A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods is a book by Bill Bryson describing his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his childhood friend Katz.

Related Topics:
Bill Bryson - Appalachian Trail

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He starts hiking the trail in the South without ever having hiked before. He stumbles in the beginning with the difficulties of getting the proper equipment; he soon also realizes how difficult it is to travel with his friend, who is an overweight ex-alcoholic and even less prepared for the ordeal than he is.

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After hiking for an apparently large distance, he finds that the whole thing is just too big for him and skips a couple of parts of the trail, finally stopping (after nearly 500 miles of hiking) to return home. In the following months, he continues to hike several smaller parts of the trail. He eventually reunites with his friend Stephen Katz to hike the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine, which ulitmately proves too daunting.

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The people he meets on the trail and the events that take place are described in a very humorous way and make the book very entertaining.

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The book however created some controversy in Appalachian Trail hiking circles as many experienced hikers have criticized it for its many inaccuracies and embellishments. Amongst the main criticisms are Bryson's tendency to characterize his subjects, e.g. other hikers he meets as ridiculous (albeit amusing) caricatures but having little or no basis in fact. Others would argue that Bryson's literary methods are valid tools of an entertaining travel writer much in the same style as Mark Twain, and there is little doubt that the book has attracted many new hikers to the Appalachian Trail.

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In Summer of 2005, Robert Redford announced that he was interested in adapting Bryson's book into a film, and in playing Bryson himself. He also hoped that his erstwhile co-star and friend, Paul Newman, would team up with him to play the role of Katz, although he jokingly expressed doubt as to whether the health-conscious Newman would consider putting on enough weight (and eating enough donuts) to accurately portray the rotund Katz.

Related Topics:
Robert Redford - Paul Newman

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