I'm pretty sure this has been brought up before, but I got to talking to a few other hikers, and of course, A Walk in the Woods came up. I was absolutely astonished when one of them told me that Bill Bryson had applied to be granted 2000-Miler status by the ATC, and, even though he admitted to never hiking the entire trail in his book, the ATC was forced to send him a rocker and a certificate.
Does anyone know if this is verifiable? or do I have to call the ATC to check?
Thanks.