Katz--Myth, Hero, or Goat

[Skywalker]

Of all the compelling characters in American literature, perhaps Melville's Captain Ahab is the most vivid. By turns, one truly suffers and exults with him.

Now I won't go so far as to say that Bryson's Katz belongs in such annals, but he is worth dwelling on for a second. The interesting thing about Katz is the strong reaction he provokes from various quarters. In stark terms, many of the top echelon of AT hikers just flat out can't stand to hear about him. They go so far as to even question his existence and claim that Bryson created him to dramatize the book. Well, there is no doubt that Katz dramatized the book, alright; but, I think these people are badly errant in their analyses.

Katz, in some basic ways, is highly representative of the AT. Fat, out-of-shape, struggling, bitterly complaining, he quits well before reaching his goal. Nonetheless, he finally earns a measure of gratitude for this great national institution, the Appalachian Trail.

Remember, 80% of the people who set off each year to thru-hike fall short of their goal. Something like 25% never make it out of Georgia. So, in some basic ways Katz is highly representative of the AT population. And, better yet, despite his often miserable experiences on the trail, I would be willing to bet that in retrospect that it was one of the more enriching experiences of his life. That brings up an important point. Future Katz's should be encouraged, not discouraged, to hoist a backpack. The more people that hike on the AT, the better off we will be as a country and society, because of the great civilizing effect we are all aware the AT magically embodies.

Skywalker '05
Author of Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail

[Undershaft]

Good Post. I agree with what you said. I find it very funny that some folks on this website hate the character and book so much, that they deny Katz's very existance. Small minds and elitist attitudes....oh, well. Everyone is entitled to their opinion; hike your own hike (and stay the hell out of mine).

[Tin Man]

The more people that hike on the AT, the better off we will be as a country and society, because of the great civilizing effect we are all aware the AT magically embodies.

Or maybe less is better ... in some cases.

[Skywalker]

Since Obama is being subjected to the charge that he is elitist, I can think of no better vice-presidential running mate choice for him than Stephen Katz. Katz could solidify Obama's support amongst working-class white males. Further, he has hiked on the famed AT which gives him impeccable environmental credentials(despite the fact that he apparently littered quite a bit out there!). Finally, Katz is from the swing state of Iowa. It's a no-brainer for Obama. The only risk is that McCain beats him to the punch. Actually, that second idea is a non-starter. A McCain-Obama ticket could lead to the netherworld in a similar way that the Bryson-Katz pairing veered off course.

Skywalker '05

[rafe]

Future Katz's should be encouraged, not discouraged, to hoist a backpack. The more people that hike on the AT, the better off we will be as a country and society, because of the great civilizing effect we are all aware the AT magically embodies.

I'll buy that. Seems to me that time spent in the woods is always time well spent. Whether it's for an hour or for six months, it makes you a better person.

[double d]

I've read that the "real" Steve Katz is named Matt Angerer (I think the spelling is correct). So I guess Steve Katz is real and from Des Moines,IA. Overall, Bryson's book is just that, a book. I don't get the connection between Captain Ahab and Katz, but hey, everyone's got a right to have a different take on a book. IMO, Katz is very dysfunctional and is certainly written that way, but I wasn't impressed with Bryson either. I especially didn't like the stereotypes Bryson used to describe rural, southern communities and see them as cheap shots to fill blank pages of his book. Bryson to me (and I just read the book for a 2nd time this summer) comes off as an elitist jerk, but thats just my opinion. What is strange is that I didn't feel this way about the book the first time I read it, but after reading it again this summer, I came away with very negative thoughts on the book.

[rafe]

Bryson to me (and I just read the book for a 2nd time this summer) comes off as an elitist jerk, but thats just my opinion. What is strange is that I didn't feel this way about the book the first time I read it, but after reading it again this summer, I came away with very negative thoughts on the book.

Yeah, Bryson does get in a few yucks at the expense of southerners. OTOH, we yanks occasionally have to deal with "Southern by the Grace of God" and that sort of thing. Turnabout is fair play... The cultural divide is for real.

[Mother Nature]

I was out doing trail maintanence with the GA Ridgerunner last week and found this in the weeds near Tray Mountain.

It led us all to wonder if the person had been using it as a guidebook and gave up and quit the trail.


http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/file...oods_thumb.jpg

[Rain Man]

I was out doing trail maintanence with the GA Ridgerunner last week and found this in the weeds near Tray Mountain.

...
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/file...oods_thumb.jpg

Sorry, but all I see is a teenie-weenie thumbnail photo, illegible. Did you mean to include a full-size, "legible" photo?

RainMan

.

[Mother Nature]

Sorry, but all I see is a teenie-weenie thumbnail photo, illegible. Did you mean to include a full-size, "legible" photo?

RainMan

.

