Because the fact is, the book is indeed full of mistakes and was very sloppily put together. Sorry this distresses you.
Christopher Robin
11-29-2007, 15:48
I was looking for someone expediece of thrAT. hiker @ fond it boring, but picked up Jan D. Curran, Onward to Katahden, @ I'm enjoying it very much.
superman
11-29-2007, 15:55
Actually, he says that he hiked the Appalachian Trail, even if he didn't hike all of it. He meant, it was readily obvious, that he had had a complete experience of it, not in terms of miles, but in terms of cold, heat, grime, etc. I think there is some merit to his contention. He really did "Hike his own hike" without regard for what other people saw as success or failure.
OK, then there wasn't any problem with his book and some hikers had their nose out of joint for no reason. In effect, that was only as my memory served which apparently was mistaken. I personally couldn't care less about the book now or then. I read it a long time ago, had an impression of it and erroneously passed it on.
brotheral
11-29-2007, 16:11
This thread has been quite entertaining. I want to thank Jack and Terrapin for "the show" !! :-?
I read A Walk in the Woods a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Just made me more curious about the AT.
Happy Trails...BrotherAL
RITBlake
11-29-2007, 16:12
the book is a masterpiece and we are still talking about it today, that can't be said for any other book about the AT, even WWS.
brotheral
11-29-2007, 16:57
I'm just curious... Have you guys (Terrapin & Jack Tarlin) ever met ??
Hey Terrapin, anyone ever tell you you're a real piece of work?
You do Jack, reliably and frequently, though you generally find more.. umm.. creative and colorful ways of doing so.
IIRC, you had originally asserted that there were hundreds of errors in the book. When I asked for a dozen, you responded with four. Alden Partridge? Really, now. Try harder, Jack. The man's written, what? A dozen or so books, several nonfiction, and half of them best-sellers?
I still say you're jealous of Bryson's good fortune.
PS., neither you nor Bryson took note of this cool tidbit: as "acting superintendant" of West Point, Partridge was a miserable failure. :D
I'm just curious... Have you guys (Terrapin & Jack Tarlin) ever met ??
Briefly, at this year's Gathering.
NICKTHEGREEK
11-29-2007, 17:41
You do Jack, reliably and frequently, though you generally find more.. umm.. creative and colorful ways of doing so.
IIRC, you had originally asserted that there were hundreds of errors in the book. When I asked for a dozen, you responded with four. Alden Partridge? Really, now. Try harder, Jack. The man's written, what? A dozen or so books, several nonfiction, and half of them best-sellers?
I still say you're jealous of Bryson's good fortune.
PS., neither you nor Bryson took note of this cool tidbit: as "acting superintendant" of West Point, Partridge was a miserable failure. :D
Looks like we have the AT version of penis envy here with Bryson having been blessed and Tarlin comes up very short, so to speak.
cowboy nichols
11-29-2007, 18:42
:banana :banana :banana This has been so-oo-ooo-ooo much fun just what I needed to brighten a day I was stuck in the house.,:D
Jack Tarlin
11-29-2007, 19:01
Hey what's with all these folks calling me "Tarlin?"
Is this supposed to be some sort of insult?
Am I supposed to feel humbled or something?
What's wrong with "Jack" or ""Mr. Tarlin?"
Whatver.
I'm not gonna respond to Nick the Greek's latest comment, which I believe had to do with penis envy. I try and avoid subjects I'm not coversant on.
But since ole Nick seems to be rather familiar with the subject, I'll defer to his expertise and personal knowledge of this phenomena.
Maybe some day he'll tell us about his hiking, too.
I bet that for him, that's a small subject, too.
brotheral
11-29-2007, 19:40
You're killing me Mr. Tarlin !! I needed a good laugh today...........:clap
Happy Holy Days Everyone.......BrotherAL
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-29-2007, 19:45
http://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gifhttp://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/popcorn.gif http://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gif http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/popcorn.gifhttp://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gif
This is a five popcorn smiley thread
Holiday civility over. Spool em up.
dixicritter
11-29-2007, 21:14
Popcorn for everyone ;) ...
http://www.sakida.com/bulk_popcorn.jpg
If you are looking for the Jack show, I believe he is appearing later tonight at 5-Olde in downtown Hanover with some early arrivals for Trashgiving in Glencliff.
Jack Tarlin
11-29-2007, 21:38
84 minutes and counting......
Dang, what are you doing here? Go have some fun and have a virtual one on me. ;)
Landshark
11-29-2007, 22:12
This has been a most entertaining thread... again! Bryson's book was the first I'd ever heard of the AT. I agree with those who say that it's not a true, journal-type thru-hike account but that it's just a funny book about hiking (and even funnier, inadequate hike prep).
By the way, it's even funnier if you listen to the book on cd. I check it out from our local library once per year or so, because it's the only book on cd that they have that's even remotely outdoors-related... I get it in January or February to remind myself that someday the snow and ice will melt and I can hike without yaktracks or snowshoes and two layers of pants!
Sad, I know.
Its wicked funny on CD got it DLed in my I-pod.
kayak karl
11-29-2007, 23:25
i loved this book. if it wasn't for it i wouldn't be on this site. i wouldn't be planning to hike AT in 2008. i just want to drink cream soda on the trail :). true or fiction, i don't care.
whatever floats your boat :)
life is good!
The book definitely made me an enthusiast. Let's admit it, the guy is a writer, but he did an awesome job of including humor, history, geography, biology, and fact into a book that has piqued the interest of many.
Johnny Thunder
11-30-2007, 10:33
"Getcha' Popcorn ready"
TO
Lone Wolf
11-30-2007, 10:37
why? the movie is over. the MAJORITY of posters enjoyed the book. just a few anal sticks-in-the-mud didn't.
