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View Full Version : Bill Bryson's Trail Name?



strollingalong
03-22-2012, 13:43
What was it?

rocketsocks
03-22-2012, 15:06
.................bill

bus
03-22-2012, 17:29
.........!

bessiebreeze
03-22-2012, 17:36
Evidently he didn't have one, for it is never mentioned in his book. This has always made me wonder if he really ever hiked very much if any of the AT, because trail names are a big part of the hike. I still think that most if not all of that book is fiction, and should be classified as such.

Bessie breeze

HiKen2011
03-22-2012, 17:38
Doyle has hiked the AT over 10 times and doesn't have a trail name. No big deal if you don't IMHO.

SCRUB HIKER
03-22-2012, 17:40
I've always wondered the same. He doesn't even talk about other people's trail names--knowing his writing style, you'd think trail names would be a topic he would seize on and sprinkle around all sorts of little jokes and anecdotes. Like Bessie Breeze said, more proof that he really wasn't on the trail for very long, even for as little time as he says he was.

Memphis Tim
03-22-2012, 17:50
In the book Bryson only hiked continuously to Davenport Gap, a little over 300 miles. Then he yellow blazed huge swaths and did some day hikes. Altogether he claims to have hiked over 800 miles of the AT. I enjoyed the book but it completely left out the best part of the trail- the community. It's probably because he's a mildly misanthropic curmudgeon who only acknowledged other hikers when he was casting scorn on them.

Passengr57
03-22-2012, 18:07
Hey everyone, I southbounded from Harrisburg to the smokies in 2000 a year or two after the book came out. The understanding I had from the NoBos was they tried to find Brysons' entries but couldn't. Some trail angles I talked to said their logs were never signed either. (shrug). One signature that was found in some logs was Mr. Earl Schaffer's, but not all. If I make it down to the trail this year im going to try to learn more on both.

Cookerhiker
03-22-2012, 18:20
I've always wondered the same. He doesn't even talk about other people's trail names--knowing his writing style, you'd think trail names would be a topic he would seize on and sprinkle around all sorts of little jokes and anecdotes. Like Bessie Breeze said, more proof that he really wasn't on the trail for very long, even for as little time as he says he was.

Not true - when he was day-hiking in Massaschusetts, he referred to Chicken John and related how well-known on the Trail he was. This suggests that Bryson interacted with hiker sufficiently that he knew about trail names. He just chose to not make a point of it.


In the book Bryson only hiked continuously to Davenport Gap, a little over 300 miles. Then he yellow blazed huge swaths and did some day hikes. Altogether he claims to have hiked over 800 miles of the AT. I enjoyed the book but it completely left out the best part of the trail- the community. It's probably because he's a mildly misanthropic curmudgeon who only acknowledged other hikers when he was casting scorn on them.

He did more than that. After leaving Gatlinburg, he hiked a week's worth of Trail (backpacked, that is) along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Waynesboro then backpacked all of Shenandoah NP. In Maine, he backpacked for about 4-5 days before throwing in the towel. His day hikes were a little in PA, MA, and NH.

Re his interaction with other hikers and the "hiking community" he & Katz tried to avoid shelters - something that many WBers profess to do. He indicated from the outset that he wanted to avoid crowds - not everyone who aspires to thru-hike is out for the "social trail" although it seems quite prevalent these days. For example when he started at Springer, he expressed surprise that so many others were out there; he thought he had started early before the (c)rush of thrus. And while in SNP, his scorn was heaped on those weekenders in his last shelter but beforehand, he was very friendly with and towards other backpackers he met - I think the guy's name was Connoley (don't have my book - loaned it out).

I don't agree with everthing Bryson did nor some of his opinions and observations - some were quite unfair and certainly contrary to my experience. I too have questions about some "loose ends" and apparent discrepancies. But I've noticed some Bryson haters IMO go beyond reasonable criticism. Anyone who thinks the book was "complete fiction" either hasn't read it or hasn't backpacked much of the AT.

Pony
03-22-2012, 18:25
I never understood why people get their panties in a bunch over this book. Even if he never stepped foot on the trail, it doesn't matter, it's a good read. He's an author not a hiker, and most on this site fail to realize that. His target audience is not hikers. I know, he made fun of some people in the south, but if you take the time to read some of his other work, you will see that he has made a living out of making fun of himself. So what if he embellishes his story, afterall, if Mark Twain didn't know how to spin a yarn, we'd be missing out on a great American author.

