Bill Bryson enlists his buddy and former hiking partner Steven Katz to join him in an attempt to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail . Starting from Georgia and proceeding north to Maine, Bryson shares many of his experiences on the trail--the people he meets, the dangers he encounters, the frustrations, and the ecstasies. After Bryson and Katz cover some of the more challenging stretches of the trail, the two reconsider whether they’d, in fact, like to hike it in its entirety. Even though I was disappointed to learn that Bryson ended up by hiking the trail in fragments (and partially without Katz,), I was quickly cheered by the entertaining story Bryson told.

This is truly an amusing romp in the woods. If not for Bryson and Katz, it certainly is for the reader. It is especially worthwhile listening to the story on audio tape, as the notes of anguish and others of hilarity come out so well in McLarty’s narration. The book is not only fun, but educational as well. Bryson loves to throw in tidbits of information on all aspects of his trail environment. Katz is an incredibly funny individual (although I’m not sure I’d choose him as a hiking partner if I had a strenuous trail to hike and needed a dependable partner). For some light-hearted, yet interesting reading, grab this book.