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

Enjoyable listen, though lacks "wow" factor

I've enjoyed Bryson's works for many years and have looked forward to finally reading AWITW. I enjoyed it and looked forward to all of those drives and extra dog walks when I could listen. Without spoiling anything, I felt that the first half was considerably more focused and compelling, as Bryson and his friends gear up for the impossibly-challenging task of hiking the AT as novice outdoorsmen. Stories of them getting acclimated to the physical demands dovetailed neatly into colorful anecdotes of the people they meet along the way and the customs and culture discovered among hikers. The second half faltered for me -- there's an inescapable sense that he loses his awe and enthusiasm for the endeavor, which plays out as prolonged (and admittedly fascinating), diversions about geology, American history, the National Parks Service and other related topics tangentially related to the hike. It's as if his curiosity for the hiking experience has dulled to the point that the hikes become connective tissue between research essays on various subjects encountered along the way. Again, interesting stuff but it all signals a tremendous downshift in momentum.

The performance is solid although the narrator seems to have just one accent in his bag of tricks - American Southerner. Near the beginning, when Bryson is in a camping supply store in New Hampshire, the kid who helps him inexplicably speaks with a southern drawl. This is less problematic when the story winds down to the actual south, where the accent fits perfectly and is delivered with colorful ease. As Bryson's travels take him north into Pennsylvania, the locals speak in muted southern accents and by the time they arrive in Maine near the end, the hosts all inexplicably speak with jaunty southern accents. Thankfully there are no French or German characters in the story, as they too, would almost certainly speak as if they had been raised in antebellum Georgia, amid lush fields of cotton and fiery Baptist preachers. And he runs into pronunciation issues with a number of New England towns and mountains but those quibbles are relatively small compared to the overall ease with which he conveys the emotions of the characters, particularly the conversations between Bryson and his hiking companions.

Ultimately, it's a nice little listen, particularly of interest to hikers and anybody who enjoys journeys of self-discovery.

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.