Shae
03-22-2012, 18:46
I never understood why people get their panties in a bunch over this book. Even if he never stepped foot on the trail, it doesn't matter, it's a good read. He's an author not a hiker, and most on this site fail to realize that. His target audience is not hikers. I know, he made fun of some people in the south, but if you take the time to read some of his other work, you will see that he has made a living out of making fun of himself. So what if he embellishes his story, afterall, if Mark Twain didn't know how to spin a yarn, we'd be missing out on a great American author.

Well said. It doesn't matter.

coach lou
03-22-2012, 18:55
Well said. It doesn't matter.

Someone said in an earlier thread..." he's a writer Hiking not a Hiker Writing". I've read 3 of his other works, they are all very funny and good reads. My favorite Being 'The Mother Tongue'.

buff_jeff
03-22-2012, 18:59
Evidently he didn't have one, for it is never mentioned in his book. This has always made me wonder if he really ever hiked very much if any of the AT, because trail names are a big part of the hike. I still think that most if not all of that book is fiction, and should be classified as such.

Bessie breeze

I don't know, I hiked the trail and never got a trail name, or didn't accept any that people came up with. I know of several people who are trailname-less and have hiked either the entire AT or large portions of it.

moytoy
03-22-2012, 19:01
Bryson is a master at hyperbole. He never made it past Newfound Gap in the Smokies. He made it very clear that he didn't like the weather or fog or anything else in those mountains. He ended up renting a car after a few days in Gatlinburg and going to Va. to continue his hike. One thing always bothered me about his account of the Clingmans dome and Newfound gap area. He claimed that the closest paved road to Clingmans Dome was HWY 441. The road from CD has been paved for years. But I won't call him a lier(or a pretender) for this mistake. He probably wrote that and didn't remember that the road down was paved. Anyway he never really told how he got to Newfound Gap. If he walked he followed the AT and maybe never noticed that the road down was paved. But my point is he is a story teller accurate details aside. He also liked to make fun of the local folk and I will always hold that against him......

Pony
03-22-2012, 19:07
The day I went over Clingman's Dome, it was so fogged in that you could only see about 20 feet in front of you. I never realized the road was there either til just now. Although in retrospect, that observation tower and screaming kids should have given it away, ha ha.

Maren
03-22-2012, 19:17
Apparently, HYOH applies to everyone except Bryson.

MuddyWaters
03-22-2012, 19:20
I dont understand the Bryson haters either.

I have read other books of his, and largely enjoy his writing style, especially his ability show the humor and absurdities that surround us everyday, as well as little-known or long-forgotten incredulous facts. He obviously has to do a great deal of research to come up with this stuff, or get a great deal of assistance.

I have read around a dozen AT books, Id imagine all the most popular ones. His and Winton Porters are the best in my opinion. The rest are mostly just ho hum day by day narrations with possibly a few mildly interesting experiences. They are good for garnering knowledge, but not necessarilly that entertaining.

lush242000
03-22-2012, 19:21
It's a good book. Fiction or non-fiction I still enjoyed it and laughed a few times while reading it.

couscous
03-22-2012, 20:33
In the book, Katz just calls him Bryson.
The 6-hour audiobook version (read by Bill Bryson himself) has been a favorite for long drives.

Papa D
03-22-2012, 20:44
"Yellow Blaze Bill" seems apt

Wise Old Owl
03-22-2012, 21:05
Oh yes I remember it was "Useless American in Brit"


Also "nevermind" was a cool uphanism

Mags
03-22-2012, 22:16
The day I went over Clingman's Dome, it was so fogged in that you could only see about 20 feet in front of you. I never realized the road was there either til just now.

Likewise.

I find it funny that this book came out in 1998....and fourteen years later it's still THAT BOOK. And still gets people all bent out of shape.

It's an amusing book to read in airport. Bryson moved on. Let's do the same. :)

Kirby
03-22-2012, 23:02
I do enjoy how this topic reemerges every year.

--Kirby

Maddog
03-23-2012, 01:25
According to Baltimore Jack's favorite t-shirt, it should probably be candy a$$!

jesse
03-23-2012, 03:27
... it's a good read. He's an author not a hiker...

Better than all the Trail Journals combined.

Miami Joe
03-23-2012, 04:25
Bryson's trail name: Snobbish.

daddytwosticks
03-23-2012, 07:12
Bryson did at least START the trail with a hiking companion. Wes Wisson, a stuttler who lives in Suches Ga. (and I believe mentioned by name in the book), recounted the story to me while shuttling me on my last hike. :)

Cookerhiker
03-23-2012, 08:18
Bryson did at least START the trail with a hiking companion. Wes Wisson, a stuttler who lives in Suches Ga. (and I believe mentioned by name in the book), recounted the story to me while shuttling me on my last hike. :)

Same here - Wes shuttled me in '04 and confirmed Katz's existence.