Some folks have disparaged the book to the point that sometimes I feel like I almost have to apologize for having enjoyed it. Notice that I said "almost." :)
The first time I read the book, I was very pissed off that he hadn't "finished" the Trail, and yet still wrote a book about it. Writing without finishing flew in the face of the adventure book formula--high hopes and great expectations/difficulties/perseverence/triumph.
But once I got over that, I enjoyed it for what it is--a how-not-to-hike cautionary tale. The man knows how to turn a phrase, and there are some well-expressed insights into both hiking, and the problems facing the Park Service and wild land in the US. I have reread the book many times since.
FWIW, I think Bill Bryson himself is a misanthrope, and, yes, he disses the South and southerners every time he writes about them. I've never met him myself but he was quite snotty to a friend of mine when she met him in Hanover. But I still enjoy the book.
The first time I read the book, I was very pissed off that he hadn't "finished" the Trail, and yet still wrote a book about it. Writing without finishing flew in the face of the adventure book formula--high hopes and great expectations/difficulties/perseverence/triumph.
Of course, for most folks who try, not finishing is far more likely than finishing. Maybe another reason I was inclined to like the book... and why purists & actual finishers would diss it.
I accept the standard criticism that the book loses a lot of steam at the halfway point... where the distance hiking ends and the car-based day hikes begin. It's hard not to feel a bit of disappointment.
One of my favorite lines from the book (from memory, so maybe not verbatim...) "One does not hike the A.T. and come home and mow the lawn."
A lot of the lines from the book stick in my mind--which is why I like the book, of course.
Almost every time I drive west from Charlotte on a clear day, I see some smaller mountains, then eventually I see the Smokies. I think of his line that the Smokies don't rise up, they rear up like startled beasts.
RITBlake
11-30-2007, 12:15
The first time I read the book, I was very pissed off that he hadn't "finished" the Trail, and yet still wrote a book about it.
The great majority of thru hikers do not finish the trail.
Bryson captured that exact experience and was honest about it.
Sorry but not every story in life has a fairy tale ending.
*** btw Marta, enjoyed your journal, go sobos!
Tipi Walter
11-30-2007, 13:23
Marta, when you said you think Bryson's a misanthrope, well heck, maybe I'd like him after all.
"Like" might be a stretch. Are you saying you share a view of humanity in common with him?
Tipi Walter
11-30-2007, 16:29
"Like" might be a stretch. Are you saying you share a view of humanity in common with him?
Well, I don't know him well enough to know his view of humanity, but I do know enough of the definition of a misanthrope to know I am one of them. Not snotty, just jaded.
NICKTHEGREEK
11-30-2007, 17:33
Hey what's with all these folks calling me "Tarlin?"
Is this supposed to be some sort of insult?
Am I supposed to feel humbled or something?
What's wrong with "Jack" or ""Mr. Tarlin?"
Whatver.
I'm not gonna respond to Nick the Greek's latest comment, which I believe had to do with penis envy. I try and avoid subjects I'm not coversant on.
But since ole Nick seems to be rather familiar with the subject, I'll defer to his expertise and personal knowledge of this phenomena.
Maybe some day he'll tell us about his hiking, too.
I bet that for him, that's a small subject, too.
Christ ona crutch shorty, I thought you said you weren't going to respond. I'd hate to see what happens when you claim you have plenty to say. My hiking is a small subject, maybe 20 happy weeks out of 59 years, but fortunately I haven't let it define me.
StarLyte
11-30-2007, 18:01
http://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gifhttp://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/popcorn.gif http://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gif http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/popcorn.gifhttp://www.vogelforen.de/images/smilies/popcorn.gif
This is a five popcorn smiley thread
The Dino is on it. She always is. I love her.
You know...I'd like to know what "Christ on a crutch" is, and it might cause an entirely new thread, but I don't think anyone would mind. I know someone else who says this and I'm being anal.
And I think I like the name, "Mr. Tarlin". And I love him too.
The Dino is on it. She always is. I love her.
You know...I'd like to know what "Christ on a crutch" is, and it might cause an entirely new thread, but I don't think anyone would mind. I know someone else who says this and I'm being anal.
And I think I like the name, "Mr. Tarlin". And I love him too.
According to www.urbandictionary.com ...
Christ on a crutch: A term of disbelief or shock. Normally used dismissively.
The book the Walk in the Woods is a good and fun read.
Lion King
12-01-2007, 15:01
yeah. you know me. one finger typist
...and I bet I can guess which finger!:D
I like the book, I think its funny.
I think its made as bit of fun for the mind.
I am amazed at how many "hikers" hate it though.
Lots of texts have many many historic mistakes, the Bible, My 7th grade History book, Archie and Jughead Digest Volume 8 Edition II (When Betty and Veronica agree to the 3-some), and many other man written articles used to promote an idea or themselves in whatever fashion.
The simple fact by writing this, Bryson brings more attention to himself, as a writer, and to the book by having people be passionate either for or against him, which makes people talk loud and point at themselves to convinve others they are right, which in an odd way means Bryson is helping those who have gi-normous insecurity problems.
but I digress....the middle finger?
I found his experience in the wilderness to be quite entertaining, it is a good book. That was his hike, well written and quite entertaining.
Kirby
It was a good to great book. A very enjoyable read. It is just 2 poeples adventures on varous sections of the AT.
As a hiker, the detail was not there. I believe that serous hikers where puting to much into there atemp to do the AT.
Hopefully folks will know enough geography to see through his attempt to dis the PA A.T. by visiting Centralia. (Yeah, right...)
OTOH he did correctly point out the relative superiority of Tussey Mountain to the PA A.T. route. :D
I think Bill Bryson himself is a misanthropeThis is bull. There is no such thing as a misanthrope. Hearing this word used is one reason I hate humanity and always will.
This is bull. There is no such thing as a misanthrope. Hearing this word used is one reason I hate humanity and always will.
