just passing through

Recently read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering American on the Appalachian Trail. Bryson is a travel writer, among many many MANY other talents. He lived in England for almost twenty years, than came back to the good ole USofA to rediscover different aspects of our country, and to fulfill some personal business with nature. He has written numerous books, and the glossy cover with the cute little bear was the first to catch my eye. At the time I wasn't interested in Europe or other continents, or wanted a history lesson, but instead was curious about my own surroundings, about the country we label: home. It's hard not to have feelings of animosity when out country is in the current state it's in; but i have to admit this book reinstated some sort of pride for our land, literally.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Traill is about hiking the Appalachian Trail, otherwise known as the A.T. It spans fourteen US states: Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Over 5,000 miles of trail. It takes me nine hours by car to drive 500 miles from Ohio to Jersey. You do the math. One can begin north or south, Maine or Georgia. Well you can begin anywhere you want, but I would want to start at some sort of beginning point. Oh, and a drop-off point with blinding neon signs pointing "This Way to the A.T.! " does NOT exist. You have to hike to get to the actual start of the trail. Good Luck. Thru-hikers are people who hike the entire trail, without stopping--and the feat ranges in time, depending how many miles one hikes each day. Some have done it in four months, others six. Bryson's original goal was to hike the entire trail with his friend Katz (his hilarious and fabulously pseudo-named book companion); but didn't make it through the entire trail. He spent months camping and crossing state lines, and then decided to step off the trail for a while. He maintained a solo hiking routine later in the summer, setting goals and completing daily hikes in Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Maine. Think about driving from the side or edge of your state to the other, then think about walking what you just drove through, then add 13 states. The trail does not go through each state entirely. Some just cross over corners, making a zig-zag through mountains of folklore and American ballads. Irregardless, it is truly a test of human will.

When I first picked up this book I had no idea it was going to inspire me as much as it did. All of a sudden I wanted to leave the city behind and exchange it for nothingness. I started to draw with my handy road atlas by my side, and imagined what kind of apparel I would take with me. I thought of my own endurance level, if i was too young to need a reawakening, and what it felt like to sleep under the stars--no smog no street lights no noise. I recently went camping for five days, and was surrounded by thousands of people and activities to keep everyone from boredom. I have learned, we had it easy. I was slapped with some sort of altered reality check not even twenty pages into the novel. The Appalachian trail is one of the oldest trails in the United States, but is totally desolate. Thousands of hikers attempt it every year, but very few get past three days, let alone the entire trail. It is complete woods. There are markers on trees to make sure one stays on the trail, but the loneliness is palpable. Snow storms can put you behind schedule for an entire week, and don't forget you are lugging around a thirty pound pack, with clothes, sleeping, and cooking supplies. I don't know if I could ever accomplish this; but I know I want to try. I doubt I could hike the entire trail, and I most certainly want to go with a male companion, because people have been murdered on the trail. Not many, but hate crimes and disappearances have happened.

Imagine consciously making the choice to suspend technology and electricity month after month, reaching a goal by foot. Immersed in the woods, knowing anything can happen--aligning oneself with bears and history. The possibility of getting lost is highly likely, shivering up a hill is a welcomed custom after a week, and you can only hope nothing as happened to your loved ones; cause cell phones would ruin the picture (I don't see how you would get service anyway). Wait wait WAIT! All this negativity is forgotten, a mere hop skip and a jump when you witness the spectacular views. You are walking the valleys that connect the mountains, and tracing steps, not roads, little ever have...dotting a map to be different. Think about arriving to your first summit, knowing it was mental capacity and quality of quadriceps pushing you forward to reach the only place the air could be so crisp, aromas of forestry waking your senses to a place you haven't felt since kindergarten, and being on the cusp of cascading greenery. Taller than the tress and physically standing higher than you ever were outside of an airplane. I think this is amazing. I know I talk of this as if I have already done it. I haven't. But Bill Bryson is such a phenomenal writer you feel you are right next to him, scared and laughing at the same time. His comedic timing is perfect and takes the reader off guard with chuckles of nervousness and anxiety. He is humbling and brilliant- filling the landscape with new information every step of the way.

If you dig nature/hiking/travel/humor/possess a certain state pride/like books then I highly suggest picking up a copy of A Walk in the Woods. Maybe after you read it, we'll go together! Maybe.

[pic by vagabondish.com]