MJW155
03-23-2012, 10:32
Bill Bryson rules. What's wrong with some of you people? In 100 years, people will still be reading that book. The book is not meant for hikers. Why would Bryson write a book for hikers about his experience when a hiker has already experienced what he wrote about? He wrote that book for people that will never hike the AT in a million years.

If you think he's being a snob or mean because he makes fun of people on the AT, then read his other books. You'll soon see that he makes fun of EVERYONE, including himself.

Jeff
03-23-2012, 11:54
The trail gained great popularity as a result of the book.

Sure wish another book would appear that gets more folks interested in backpacking.

Hawkwind61
03-23-2012, 11:55
I read his book while on a flight out to Idaho from New England a few years back. I laughed and snickered the whole time. Being a long time hiker/backpacker I found myself muttering, "That's not how you do it!" quite frequently. I will say that my sides hurt from giggling and trying not to laugh out loud thereby waking my seat partners. It made a normally long and boring flight comical (for me).

The book was an amusing time passer. ;)

Datto
03-23-2012, 13:53
Katz did say he had a trailname but you can't mention it in mixed company.

In Year 2000 I hiked in Georgia with a hiker named Bill Bryson -- not the author but someone else with the same given name. Nice guy.


Datto

Grumble
03-23-2012, 14:54
I read the book and laughed quite a bit. Analyzing it seems like a waste of energy. It's not a guide book.

strollingalong
03-23-2012, 16:44
yeah, you guys are pretty hilarious. I only asked his trail name for my most recent post.

is the real trail like this, probably, right?!

atmilkman
03-23-2012, 17:25
Seems like the man made an honest effort at seeing and writing about what makes us tick. What drives us. Obviously it "wasn't what he expected" but he did try. That deserves some credit.

Shack
03-23-2012, 19:42
if you like Bill Bryson's book, you should read Beyond My Limits by Charles Anderson.
I read them both and think if you like A walk in the woods you will like this one.

Shack

Driver8
03-27-2012, 11:45
But I've noticed some Bryson haters IMO go beyond reasonable criticism. Anyone who thinks the book was "complete fiction" either hasn't read it or hasn't backpacked much of the AT.

^ +1

It's highly unlikely Bryson could have written A Walk In the Woods, with its superb, subtle feel for the experience of hiking long stretches of the A.T., without having had the experience. It's a fun read and a nice introduction for civilians to long distance hiking. I enjoyed it immensely, though of course I recognize that Bill's views and experiences will vary greatly with my own. Vive la difference. ...

Tuckahoe
03-27-2012, 12:21
I would say that I am no fan of Bill Bryson. Bryson and his style annoys me and I found Katz to be the more interesting of the two... however the book was funny and much more entertaining than many of the thru hiker books that I have read... AWOL's, Skywalker's, and 300 Zeros just seemed to all bleed together in into the same book.

Half Note
03-27-2012, 12:58
I am fond of the book because it sparked my interest in the AT. I was, however, disappointed to discover that it was kind of bogus but nonetheless, I enjoyed it and now I'm looking forward to the journey.

AndyB
03-29-2012, 21:45
he was on the trail, I met him when I was RidgeRunner in the Berkshires....and yes the actual Trail can be this cliquey. Have good hikes everyone, be safe

fredmugs
03-30-2012, 07:53
What I dislike about the book is it has little to do with hiking. He spends a good 2/3 of the book complaining about the NPS specifically and the federal government in general.

Nutbrown
03-30-2012, 09:02
I enjoyed that book, then read the one where he travels around the US looking for small town America. I've not read another. He came across as a pompous Brit (which is what I think he really wants to be) that thought all small towners were simple minded and fat.

Whether he had a trail name or not is just an interesting curiosity.

