A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Author: Bill Bryson

Rating: ⭐ 3/5

Date Read: 2013/04/09

Pages: 276

3.5 Stars.

I grew up in a small mountain town, which probably explains why I’ve been running away from wilderness for much of my adult life. I sometimes dreamed that I had to walk 5,000 feet down, on a stretch of highway, in order to get to civilization. These were literal dreams (actually, literal nightmares). I enjoy short walks in the woods, but I find being stuck in them to be fairly suffocating.

After reading this, as well as [b:Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|12262741|Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail|Cheryl Strayed|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354159655s/12262741.jpg|17237712], I think I understand why people would hike for hundreds of miles through mountainous terrain with a pack on their back and only noodles for food. The toughness seems like a great way to become mindful of existence, to enjoy the feeling of being. They do it for the same reason that I contort myself into yoga poses on a regular basis: to get themselves out of their head, to enjoy life. And I get it.

But I’m sure as hell not going to do it.