A Walk in the Woods

[flyfishermanj]

Guys,

Read this book a while back, just picked it back up to reread it. It's not a "flyfishing" related book, but it's pretty damn FUNNY!!! "A Walk in the Woods" is written by Bill Bryson and it's his experience of walking the AP Trail with an old friend. If you don't start laughing out loud while reading this book, you are in need of some mental help!!! I bought my book on Amazon for under $20.

JH

 

[Acristickid]

Fun, easy read. That was the first of several books that got me thinking about hiking the AT. I did NC and TN in 2000. 270 miles in 3 weeks.

 

[fritz]

J,

Thanks for the tip. Someone who is big into packpacking told me about this book a few weeks ago and I forgot about it. I'll have to read it.

 

[jerseygeorge]

That book got me reading Bryson's work. A walk in the wild was awesome, so was "In a Sunburned Country". If you read a "short history of nearly everything" then you will know something about just everything! He has written in all types of genre's, but my favorite are his hilarious adventure and travel stories. Thanks for the reminder, it is time for "A walk in the wild" to get a re-read, just as soon as I am done with "flyfishing through a mid life crisis" for the 3rd time.
JG

 

[David]

"flyfishing through a mid life crisis" for the 3rd time.

I read it once and can't pick it up again for whatever reason, but I'm re-reading Gierach's complete collection for about the 8th winter in a row. I guess I've gotta try Bryson.

 

[scotto]

Walk in the Woods is indeed laugh out loud funny. My wife told me that Robt Redford, Paul Newman or Clint Eastwood(I probably wasn't paying attention as usual) pruchased the rights and is going to make a movie. My guess is that it will not live up to this book.

 

[Padraic]

I don't see where a Walk in the Woods would make a good movie, but what do I know? Most of the things I loved about the book wouldn't translate into action and dialogue very well (I don't think). I would like to see Katz on the screen though. He's a character! The final scenes with him would be real tear jerkers though. I keep hoping to hear good news about his recovery at some point.

 

[Acristickid]

Pad- agree with you on how it would translate into a movie??

Bryson in thru hiker language is known as a "slack packer".

He hikes from point a to point b in a day and makes use of a shuttle or some of type of pickup and may not start in the same location the following day. Thus,not "thru-hiking" the AT.

The AT hike is like a sub-culture. Everyone gets to kinda know most hikers after a couple of weeks hiking. The year I was on the trail an entire family of 7-8 people were thru hiking. Think he was a preacher and had 6 months off. There were in age 6 to 18(children). The cooked with fire as well most of the time. (very labor intensive) The dad and the 18 yr old boy packs were freighteningly large. Not sure how they were doing it?

I was a "section-hiker".

 

[DJB66]

Great book,could not stop laughing at it.But I have to agree don't kow how they could make a movie from it.

 

[fritz]

I read it and howled--lots of fun.

 

[ryanh]

Acristicid,
The subculture crap kind of got me. I am in at least 8 different subcultures and I have found one thing out. No matter where you are in the subculture you are simultanously a poser to some and a guru to others.

Slack Packer though he may be Bryson has seen more of the trail than you or I put together.

 

[Acristickid]

ryanh-
That's not surprising since he gets big fat advances on his book deals. Never said it was wrong or right just presenting different points of view.

ps- someone else please post in the Reader's Corner. The last time I posted here my name stayed as the last poster for 3 weeks.