A Walk in the Woods

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Rob McQuay

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

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).

©1999 Bill Bryson (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Short of doing it yourself, the best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods." ( The New York Times)

"A terribly misguided, and terribly funny tale of adventure.... The yarn is choke-on-your-coffee funny." ( The Washington Post)

"Bill Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

A Walk in the Woods Made Me Want to Walk in the Woods Again

A friend suggested that A Walk in the Woods would be a fun book to listen to on my drive from Kansas City to Estes Park, Colorado. My adult daughters and I were headed for some mountain hiking with another family and we were intent upon setting the mood.
We had lots to talk about and listen to, so we never got to Bill Bryson’s book, but I wanted to preserve my memories of our mountain vacation, so I listened on my own as I adjusted to lower altitude.
Bryson’s voice is clear and honest. His depiction of his traveling companion, Steven Cats, is reassuringly believable. Their tales of hiking the Appalachian Trail, spiced with some history and a bit of political commentary on land use and environmental concerns, felt authentic and still timely in 2018.
Trudging for miles through woods, over mountains, holds surprising joys and fears, boredom and fascination, which Bryson shares generously, reminding me I want to get back out into that world again soon.

Great Stroll

This is a great book, very fun listen. I begin to wonder whether some of the scientific pieces are dating because the book is 20+ years old now. Perhaps Bill Bryson could write a new afterward in the near future to let readers know whether he made it to Katahdin.

Incredible detail yet interesting

Love the back ground and the way it was woven into his journey. Great book!

Full of humor and truth

Even though the information is a bit dated at this point, this is full of facts about Appalachian Trail’s history and charm. It is a humorous recount of two men who take on the trail with humble grace and share their humorous memories. It’s inspiring.

Sooo sooo hilarious

Gees where has this book been all my life? I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book that was both hilarious yet informative. I found myself pausing the book to go out and research the different areas he discusses in his book. Fascinating stuff. I learned a lot actually. Great read.

Wonderful time spent

Thoroughly enjoy this book. The tale of two hikers was interesting. And the historical flashbacks were wonderful. I’m an outdoors person and I thoroughly enjoy this book well written, and well spoken.

I enjoyed this book!

Learned a lot about the long history of the AT and the land around it.

A lovely rambling tale

I liked the author and reader and the stream of consciousness flow. My favorite Bill Bryon books are set abroad but this was good too

Grab your backpack!

I loved Bill Bryson's guided tour of the Appalachian Trail. The story stays interesting due to the author giving us tidbits of the history of the places he is hiking through and the history of the trail itself. There are also some hilarious interactions with the denizens of Appalachia-human and otherwise. His hiking partner, Katz, not exactly a model of fitness, also provides much comic relief. Overall a greatly entertaining listen.

Strays a bit off the trail

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

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.