Grampie
03-30-2012, 16:38
Before I attemped to thru-hike in 2000 I went to a book signing Bill Bryson was doing on a book he had just wrote about Austraila. After he spoke about his new book folks got in line to meet Bill and have him sign their book. I got in line and when I got to the table where he was signing books I asked him to sign my copu of Walk In The Woods and that I was leaving in two days to go to Springer to start a thru. He told me how much he enjoyed the AT and some of the great folks that he met. He also said that he hoped to finish the trail some day. He asked me what my trail name was going to be so that he could write it to when he signed. I asked him what his trail name was and he said that it was "Bryson".

rocketsocks
03-30-2012, 17:27
Before I attempted to thru-hike in 2000 I went to a book signing Bill Bryson was doing on a book he had just wrote about Australia. After he spoke about his new book folks got in line to meet Bill and have him sign their book. I got in line and when I got to the table where he was signing books I asked him to sign my copy of Walk In The Woods and that I was leaving in two days to go to Springer to start a thru. He told me how much he enjoyed the AT and some of the great folks that he met. He also said that he hoped to finish the trail some day. He asked me what my trail name was going to be so that he could write it to when he signed. I asked him what his trail name was and he said that it was "Bryson".Well that makes sense,that's what Kat calls him,throughout!

Driver8
03-30-2012, 19:21
What I dislike about the book is it has little to do with hiking. He spends a good 2/3 of the book complaining about the NPS specifically and the federal government in general.

So he wrote the book he wanted to, but it wasn't the one you wanted him to. Ain't that always the way?

MJW155
03-31-2012, 11:00
What I dislike about the book is it has little to do with hiking. He spends a good 2/3 of the book complaining about the NPS specifically and the federal government in general.


Because the book isn't about hiking. It's about his experience of the AT. Huge difference.

If he wrote about hiking, it would just be another journal.

weary
03-31-2012, 11:30
Evidently he didn't have one, for it is never mentioned in his book. This has always made me wonder if he really ever hiked very much if any of the AT, because trail names are a big part of the hike. I still think that most if not all of that book is fiction, and should be classified as such.

Bessie breeze
Bill Bryson didn't like the hikers he wrote about, which makes me think he never really communicated with other hikers. It's my guess he had, at best, only a faint awareness of the trail name phenomenon, if that. Bill missed what most of us considered to be one of the more interesting parts of the trail -- the hiking community.

Lone Wolf
03-31-2012, 11:52
Bill Bryson didn't like the hikers he wrote about, which makes me think he never really communicated with other hikers. It's my guess he had, at best, only a faint awareness of the trail name phenomenon, if that. Bill missed what most of us considered to be one of the more interesting parts of the trail -- the hiking community.

bryson and i are a lot alike

DaSchwartz
03-31-2012, 19:48
I love Bryson's book. There's no question he did a lot of homework about the Appalachian Trail and his writing style is both factual and funny. Yea, he probably added some fiction like Katz's adventures in Waynesboro. And yea, he did make Katz out to be a weak hiker although Bryson also was very grateful for Katz coming, as he noted, Katz didn't have to be there.

jeffmeh
03-31-2012, 19:56
I always find amusing all the vitriol many thru-hikers spew at Bryson. I found the book extremely funny and entertaining. If I get a chance to do a thru-hike when I retire, do I have to do a 180 and hate the book?

MJW155
04-01-2012, 00:56
I always find amusing all the vitriol many thru-hikers spew at Bryson. I found the book extremely funny and entertaining. If I get a chance to do a thru-hike when I retire, do I have to do a 180 and hate the book?


Yea, I honestly don't get the hate. I think people are pissed he wrote a book about hiking the AT when he didn't complete a thru-hike. But the name of the book is "A Walk In The Woods", not some title saying he hiked the entire trail. And Bryson freely admits he didn't hike the entire thing. In the first few pages of the book he even mentions he's only doing 6 weeks for the 1st section. Considering that took up 2/3 of the book, you had to know he wasn't going to finish once you got to page 50 or so.

The obvious thing people are missing is that it's not a book for thru-hikers. It's a book for normal folks that like to read and wonder what it would be like to hike something like the AT.

Meg Wilson Author
04-01-2012, 11:06
I'm a huge fan of all Bill Bryson has written. He makes me laugh, and that's goes a long way with me.
Everyone who has taken on the AT as subject matter approaches it in a different way. That's what keeps literature from becoming stale and boring. I have read too many place names. They mean very little until I see them for myself.
I am a writer embarking on my own book about the AT. I will cover trail names, trail magic, trail mix, trail stories.... I won't be wasting too much ink on places beyond those I know, like Monson, Maine and Katahdin. I am also taking on a brand new AT subject: women who thru-hike...and why they do it. What's different about it for them? Not a lot has been written from a woman's point-of-view. My goal is to change that. My second home is in Monson, where I spend time frequently with my Maine Guide/neurosurgeon husband. I look forward to greeting Sobos after the 100-mile wilderness and Nobos when they get to Monson, and then Katahdin. I want to feed, transport, give access to our lakefront, comfy beds, showers, and LISTEN. Not offering money, just a little respite. I am not a thru-hiker myself but am constantly intrigued by those who step into town for a day or two. Have climbed Katahdin 3 times, backpacked parts of trail, grad of Outward Bound in Maine. Have lived 50 years thru the best and worst life has to offer. How about you? [email protected]

Slo-go'en
04-01-2012, 12:26
Bill Bryson didn't like the hikers he wrote about, which makes me think he never really communicated with other hikers. It's my guess he had, at best, only a faint awareness of the trail name phenomenon, if that. Bill missed what most of us considered to be one of the more interesting parts of the trail -- the hiking community.