Spoken like a true misanthrope. :rolleyes:
earlyriser26
12-03-2007, 17:16
Great book. Very funny. Second half is not that good. Everyone can relate to Katz on the first day of the hike throwing away "heavy S**T"
D'Artagnan
12-03-2007, 17:35
Great book. Very funny. Second half is not that good. Everyone can relate to Katz on the first day of the hike throwing away "heavy S**T"
One of my favorite images from the book! I enjoyed the book and have even bought copies as gifts for a few of my non-hiking friends. They all enjoyed it too. I just don't understand why so many people get their panties all wadded up over it. Christ on a cracker, it's just a book! :D
This is bull. There is no such thing as a misanthrope. Hearing this word used is one reason I hate humanity and always will.
Hahahahaha. (I think I've reached the minimum.):D
SGT Rock
12-03-2007, 19:06
If you take it as a fact that most people that start a thru-hike never finish, then this book captures the AT thru-hike experience for the majority of thru-hikers better than any other.
If you take it as a fact that most people that start a thru-hike never finish, then this book captures the AT thru-hike experience for the majority of thru-hikers better than any other.
It might have been nice if he mentioned that in the beginning, but then most who plan to thru-hike don't know they are not going to make it. However, I am pretty sure most who quit don't suddenly take a drive thru history either.
SGT Rock
12-03-2007, 19:33
It might have been nice if he mentioned that in the beginning, but then most who plan to thru-hike don't know they are not going to make it. However, I am pretty sure most who quit don't suddenly take a drive thru history either.
If you are going to write a book about a thru-hike and don't finish you better write something to fill up the space between the covers.:cool:
If you are going to write a book about a thru-hike and don't finish you better write something to fill up the space between the covers.:cool:
Absolutely, but why not write about other thru-hikers funny experiences or make a few up? Keep us laughing rather than take us to Transylvania or wherever. :cool:
saimyoji
12-03-2007, 19:53
If you are going to write a book about a thru-hike and don't finish you better write something to fill up the space between the covers.:cool:
Yes but didn't this book come about by accident? In that he had agreed to a book contract with no prescribed subject matter, he had to come up with something as a deadline was approaching...no? For some reason I recall this as one thing that clearly set him apart from the typical thru-hiker: he put the trip together at the last minute in order to provide material to write about.
I recall him saying that he "hiked the Appalachian Trail" not Thru hiked the AT. His book was not about a thru hike, but rather "rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail."
Anyone who thinks his tale is about a thru hike should re-read the last 3 pages. He admits it wasn't a thru and discusses the successes of his walk. Good for him. Good for me, I liked the book.
If he said some things some people find offensive, well thats a different story. I'm offended by something on some level every day. If you let the little things get to you...well, life is too short as it is. :cool:
SGT Rock
12-03-2007, 19:58
Anyone who thinks his tale is about a thru hike should re-read the last 3 pages. He admits it wasn't a thru and discusses the successes of his walk. Good for him. Good for me, I liked the book. :cool:
Well he did start off planning to hike the entire trail, weather or not he did a lot of advanced planning or not really doesn't change that. The fact he didn't finish makes him like most of the people that start a thru-hike. Everything else is his own personal take and outlook. Book deal or no, everyone has a story.
But not everyone puts their story in print.
AngloDreamer
12-07-2007, 10:45
Well I am a Brit and have read the book 3 times. It reminds me of a visit to North Carolina to see a friend a couple of years ago. I have never walked any of the trail so cannot speak for the inaccuracies of which I am sure there are many. I have however driven part of the BR Parkway, the beautiful views and this book make me want to hike a few days along the trail. Possibly Shenandoah National Park. (Hence my name AngloDreamer).
I will never be able to do anything as ambitious as a thru hike on a 90 day visa waiver tho. Suppose I could marry my Southern Belle and get a green card LoL. (Dreaming indeed, bit drastic though)
This is a great site I recently discovered.
I am trying to get hold of a documentary entitled "2000 miles to Maine. Can't buy it here and it's not on the net. Will try Amazon.
Welcome to Whiteblaze, AngloDreamer!
Captain Slider
12-07-2007, 14:38
Wes Wession.. that is right .. the shuttle driver that took Mr. Bryson and Katz from the airport in Alanta.. I have ridden many times with Wes.. and he says.. "They were both very interesting " and yes Katz is real. My book collection starts with the two volume set " Hiking the Appalachian Trail" many have never seen this set.. published 30+ years .. but Walk-Woods is still my favorite
dessertrat
12-07-2007, 14:39
Well I am a Brit and have read the book 3 times. It reminds me of a visit to North Carolina to see a friend a couple of years ago. I have never walked any of the trail so cannot speak for the inaccuracies of which I am sure there are many. I have however driven part of the BR Parkway, the beautiful views and this book make me want to hike a few days along the trail. Possibly Shenandoah National Park. (Hence my name AngloDreamer).
I will never be able to do anything as ambitious as a thru hike on a 90 day visa waiver tho. Suppose I could marry my Southern Belle and get a green card LoL. (Dreaming indeed, bit drastic though)
This is a great site I recently discovered.
I am trying to get hold of a documentary entitled "2000 miles to Maine. Can't buy it here and it's not on the net. Will try Amazon.
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but, Anglodreamer, it seems like a lot of Brits come to the US to hike? I wonder sometimes if they wouldn't have an easier time getting to the Alps or Norway, or something?
I guess we in the US forget sometimes just how much natural (undeveloped) beauty we still have in our land.
Look at the exchange rate and you'll be surprised there aren't more Brits here. :)
A young Welshman seemed to think it a fine vacation two years ago to join the ATC Mid-Atlantic Crew and stone turnpike my section (in PA, SGL 211/St. Anthony's Wilderness). I was glad of it but really wondered...
We ran into two Brits two years ago doing VT & MA SOBO. They had completed Maine and NH in previous years. If they continued this year, they may be into or completed PA.
