A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $3.71
You Save: $4.28 (54%)
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Rating:  71 reviews
Sales Rank: 1049
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 397
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0307279464
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.40443
EAN: 9780307279460
ASIN: 0307279464
Publication Date: December 26, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...
 A pleasant read if you can wade through the smug November 17, 2008
I enjoy Mr. Bryson's craft of writing. His description of the trail, and his attempt at walking it capture the imagination. Never mind that he doesn't finish the trail; it's his story of his attempt. The descriptions are vivid. It's an inspirational read, and reignites my love of hiking and makes me want to attempt a long, put-off goal of x-country skiing a hut trip! My complaint is his constant snide remarks about his walking partner, others on the trail, the towns he visits, the simpletons who inhabit the towns,and government agencies who oversee the trails and make decisions for towns. It gets old and sounds a bit whiney and snide after awhile.
 Entertaining all the way thru... October 31, 2008
This is the first book by Bryson I picked up and I could hardly put it down before finishing it. It flows very well, is full of historical facts and great imagery of Bryson's journey along the AT.
Grammer mistakes galore! October 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book but I'll be darned if there wasn't at least one mistake in the translation to the kindle version every few pages. One or two misplaced commas I can deal with but not the thirty+ mistakes that I alone found. It became distracting after awhile and it is obvious no one proofreads these Kindle versions before they are uploaded for folks to buy.
C'mon Amazon, if you want this Kindle thing to succeed, you're going to have to at least give these things a once-over.
Otherwise, loved the book. Great story and appreciated the author's humour.
 Waste of time, Misleading, Huge disappointment............. October 12, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This guy is a looser! I applaud him for "attempting" the AT trail, but come on! He did not do even half of it. This book is for people who will never venture down a trail of any kind! I have done my fair share of mountaineering and hiking; I would never fathom writing about my failed attempt to "walk" a trail. If I was getting paid to "hike" something like the AT trail, I sure in the hell would finish it.
The only funny part for me was Mary Ellen! The more I read the more I agree with her opinion. She met the guy? As far as Kat, I like this guy. He seems to be a good guy that went out of his element to try something new!
Conclusion: Publisher should get their money back, Bill should have to go walk the whole trail over start to finish and he should have to do it with Mary Ellen!
Save your money & time.
Other recommendation: "No short cut's to the top" by Ed Viestures Great read, just makes you feel great about life!
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
A Long, Slow Walk To Nowhere ... October 8, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Some things we never seem to learn, like judging a book by its cover. In this instance, the cover of "A Walk In The Woods" looks inviting enough, even exciting, with the picture of a bear staring you down.
False advertising.
If "A Walk In The Woods" had been a TV show, it would have been named Seinfeld, but without the humor, because it is truly a book about nothing. Two guys decide to walk the Appalachian Train for different reasons. However, they don't actually hike together, they don't meet a lot of compelling other people and they never see a bear, or a bobcat either. Huh?
Instead, the reader is subjected to lengthy prose about the stark glories and occasional majesty of the AT, the shelter accommodations for hikers, or lack thereof, and a pile of pages filled with administrivia about the history of the trail.
Yikes! Our reluctant heroes did not even reach their destination, or come close ("a detail").
So, what did we learn from this reading experience? Not much, although it did addle my brain in regard to my neighbor who has contracted every conceivable disease, some very serious, in his pursuit of walking sections of the AT. But, he has probably already read this book and given it a 5 star rating.
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