Anyone who has spent some time on the trail has meet all the characters discribed in the book. Which makes me think he did communicate with a lot of hikers and rolled thier various traits into the couple of characters he does go into some detail about.

That's a good way to give a feel for the kind of people out there, with out having to talk about a lot of different individuals. And it makes them a lot more interesting then they would otherwise normally be.

It's been how long since this book came out and we're still talking about it? That's one indication of a good book.

Wise Old Owl
04-01-2012, 15:14
What I dislike about the book is it has little to do with hiking. He spends a good 2/3 of the book complaining about the NPS specifically and the federal government in general.


I enjoyed that book, then read the one where he travels around the US looking for small town America. I've not read another. He came across as a pompous Brit (which is what I think he really wants to be) that thought all small towners were simple minded and fat.

Whether he had a trail name or not is just an interesting curiosity.

I think you folks nailed it.... could not say that better myself... Can I use that in future?

MJW155
04-01-2012, 15:47
It's amazing how some of you don't understand his humor. He makes fun of himself more than he does other people. In his book about Austrailia, he tells a story of how he was so fat that when he went on a boogie board to surf, he sank to the bottom of the beach.

If you don't like this book, it's because you have different expectations of what the book is supposed to be about. But to say it's a bad book because he's pompous and looks down on people is just LOL silly.

Tinker
04-01-2012, 17:11
Picking other people apart is a longtime pastime of the American public (probably every nation's public as well - those that don't have a dictator that will have you shot, at least).

Bryson capitalizes on this in his A Walk in the Woods, and he does an excellent job showcasing the idiosyncrasies of his subjects, real or imagined. You laugh at them, then you laugh at yourself (if you're not a complete stick-in-the-mud).

Fact or fiction, it was a fun and easy read, and he is a very good writer/comic.

It's doubtful that he could get away with the attitude that he has as a character in his own book without getting a regular helping of knuckle sandwich.

He's probably an ok guy, just like some of the curmudgeons here on Whiteblaze.

rickb
04-01-2012, 17:41
I am more ready than most to agree there is much about hiking which really sucks-- but it would have been nice if AWITW captured more of the joy of the Trail.

I wish tavel writer Paul Thereoux came up with the idea before Bryson. Oh, well.

In the end, I suspect many of us have a coworker, firend or relative who thinks they understand us and our experiences after reading the book. That's too bad, but not Brysons fault.

BradMT
04-01-2012, 17:48
Evidently he didn't have one, for it is never mentioned in his book. This has always made me wonder if he really ever hiked very much if any of the AT, because trail names are a big part of the hike. I still think that most if not all of that book is fiction, and should be classified as such.

Bessie breeze

Don't disagree that he likely didn't do most of what he claims, but your "trail name" being a "big part of the hike" is nonsense.

Trail names strike many of us as adolescent at best.

Donde
04-01-2012, 17:57
My favorite part is when he meets a SOBO thru-hiker in April in SNP. Baltimore Jack has a t-shirt I like an awful lot.

Sarcasm the elf
04-01-2012, 19:27
...Baltimore Jack has a t-shirt I like an awful lot.
Do tell... Lots of us haven't gotten the chance to meet him yet.

Lone Wolf
04-01-2012, 19:30
Do tell... Lots of us haven't gotten the chance to meet him yet.

it just says "bill bryson is a candy***"

RedGrey
04-07-2012, 05:28
I thought it was a wonderful book, very entertaining, very thoughtful, and quite well-written. Whoever said he was snobbish seems to be in some kind of holier than thou clique of thru-hikers. Reading that post I could almost see a guy with his nose turned up, head slightly wobbling side to side... (in other words, snobbish...)
Also, EVERYONE in the south needs to be made fun on, lol... including myself! I still find myself doin' dumb hick stuff, it's ridiculous..

Somone also mentioned something about the importance of a trail name being somewhat adolescent. I agree, but still kinda fun.. hehe.. just not important really..

Anyway, can't wait to read more of his books.. And hope he finishes the trail some day! cheers...