The Old Fhart
12-07-2007, 17:16
Seems that a lot of people mention the wrong type of bear on the cover of the American version of AWITW and somehow blame Bryson for that. I also have the English (or Canadian) version and here is the photo on that book:
2779(click on image for larger size)
Note this version has what looks like a moose and a black bear. Probably some will complain that the moose looks like it's smiling and bear and moose don't socialize, but here again, it is the publisher, not Bryson.:D
I will never be able to do anything as ambitious as a thru hike on a 90 day visa waiver tho.
Many non-citizens have found some way to get a visa long enough to cover a thru hike. You might contact Squeeky (GB) or Downunda (AUS) to find out how they did it. They are both members here as are many others in foreign countries. You will find contact info in the Members List section at the top of the page.
Seems that a lot of people mention the wrong type of bear on the cover of the American version of AWITW and somehow blame Bryson for that. I also have the English (or Canadian) version and here is the photo on that book:
2779(click on image for larger size)
Note this version has what looks like a moose and a black bear. Probably some will complain that the moose looks like it's smiling and bear and moose don't socialize, but here again, it is the publisher, not Bryson.:D
Actually, the moose looks drunk.
smokymtnsteve
12-07-2007, 17:50
dat ole demon alkyhol;)
Actually, the moose looks drunk.
Perhaps he drank too much Moose Drool? (http://www.bigskybrew.com/process/moosedrool.html)
So, do we start a poll now?
Which animal belongs on A Controversial Walk in the Woods?
1) Bear with an "I am going to eat you" smile.
2) Moose with a "come on and drink with me" smile.
Perhaps he drank too much Moose Drool? (http://www.bigskybrew.com/process/moosedrool.html)
Looks like an earthquake turned the Mississippi into Ocean Front Property... http://www.bigskybrew.com/where/distributors.html
Flush2wice
12-07-2007, 17:57
So, do we start a poll now?
Which animal belongs on A Controversial Walk in the Woods?
1) Bear with an "I am going to eat you" smile.
2) Moose with a "come on and drink with me" smile.
How about an inbred on a swinging bridge with a banjo.
Looks like an earthquake turned the Mississippi into Ocean Front Property... http://www.bigskybrew.com/where/distributors.html
or maybe "Moose Drool" is a hard sell east of the Mississippi? Out West, we tend to be a bit more odd. Though "Moose Drool" should be a big hit in Maine, NH, VT and upstate New York...
2) Moose with a "come on and drink with me" smile.
If the moose photo had one of this party hat type contraptions that hold beer, I think we have a winner...
georgia_girl_live
12-07-2007, 18:17
I got the book on tape and listened to it all in my free time... Ugh The guy makes fun of southerners every chance he gets then goes off subject and starts talking about things that make you want to fast forward most of the time! I was hoping for something else in the tapes by the name and title and was never happy with it except for a few funny things. I wouldnt recomend it to anyone.... But hey thats my opinion :)
or maybe "Moose Drool" is a hard sell east of the Mississippi? Out West, we tend to be a bit more odd. Though "Moose Drool" should be a big hit in Maine, NH, VT and upstate New York...
It's gotta be better than the "beer with the foam at the bottom (http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002425.php)".
AngloDreamer
12-07-2007, 21:33
Thanks Marta for your welcome.
And er yeah Norway is expensive beyond belief as is all of Scandinavia so as Ki0eh suggested it would be cheaper for me to visit the USA than many parts of Europe, You have no idea what a gallon of petrol costs in my country. Well it's 25% in volume larger but say $6 for one of your gallons. $8 for one of ours.
$9 for 20 cigarettes, up to $5 for a pint of lager in a normal town pub not even a nice city pub with plush leather chairs LoL.
Thanks Lugnut I will check out your advice. much appreciated.
Gareth.
Thanks Marta for your welcome.
And er yeah Norway is expensive beyond belief as is all of Scandinavia so as Ki0eh suggested it would be cheaper for me to visit the USA than many parts of Europe, You have no idea what a gallon of petrol costs in my country. Well it's 25% in volume larger but say $6 for one of your gallons. $8 for one of ours.
$9 for 20 cigarettes, up to $5 for a pint of lager in a normal town pub not even a nice city pub with plush leather chairs LoL.
Thanks Lugnut I will check out your advice. much appreciated.
Gareth.
Many Americans have no idea how inexpensive our petrol is on a per gallon basis. However, I often wonder if Americans spend less on petrol, since we generally drive much larger automobiles than Europeans. Has anyone researched this notion?
Kaptain Kangaroo
12-07-2007, 22:52
Hey AngloDreamer...stop dreaming & do it ...! :)
I had to get a visa for my thu-hike lastyear, I'm an Aussie (obviously) but the process is the same from the UK. The process was slightly annoying (lots of forms & had to go to the consultate for an interview) but I had no problems at all with having my application accepted. The US consulate web site has all the information & forms you need & explains the process very clearly here is the link to the consulate in London
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/b2.html
Feel free to email me if you have any other questions about the visa process or the trail in general.
Cheers,
Kaptain Kangaroo
DawnTreader
12-08-2007, 11:09
Here goes my very first Bryson post in almost 2 years!...
I liked the book.. very funny, very entertaining..
I had met thru-hikers before; I had hiked small sections; yet, I wasn't completely enthralled with the AT until I read this book. I can directly attribute that to the fact that this was the first AT book I had read, but can you blame me? I had no idea the wealth of information on the net at the time. I had no inkling that books on the trail even existed. I walked into borders and there was the book, on the bestseller rack. Who knows, if it had been a boring day in day out journal type book, that had been on the bestseller rack, I may never have had the experiences that I have today. So Bryson didn't directly bring me to the trail, however, he did spark my interest in Long Distance hiking, and for this I am grateful.. end of rant...
Skywalker
08-17-2008, 14:36
he didn't hike the whole AT. it is totally accurate for what he did hike. most books on the AT are just journals. BORING
Yes, I'm with you. Bryson and Katz, in their own ways were quite representative of the hiking population. It wasn't pretty, and he didn't depict it that way. But it got other crappy hikers like myself out there for some exposure to this fabulous institution, the Appalachian Trail.