I did but my teenie-weenie tiny non-computer oriented mind doesn't really know how

I'll try again.

MN

[Dances with Mice]

... Remember, 80% of the people who set off each year to thru-hike fall short of their goal. Something like 25% never make it out of Georgia. ....

Now wait a minute! They may not walk out of Georgia on the Trail but they do get out of the state ok.

Well, most of them.

[trippclark]

Sorry, but all I see is a teenie-weenie thumbnail photo, illegible. Did you mean to include a full-size, "legible" photo?

RainMan

.

I think this is what Mother_Nature was trying to link to:

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/file..._the_woods.jpg

[jlb2012]

Sorry, but all I see is a teenie-weenie thumbnail photo, illegible. Did you mean to include a full-size, "legible" photo?

RainMan

.

just take the "_thumb" off of the link and you will see the big picture

[Mother Nature]

I resubmitted it.

I LMAO when I saw in the woods. The worms had done a pretty good job of devouring it. The cover was completely gone; only the thin film of plastic remained.

[Mother Nature]

Oh dear. It is a thumbprint again. Sorry. Must be time to take a walk.

Actually, Smokestack and I leave in the am to head back to the trail in NY. Thus far this year we have done MD, PA, NJ and part of NY.

MN

[Skywalker]

Ditto on some of your negative thoughts about the book. However, there was something very authentic about the depiction of Katz. And congratulations, by the way, for breaking the story of Katz's real name. That rates up there with Watergate's Deep Throat and the riddle of the Kennedy assasination.

But back to Katz for a second. Yes, he was a slug by any measure. But the idea of the middle-aged, overweight, misadventurer headed north with great hopes is very compelling. We can all see this guy. And if you read Bryson's latest book, The Thunderbolt Kid, apparently Katz was always that way. But he is also very loyal and authentic, two characteristics Bryson stresses in this latest book.

Skywalker '05
Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail

[Mother Nature]

I absolutely identified and love his "Thunderbolt Kid". Brought me home to the 50s and 60s.

[weary]

Of all the compelling characters in American literature, perhaps Melville's Captain Ahab is the most vivid. By turns, one truly suffers and exults with him.

Now I won't go so far as to say that Bryson's Katz belongs in such annals, but he is worth dwelling on for a second. The interesting thing about Katz is the strong reaction he provokes from various quarters. In stark terms, many of the top echelon of AT hikers just flat out can't stand to hear about him. They go so far as to even question his existence and claim that Bryson created him to dramatize the book. Well, there is no doubt that Katz dramatized the book, alright; but, I think these people are badly errant in their analyses.

Katz, in some basic ways, is highly representative of the AT. Fat, out-of-shape, struggling, bitterly complaining, he quits well before reaching his goal. Nonetheless, he finally earns a measure of gratitude for this great national institution, the Appalachian Trail.

Remember, 80% of the people who set off each year to thru-hike fall short of their goal. Something like 25% never make it out of Georgia. So, in some basic ways Katz is highly representative of the AT population. And, better yet, despite his often miserable experiences on the trail, I would be willing to bet that in retrospect that it was one of the more enriching experiences of his life. That brings up an important point. Future Katz's should be encouraged, not discouraged, to hoist a backpack. The more people that hike on the AT, the better off we will be as a country and society, because of the great civilizing effect we are all aware the AT magically embodies.

Skywalker '05
Author of Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail

Katz is a real person. He has been in other Bryson books, where as in "A Walk..." he is used as a comic, sympathetic foil.

Whether all that Bryson wrote about Katz is true, is an open question. I suspect not. Since fundamentally not much in the book dealing with his trail experiences is literally true.

Bryson found the trail boring and the people he met unlikeable, so he didn't interface much with the trail and other hikers. The book smacks more of library research than trail experiences.

Yup, Bryson is a talented writer. He knows how to tell funny stories, leavened with just enough truth for credibility.

I chuckled as I read the book, the stories were funny. But they involved a trail that is nothing like the trail I walked.

Weary

[Skywalker]

Double D, Post #6

Yes, Bryson has always been unable to resist easy targets. In some of his books about Europe you would think Germany was still inhabited by goose-stepping fascists. And he speaks of the South in his AT book as the Confederacy, and his intense longing to escape from it. But at the end of the day the southern Appalachians proved to be a pretty good match for him. He's lucky (and we're lucky) that the Unioin Army didn't have too many soldiers like him or the South would have won the damn war, we'd still have slavery, and everybody would still be marrying their sisters. So maybe he shouldn't be quite so proud!

Skywalker '05

[mrc237]

I absolutely identified and love his "Thunderbolt Kid". Brought me home to the 50s and 60s.

Ditto for me, I was raised in Brooklyn NY and didn't see much difference in Bryson's Des Moines.