The language was too much for me. I couldn't finish the book. If you don't like hearing the F word over and over and over again, like me, then choose something else.

Bill Bryson needs an attitude adjustment. The snobbery and misogyny in this book astounded me! Not recommended.

Buyer Alert: If you are shopping for an informative, comprehensive journal type account of Appalachian Trail hiking, this is NOT your book. It's more a Reader's Digest version of the time the author spent on the AT.
I listened to this book while doing yard work, so my listening time was not exactly wasted, but I would choose a different story if I had a do-over here. The beginning of the book held my interest and seem to promise an interesting account of walking the AT and those details in the book are good, informative to someone like myself who has no expectations of ever "doing the AT". But, the story wanders too often off the tale of the trail to rail against the Park Service, poke condescending jibs at small towns and local folks met along the way, and do a little ecological preaching.
I did enjoy the narration. Mr. McQuay was very easy to listen to.

It started out with a few amusing moments, but rapidly deteriorated into a lecture on how we are destroying nature.

I’ve hardly laughed so much at a book before. The narration is engaging and funny. I didn’t want the adventure to end. Truly cheering on the author and those he meets along the way.

absolutely loved it. the book was well written and the narrator captured the essence of its words.

I was expecting to hear about a trail hike and the adventures on the trail, the good, bad, scary, & funny. This is a book about a man visiting parts of the trail, spending longer times on it at part, but not actually hike the AT. Much of the book makes me feel like I am listening to an encyclopedia being read- history of areas, theory of how the mountains have formed, crimes, etc....we (my spouse and I) listened to the end because we started and needed to finish but not because we were enthralled.

The narrator did a great job of reading.

Good mix of interesting tidbits about the Appalachian Trail and the challenges faced by two inexperienced hikers.

The book was ok. Other people told me it was humorous and interesting. I didn't find it to be either to be honest. Bryson seemed like a jackass to me. Like he had some sort of perception of intellectual superiority over the people that he encountered and spoke with. He constantly complained of man screwing up the environment, all the while his partner seemed to be littering all over the AT. Complained of the Forest Service, complained of other hikers, complained of towns he decided to stop in. If you want a book on the AT, there are better ones to be had. That's the most interesting part of this book, just the general preparations and descriptions of the places he stopped on the AT.

Never read another one

Yes

I do plan on hiking the AT some day

This book gets you invested in an essential underdog story do two men with no prior experience attempting the AT. Though, 3/4 of the way through, I felt as if it took a very different turn from the beginning of the story and it gets back on track soon after it deviates. That being said, the performance by Rob McQuay was excellent and draws you into the story.