As for Bryson, the gods didn't create us equally--than God. I reckon alot of women wish they had Pamela Anderson's upper body, and alot of writers wish they could wield a pen in such a dashing way as Bryson.
Skywalker '05
Skywalker
08-17-2008, 14:52
I honestly think there is middle ground on this. Jack has a legendary recall of facts, and so it can be assumed that his delineation of mistakes in the book is sound. But, there is a larger point. Bryson's book was the first on the AT with mass appeal, and for that I, for one, am eternally grateful. He spread the gospel of the AT far and wide, so that theretofore pretenders such as myself actually mustered up the determination and cojones to head out into the vast unknown. Now for a more seasoned woodsman, the AT may not qualify as the vast unknown, but for most people it is quite the step in the dark and represents the journey of a lifetime.
It is annoying that Bryson hasn't seen fit to give back more to the trail community, but I bet secretly he knows he can run, but can't hide. He will always be slightly embarrassed that he gained so much for such a modest effort. Heck, it probably didn't require that great of an effort for a writer of his caliber to turn out that flawed, but riveting narrative. And one interesting tidbit that adds to debate. In his latest book, The Thunderbolt Kid, Bryson talks a bit about Katz. He says Katz ( a pseudonym) was not only one of the best people he ever met, but that Katz calls A Walk in the Woods, mostly fiction. That's almost like OJ admitting culpability! But, at the end of the day, for me the motivating and informational aspects of the book outweigh its flaws.
Skywalker '05
NICKTHEGREEK
08-17-2008, 16:07
I honestly think there is middle ground on this. Jack has a legendary recall of facts, and so it can be assumed that his delineation of mistakes in the book is sound. But, there is a larger point. Bryson's book was the first on the AT with mass appeal, and for that I, for one, am eternally grateful. He spread the gospel of the AT far and wide, so that theretofore pretenders such as myself actually mustered up the determination and cojones to head out into the vast unknown. Now for a more seasoned woodsman, the AT may not qualify as the vast unknown, but for most people it is quite the step in the dark and represents the journey of a lifetime.
It is annoying that Bryson hasn't seen fit to give back more to the trail community, but I bet secretly he knows he can run, but can't hide. He will always be slightly embarrassed that he gained so much for such a modest effort. Heck, it probably didn't require that great of an effort for a writer of his caliber to turn out that flawed, but riveting narrative. And one interesting tidbit that adds to debate. In his latest book, The Thunderbolt Kid, Bryson talks a bit about Katz. He says Katz ( a pseudonym) was not only one of the best people he ever met, but that Katz calls A Walk in the Woods, mostly fiction. That's almost like OJ admitting culpability! But, at the end of the day, for me the motivating and informational aspects of the book outweigh its flaws.
Skywalker '05
What did Bryson take that he needs to give back? And who or what is he running or hiding from? He doesn't owe hikers, a path through the woods, or residents of various town along the way diddle. The guy is a writer of mostly fictional works, he wrote a book that was partially fictional, he made a ton of very non-fictional money, and maybe inspired a few folks to take a walk in the woods as you mentioned in the first part of your post.
That accomplished, he moved on to the next book, then kept writing more. It's what successful writers do. They give a good read to customers who buy their work.
I'm sure there's a few overly factually-anal folks from his home town that dispute events or places from The Thunderbolt Kid, but what the heck, it was a very entertaining read. If his detractors can do better, let them take the shot.
OregonHiker
08-17-2008, 16:26
[quote=Skywalker;683987]It is annoying that Bryson hasn't seen fit to give back more to the trail community/quote]
Why should Bryson be obligated to "give back" any more than the taxes he paid.
Never understood this point some make.
NICKTHEGREEK
08-17-2008, 17:47
Many Americans have no idea how inexpensive our petrol is on a per gallon basis. However, I often wonder if Americans spend less on petrol, since we generally drive much larger automobiles than Europeans. Has anyone researched this notion?
We don't spend **** on petrol in America, gas costs alot however.
Lone Wolf
08-17-2008, 21:08
MOST give back by joining the ATC. 99% of that $30 membership pays for stuff to run the corporation
Wise Old Owl
08-17-2008, 22:55
I don't expect anyone to give back - However, Hiking can be a very inexpensive hobby for some or a tech challenge for others. The real issue here is encrochment from suburbia, Search & Rescue in the Whites is looking to find ways of collecting from us when Hunters & Fisherman are paying for some of our mistakes. This is a very tough call for everyone because the trail won't protect itself.
Bryson and Kats - entertaining read.... Just a book that WhiteBlazers take far too seriously.
OregonHiker
08-17-2008, 23:35
MOST give back by joining the ATC. 99% of that $30 membership pays for stuff to run the corporation
Think so?
OregonHiker
08-17-2008, 23:37
Jack has a legendary recall of facts, and so it can be assumed that his delineation of mistakes in the book is sound.
Nah...I think Jack is just plain jealous :(
Skywalker
08-18-2008, 14:05
Yes, I'm with you. Whatever shortcomings this book had, it made up for them by being entertaining. There are a lot of knuckleheads out there, me included. The good news is that you're a little bet less of one than when you entered the woods. And you could surely say that about Katz and Bryson. The story increased the trail population, which is all to the good--unless, of course, you fancy yourself as a modern-day Davy Crocket or Daniel Boone.
Skywalker '05
author--Skywalker Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
... I reckon alot of women wish they had
Pamela Anderson's upper body, ...
Real women don't need fake rubber t*ts
Plodderman
08-18-2008, 16:28
Liked the book and enjoyed a good laugh.
