A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is a travel memoir of Bryson and a long-lost buddy of his, Stephen Katz, hiking the Appalachian Trail. Both men were totally out of shape and middle-aged, but they were determined to travel the approximately 2,100 mile trail which travels from Spring Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Early on the trail the two realize that the whole endeavor is just too much for them, so they skip a large section of the trail and begin again in Virginia. This time they last a wee bit longer, but they just didn’t have the urge to keep on that they had before they began, so they decided to leave the trail and return to their daily lives. Still, Bryson hiked the trail in small increments until he and Katz reunite …show more content…
Before Bryson began the trail he looked at the trail as a way “reacquaint himself with the scale of and beauty of his native land…” (4). He thought of the time-consuming trail as a way to unite with nature which is an exciting experience because it is not something most people can say they have accomplished. “… I got a great deal else from the experience. I learned to pitch a tent and sleep beneath the stars” (393). Bryson not only had the opportunity to experience the “…most diversified sweep of woodland…” (4), but he also learned a great deal of skills and life lessons. He learned how to survive in the complete wilderness without electricity, plumbing or any other means of luxuries that we seem to take for granted. “I found patience and fortitude that I didn’t know I had” (393), says Bryson. He was not only rewarded with lessons that most Americans have never thought about learning, but he also had time to self-reflect and become a better human being. Walking countless miles for countless hours forces one to become more patient because they should be in no rush to get to their destination which is possibly thousands upon thousands of steps away. The strength that Bryson gained on the trip was both physical and mental. He physically became more fit and in shape while also becoming a more resolute person. He could have given up on the trail as soon as he experienced his first discomfort, but he endured until he physically couldn’t. Bryson’s experience on the Appalachian Trail was rewarding in unpopular but beneficial life skills, self-awareness bonuses, and physical