Bill Bryson and his colourfully described friend Stephen Katz attempt to walk the longest continuous footpath in the World, the Appalachian Trial (AT) which runs 2,200 miles along the East coast of America from Georgia in the South to Maine in the North. Along the way the trail contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in America – The Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and the Great North Woods of Maine.
This book sees Bryson gamely leave the creature comforts of his New Hampshire home and takes him into new territory, a world of the outdoors, camping in the remote wilderness. Unlike his previous efforts that involved hotels and B&B’s he now finds himself hiking through rough rocky terrain and is definitely tested. His sardonic wit and biting humour are present and the chapters are peppered with observations and facts about the AT and the dangers he and his companion could potentially face. Particularly chilling are accounts of bear attacks he recounts from his research of the trail. These stories bring it home to the reader just how random and alarming a bear attack can be. He informs us of the differences of a black bear and a grizzly and what to do if confronted by one (not that you would want to!) These passages make sobering reading. As usual Bryson’s humour surfaces and we are treated to comic descriptions of his efforts to get kitted out for the journey.
Katz is a memorable character who we last saw in ‘Neither Here Nor There.’ He too has a sharp sense of humour as well as an interesting past. The two men bounce off each other nicely as they comment on what they encounter on the trail. Both deal with situations with candour and sarcasm as they bicker away like two brothers. The descriptions of their experiences make this book a pleasure to read and you feel as if though you are with them sharing their discomforts and frustrations as well as their triumphs.
The book is not just about them, though and Bryson chronicles the other hikers they meet on the way, a colourful and mixed collection of characters ranging from the highly competent to the utter misfits who are woefully equipped to deal with the trail. For example there is ‘Chicken John’ who has been on the trail for some months but only because he keeps managing to get lost! Eccentrics like him keep the right balance between fact and levity. Sometimes the facts are laid on a little too thick which is something I often find when reading a Bill Bryson book. I enjoy learning about new things, but his strengths are in describing his own experiences.
I really enjoyed this book and its self-deprecating humour. Nothing is glossed over; if he feels tired, cold, wet and miserable or finds someone insufferable he says so. This is a thoroughly entertaining account of a famous travel writer and his ‘X-Files’ loving friend and their mishaps and adventures in the American Wilderness. A great read.