I believe the book is pure fiction. Bryson lives in Hanover, so it is possible he hiked a mile or two south on the trail and a mile or two north on it. About half the book is just facts and information about the trail, and often he has them wrong. He goes on long rants about tree diseases, history in previous centuries, acid rain, global warming and the environment etc. He didn't get this info from hiking the trail. He did a lot of research on the trail through books and the internet. He might have even interviewed some hikers as they passed through Hanover. I believe this is how he came up with his characters. There are many things that are missing that a real thru hiker experiences. Such as the song that always gets stuck in your head as you hike, the junk food you think about when you are two days away from town or when you have an "aha moment" like "hey that guy is using a tarp instead of a tent, maybe I should try that!" Also there is no mention of the brands and type of equipment. Even people who are not gear heads will say things like, "I love my Frog toggs, or I wasted money on my over priced Marmot jacket." There just isn't any of that in this book. Having hiked the entire trail, I was very disappointed. Not disappointed because he only hiked 700 miles, but because he might not have actually hiked any of it, but is claiming he did. Others have mentioned that the book is funny. I agree that the first part of the book had a couple slightly funny parts, but most of the second half of the book was boring, and not at all funny. I feel I wasted my money on this book. If you would like to read it, and not kill a tree, it is available at most libraries.
Bryson and Kats - entertaining read.... Just a book that WhiteBlazers take far too seriously.................. Not all WBers - just some. :)
I believe the book is pure fiction. Bryson lives in Hanover, so it is possible he hiked a mile or two south on the trail and a mile or two north on it. About half the book is just facts and information about the trail, and often he has them wrong. He goes on long rants about tree diseases, history in previous centuries, acid rain, global warming and the environment etc. He didn't get this info from hiking the trail. He did a lot of research on the trail through books and the internet. He might have even interviewed some hikers as they passed through Hanover. I believe this is how he came up with his characters. There are many things that are missing that a real thru hiker experiences. Such as the song that always gets stuck in your head as you hike, the junk food you think about when you are two days away from town or when you have an "aha moment" like "hey that guy is using a tarp instead of a tent, maybe I should try that!" Also there is no mention of the brands and type of equipment. Even people who are not gear heads will say things like, "I love my Frog toggs, or I wasted money on my over priced Marmot jacket." There just isn't any of that in this book. Having hiked the entire trail, I was very disappointed. Not disappointed because he only hiked 700 miles, but because he might not have actually hiked any of it, but is claiming he did. Others have mentioned that the book is funny. I agree that the first part of the book had a couple slightly funny parts, but most of the second half of the book was boring, and not at all funny. I feel I wasted my money on this book. If you would like to read it, and not kill a tree, it is available at most libraries.
Did we read the same book? There's a very funny encounter in a Smokies shelter about gear*.... Bryson makes it clear that he doesn't care about brands of gear. There's absolutely no doubt that Bryson hiked from Springer to Gatlinburg, SNP, a few bits of PA, Stratton, Franconia, Greylock, and a week's worth of trail northbound from Caratunk (including a stay at Shaw's.) FWIW, Bryson hasn't lived in Hanover for several years now; he's back in England where is in fact chancellor of some University.
(*To wit: Hiker to Bryson: "Why did you buy a Gregory pack?" Bryson to Hiker: "Well, I thought it might be better than carrying all this stuff in my arms.")
The Old Fhart
08-18-2008, 16:40
Arizona-"I believe the book is pure fiction...."False. A number of hikers had met him while he was hiking and I know for a fact that he stayed at Rainbow Springs Campground. In 2000 Jensine Crossman showed me where Bryson had signed in and went on for 10 minutes describing him in unflattering terms.
You, however, are making up stories about Bryson and have no knowledge of the facts. Doing what you're accusing him of doesn't do much for your reputation either.:-?
Thanks for the flame "The old fart", but you should really try reading what people write before you post. I said "I BELIEVE the book is pure fiction" This is NOT a false statement, if is my true opinion.
Have you even read his book? I have. I have also thru hiked the whole trail. This is how I came up with my opinion.
Last, just because he drove somewhere and camped in a campground does not mean the rest of his tale is true.
Last, just because he drove somewhere and camped in a campground does not mean the rest of his tale is true.
Nobody's claiming that every sentence of the book is literally true. But it's abundantly clear, from the book, that Bryson did walk the parts of the trail that he claimed to.
I believe he probably visited some trail heads or road crossings as part of his research.
NICKTHEGREEK
08-18-2008, 17:13
Real women don't need fake rubber t*ts
Many guys find them amusing however
The Old Fhart
08-18-2008, 17:24
Arizona-"Thanks for the flame "The old fart", but you should really try reading what people write before you post. ...Sorry you consider any opinion other than yours a 'flame', and that you aren't capable of spelling my name right.
The fact that you are insinuating that Bryson didn't hike what he said he did is indeed laughable and a pathetic attempt to discredit him. If you had actually read the book and hiked the trail you'd recognize some of the spots he described.
Did Bryson embellish-looks like it, but No one other than you has ever tried to suggest that he didn't hike about what he said he did. Are there are things I disagree with in the book? Yes, there are, and I have told Bryson that to his face. Your 'belief' that Bryson is a liar says more about you than it does about him.
NICKTHEGREEK
08-18-2008, 18:06
Sorry you consider any opinion other than yours a 'flame', and that you aren't capable of spelling my name right.
The fact that you are insinuating that Bryson didn't hike what he said he did is indeed laughable and a pathetic attempt to discredit him. If you had actually read the book and hiked the trail you'd recognize some of the spots he described.
Did Bryson embellish-looks like it, but No one other than you has ever tried to suggest that he didn't hike about what he said he did. Are there are things I disagree with in the book? Yes, there are, and I have told Bryson that to his face. Your 'belief' that Bryson is a liar says more about you than it does about him.
Did Bryson actually appear to give a hoot what you thought? What was his take?
The Old Fhart
08-18-2008, 18:41
NICKTHEGREEK-"Did Bryson actually appear to give a hoot what you thought? What was his take?"I talked to him at a fund raiser for the Mount Washington Observatory held at the offices of a large law firm in Boston. Although the people there were outdoor folks, there were only 2 thru hikers there. Most of the questioning was of the "did you see any bears" sort of thing. I waited till he was alone for a minute to talk to him so I might get a more frank answer.
