I was recommended this book by someone I do not remember. It has variously been described as funny, remarkably funny, seriously funny, wildly funny and entertaining. I think it is much more than that. Bill Bryson, in this book has managed to almost capture every single emotion, feeling and experience I have encountered in over 1 year of trekking. That he narrates with a humourous tinge is a bonus and something that can only be done with the benefit of a humourous hindsight. From his vivid description of Gatlinsburg through being intercepted by an overzealous security guard, his disdain at 'tourists', irreverence for authorities who are supposed to manage national parks and somehow manage to mismanage them while managing to portray a picture of managing them, I have been through every single of these stages. Staying awake for long periods because I heard a rustle in the undergrowth nearby is a repeated nuisance, though Bryson talks about it only once. It would anyway be too boring to narrate lying awake, staring your low tent ceiling for what seemed like hours while waiting to be eaten by a bear.
Books on mountains have almost always been written by mountaineers. They are thrilling (I have not read any, only heard) but they are far removed. Here you see a man trapped in a glacier and hacking his arm off to survive, there you have the tale of a tough man who spent days under ice and came out frost bitten, even on his arse but lived to tell his tale. They are tales of heroism, they are wonderful but I cannot identify with them. I am not a hero, just an enthusiastic hiker who decided to take some time off and do it. As such, reading A Walk in the Woods was a brilliant experience, the world of hiking seen through the eyes of a man who started unfit, could not carry his backpack, huffed and puffed up slopes to realize that they never ended, felt belittled by the more experienced ones, then after a few days had his own moments of glory as he could finally look down upon someone lesser than him. There are moments of frustration with rain and damp, moments of imaginary hypothermia, candid revelations of frustration and the feeling of quitting. There are also the million dollar nuggets about equipment and its futility.
If you are even a semi mountain enthusiast and have spent a few days in the outdoors, this is a must read.