I told him I thought his describing the people in the south as slow, uneducated, or engaging in "years of unbibical sex" was unfair and if he looked in his own back yard in NH he would see the same sort of behavior. He basically said that was how he saw things and that was it. One thing to keep in mind is that he was more used to taking trips that involved indoor plumbing and the A.T. was kind of a cultural shock to him. Still, the book is funny in spots and the main reason thru hikers resent the book is it reminds them how many mistakes they made in the beginning. In that respect, the book captures the new hikers. Bryson never really got beyond that to become one with the A.T. community, and that is too bad.
NICKTHEGREEK
08-18-2008, 19:01
I talked to him at a fund raiser for the Mount Washington Observatory held at the offices of a large law firm in Boston. Although the people there were outdoor folks, there were only 2 thru hikers there. Most of the questioning was of the "did you see any bears" sort of thing. I waited till he was alone for a minute to talk to him so I might get a more frank answer.
I told him I thought his describing the people in the south as slow, uneducated, or engaging in "years of unbibical sex" was unfair and if he looked in his own back yard in NH he would see the same sort of behavior. He basically said that was how he saw things and that was it. One thing to keep in mind is that he was more used to taking trips that involved indoor plumbing and the A.T. was kind of a cultural shock to him. Still, the book is funny in spots and the main reason thru hikers resent the book is it reminds them how many mistakes they made in the beginning. In that respect, the book captures the new hikers. Bryson never really got beyond that to become one with the A.T. community, and that is too bad.
Well if that's how he sees it, that's how he sees it.
Bryson never really got beyond that to become one with the A.T. community, and that is too bad.
To the extent that that's true, it may be related to his age (and Katz' age) at the time. I'm not saying older folks can't "integrate" with the thru-hiker community (whatever that may be, exactly) but it's a fact that the vast bulk of thru-hikers are/were half his age.
To the extent that that's true, it may be related to his age (and Katz' age) at the time. I'm not saying older folks can't "integrate" with the thru-hiker community (whatever that may be, exactly) but it's a fact that the vast bulk of thru-hikers are/were half his age.
One of the fun things I experienced on my walk as a 64-year-old thru hiker wanna-be, was suddenly finding myself a compatriot of 20 somethings again. Especially in the early weeks age didn't seem to matter. We were all sort of "fox hole" buddies, trying to adjust to what for most of us was a totally new and difficult experience.
I found the trail to be a very forgiving place. Whoever you were, whatever your experiences, people accepted you.
As I read his book, I was saddened that Bryson apparently had failed to become part of the very remarkable trail community. I didn't meet many sophisticated people on the trail, but I did meet a community that mostly ignored the foibles of other hikers and accepted everyone as fellow dreamers, on a common challenge.
Weary
Nearly Normal
08-19-2008, 05:07
He hiked part of the trail.
He wrote a interesting and humorous book about it.
He made a little money.
Get over it.
He hiked part of the trail.
He wrote a interesting and humorous book about it.
He made a little money.
Get over it.
Well, he certainly wrote a book that many found interesting and humorous and in the process made a great deal of money. What do you want us to get over?
Weary
cowboy nichols
08-19-2008, 09:09
To the extent that that's true, it may be related to his age (and Katz' age) at the time. I'm not saying older folks can't "integrate" with the thru-hiker community (whatever that may be, exactly) but it's a fact that the vast bulk of thru-hikers are/were half his age.
Oh, Gee,, I'm Old and some would say unsocialable. I don't try to "Intergrate" usually stealt camp, stay away from well used trails, the exception being the AT. and that trail because I started it and before I go on my last unintergrated hike I intend to finish it. :rolleyes:
Skywalker
08-19-2008, 11:14
A Walk in the Woods is, by turns, amusing, inspiring, insightful, annoying, and a letdown. Those last two adjectives beg the obvious question--why have so many people, myself included, read it two or three times. Some have even read it more than that.
Maybe it's like Wingfoot's old data book--not that great, but the best thing out there. But, that's probably a poor analogy because Bryson's book is flat out fabulous at times, and that seems to more than make up for its fits and jerks of bizarreness, factual inaccuracy, as well as underperformance on the trail itself.
So the lesson is that a book is judged by its best parts, not by its worst parts.
Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail
oldshoes
08-19-2008, 11:33
I read the book and felt that it helped me prepare for the day I retire and finally get to do my hike. After reading it am better prepared to laugh away the pain and inconviences and keep on taking the most important step of the entire hike- the next one.
twosticks
08-19-2008, 12:26
I think it was a good read about a subject that I enjoy reading about. I thought it was that simple. I'm not going to base my eventual thru-hike on what he said, I gain better knowledge from trailjournals and talking to past thru-hikers. I read a lot of other authors and if I were to base their inaccuracies on my enjoyment, there wouldn't be much enjoyment.
hoyawolf
08-19-2008, 20:50
i think the book is okay at best but highlights what happens if you are unprepared for the mental rigors. a middle aged fat-man whose heart rate has not been more than 20 beats above resting except during coitus is probably going to get discouraged - especially since he had no real prior recent experience.
i think the book is okay at best but highlights what happens if you are unprepared for the mental rigors. a middle aged fat-man whose heart rate has not been more than 20 beats above resting except during coitus is probably going to get discouraged - especially since he had no real prior recent experience.
If you think all long-distance hikers are fit and trim... you haven't been to a Ruck or a Gathering lately... :rolleyes: Plenty of folks show up at Springer overweight and lacking knowledge or experience. Some of them even make it to Katahdin.
hoyawolf
08-19-2008, 21:02
i am not taking anything away from them - i know exactly what you mean. however, i think that bryson in particular had unrealistic expectations.
when he quit it ruined the book for me.
i am not taking anything away from them - i know exactly what you mean. however, i think that bryson in particular had unrealistic expectations.
Again, "unrealistic expectations" are probably the norm rather than the exception, for most first-time thru-hiker wannabes. Section hikers know better (after their first major section) as do 2nd-time (and Nth-time) thru-hikers. It's hard to imagine what a thru-hike entails... until you've done it, or at least tried.
when he quit it ruined the book for me.
Most folks (including myself) acknowledge that the 2nd half of the book isn't quite as compelling as the first. Having been in similar circumstances to Bill's, I can empathise more than some.
hoyawolf
08-19-2008, 21:12
all valid points!
Regardless of whether the book is a true depiction of life on the trail,the fact is it is so well written and entertaining it got me interested in hiking.Now thats a book!
OregonHiker
08-20-2008, 00:06
I honestly think there is middle ground on this. Jack has a legendary recall of facts,
Skywalker '05
.........................................
Flush2wice
08-20-2008, 08:42
Bryson had a good idea for a book and the ability to write it. He pitched it to his publisher and they gave him a fat advance. Then he was obligated to do the trail.
The best part of the book was the first part about his preparation. It accurately depicts the anxiety that all inexperienced folks have while they prepare for their trip. Shopping for gear, worrying about bears, weather, talking to friends about it, etc. Bryson's writing style was perfect for this part of the book. Hikers and non-hikers could relate to that stuff.
Then he had to hike. Problem was, he clearly suffered from the Deliverance Syndrome; scared yankee city slicker gets plopped in the southern mountains so he cinches up his sphincter and makes fun of everyone he meets because they aren't just like him.
Clearly his motivation had nothing to do with actually wanting to hike the trail.
When he bailed, he still had to write the book. So he filled the whole 2nd half with fluff.
The first part of the book was very good (even though Bryson acted like he was special), the 2nd part totally sucked.
It should have been called "A Drive Through the Mountains", and instead of a bear on the cover, it should have been a motel.
dessertrat
08-20-2008, 10:00
To the extent that that's true, it may be related to his age (and Katz' age) at the time. I'm not saying older folks can't "integrate" with the thru-hiker community (whatever that may be, exactly) but it's a fact that the vast bulk of thru-hikers are/were half his age.
I think there's some truth to that, but I also find that younger hikers are friendly enough, they just don't tend to be instantly "buddy buddy." People forget that to a twenty year old, a forty year old is oftentimes a guy their dad's age.
Bryson had a good idea for a book and the ability to write it. He pitched it to his publisher and they gave him a fat advance. Then he was obligated to do the trail.
The best part of the book was the first part about his preparation. It accurately depicts the anxiety that all inexperienced folks have while they prepare for their trip. Shopping for gear, worrying about bears, weather, talking to friends about it, etc. Bryson's writing style was perfect for this part of the book. Hikers and non-hikers could relate to that stuff.
Then he had to hike. Problem was, he clearly suffered from the Deliverance Syndrome; scared yankee city slicker gets plopped in the southern mountains so he cinches up his sphincter and makes fun of everyone he meets because they aren't just like him.
Clearly his motivation had nothing to do with actually wanting to hike the trail.
When he bailed, he still had to write the book. So he filled the whole 2nd half with fluff.
The first part of the book was very good (even though Bryson acted like he was special), the 2nd part totally sucked.
It should have been called "A Drive Through the Mountains", and instead of a bear on the cover, it should have been a motel.
flush2 has gotten it about right. Though I think the Deliverance talk was at least partly a pose. I suspect that like many AT dreamers he found long distance hiking and long distance hikers unpleasant.
But he still had a book contract to fulfill, so he padded it with some dreamed up stereotypical hikers, alleged fear of bears, and southern hillbilly chatter.
There is also the possibility that he never intended to do the whole trail anyway. Those of us who read carefully have noted the sentence towards the middle of the book in which he confesses to having other obligations for part of the peak summer hiking season.
Bryson is a very skilled professional writer. I chuckled while reading "A Walk ..." but I only rarely believed his stories were true. Yes the trail preparation accounts did have a ring of only slightly exaggerated truth.
I had read a little of Bryson before the book came out. I've read more since. I admire a lot of the things he has written, even "A Walk in the Woods." But I also recognize that his AT account is mostly fiction.
Weary
hoyawolf
08-20-2008, 11:18
flush speaks truth to power.
Skywalker
08-20-2008, 11:41
Katz doesn't seem very PCTish--tough to imagine him with bleached-blond hair and a surfboard (well a joint perhaps, granted!). Rather, he is cut straight out of the Appalachian Trail playbook, with all its vices and virtues. So, hopefully, he will return to the AT and be treated with proper reverence (but don't buy him any drinks!).
Skywalker '05
I still remember the year at the ALDHA gathering in NH he was supposed to speak but they wouldn't let him. and he lived in Dartmouth so it would have been a short distance for him. It wasn't right to stop him from talking even if you disagreed whith him.
Panzer
Nearly Normal
08-20-2008, 13:38
Why wouldn't they let him speak?
NICKTHEGREEK
08-20-2008, 13:41
flush2 has gotten it about right. Though I think the Deliverance talk was at least partly a pose. I suspect that like many AT dreamers he found long distance hiking and long distance hikers unpleasant.
But he still had a book contract to fulfill, so he padded it with some dreamed up stereotypical hikers, alleged fear of bears, and southern hillbilly chatter.
There is also the possibility that he never intended to do the whole trail anyway. Those of us who read carefully have noted the sentence towards the middle of the book in which he confesses to having other obligations for part of the peak summer hiking season.
Bryson is a very skilled professional writer. I chuckled while reading "A Walk ..." but I only rarely believed his stories were true. Yes the trail preparation accounts did have a ring of only slightly exaggerated truth.
I had read a little of Bryson before the book came out. I've read more since. I admire a lot of the things he has written, even "A Walk in the Woods." But I also recognize that his AT account is mostly fiction.
Weary
I'd have to say there was much more than a possibility