A Walk in the Woods

In Chapter 1, Bryson writes, “Running more than 2,100 miles along America’s eastern seaboard, through the serene and beckoning Appalachian Mountains, the AT is the granddaddy of long hikes” (3). Spanning from Springer Mountain in Northern Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, it traverses 14 states and encompasses the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Green Mountains, and the White Mountains. First envisioned in 1921 by Benton MacKaye of the US Labor Department, the AT didn’t officially open until 1937. The trail is the central focus of Bryson’s book as he and his companion, Katz, attempt an end-to-end hike during the spring and summer of 1996.

Bryson describes Centralia, a town he visits in Northeastern Pennsylvania, as “the strangest, saddest town I believe I have ever seen” (255). He explains that Centralia and the surrounding area “sits on one of the richest coal beds on earth” (255). In 1962, a fire in the town ignited the anthracite coal bed below it, and this underground fire has continued to burn ever since. As a result, the town was evacuated and has essentially become a ghost town.

A popular tourist destination in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingman’s Dome is the highest mountain in the eastern US and “the highest point on the AT at 6,643 feet” (126). Bryson and Katz hike for several days in the pouring rain to get there, which Bryson says was a high point of their time in the Smokies, but find that the weather has obscured the world-famous views at the summit.

A unique geological feature, the Delaware Water Gap is located on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Bryson visits it in Chapter 15 and explains that it formed when the Delaware River cut a passage through the softer rock of a 1,300-foot wall of quartzite. He adds, “The result is a cross-section of mountain, which is not a view you get every day, or indeed anywhere else along the Appalachian Trail” (276).

The 1995 nonfiction book Eight Bullets by author Claudia Brenner details the murder of Brenner’s partner, Rebecca Wright, and her own near-fatal shooting on the AT in Pennsylvania in 1988. The murderer, who was perpetrating anti-LGBT violence, was quickly captured and convicted. A worker hands the book to Bryson when he visits the AT Conference headquarters in Harper’s Ferry.

Located in North Carolina, Franklin is a small town near Great Smoky Mountains National Park where Bryson, Katz, and others stay while blizzard conditions ravage the AT. After leaving Hiawassee, Georgia, and resuming the trek, Bryson and Katz get caught in heavy snow but make it several miles to Rainbow Springs Campground. There, they find that scores of other hikers are also stranded, and they sleep in a crowded bunkhouse. The following day, they catch a ride to Franklin to wait out the weather in a hotel. Katz wants to stay in the comfort of the Franklin hotel longer, but Bryson demands that they get back on the trail.

A tourist town in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Gatlinburg is situated directly at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Bryson describes the town as a “shock to the system from whichever angle you survey it” (145) because of the contrast between the serene Smoky Mountains and the tiny town with its hundreds of motels, gift shops, and other attractions. Bryson and Katz go to Gatlinburg to do laundry and get a meal after hiking in the rain for days but are immediately appalled by the town’s prices and commercialization.

Located in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park regularly ranks as the most popular and most visited of all national parks. In Chapter 7, Bryson details the world-famous and diverse plant and animal life present in the Smokies. When Bryson and Katz hike the AT through the Smokies, they’re disappointed because the shelters are infested with rodents and not well-maintained. On their final day in the Smokies, they visit Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the eastern US.

Bryson and Katz visit the small town of Hiawassee in Northern Georgia to take a needed break from the trail and attempt to get away from Mary Ellen, the rude hiker from Florida who began tagging along with them. When they arrive in the town, Bryson paints an unflattering portrait of the people there, associating them with the deranged mountain men in James Dickey’s 1970 novel Deliverance, which was set in the region.

A stretch of the AT in Maine, the Hundred Mile Wilderness (or 100 Mile Wilderness) is considered the trail’s remotest stretch and one of its most difficult stretches. Bryson notes that it’s “97.3 miles of boreal forest trail without a store, house, telephone, or paved road” (342). He adds, “If something goes wrong in the Hundred Mile Wilderness, you are on your own” (342). Bryson and Katz hike to the town of Monson, where the Wilderness begins, but barely get started on the trail before encountering several difficulties and ultimately decide to head home.

At 3,491 feet, Mount Greylock is the highest mountain in Massachusetts. The AT crosses it at Gould Trail. In Chapter 16, Bryson visits Mount Greylock as one of his day hikes and explains that it was the inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick while he was living on a nearby farm (300).

Located in the state of Maine just past the Hundred Mile Wilderness, Mount Katahdin is the northern end of the AT. Although reaching Katahdin was the goal for Bryson and Katz, circumstances led them to cut the hike short and head home.

A 6,288-foot peak in the state of New Hampshire, Mount Washington is the highest peak north of the Smokies and east of the Rockies (330). It’s infamous for extreme weather, especially wind force. In 1934, it recorded a surface wind speed of 231 mph, the strongest gust ever recorded. In Chapter 18, Bryson and his neighbor Bill Abdu climb Mount Washington and are shocked when they reach the top to find throngs of tourists visiting various gift shops and visitor centers.

A small community in Maine, not far from the famous Hundred Mile Wilderness, Milo represents the final stop for Bryson and Katz. After ending their AT trek instead of completing it, they catch a ride to Milo in the back of a logging truck. There, Joan, the proprietor of Bishop’s Boarding House, where they spend the night, assures them that Mount Katahdin will still be there, awaiting them, “when you’re ready for it” (388).

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Shenandoah National Park is a place that Bryson describes as his “favorite part of the Appalachian Trail” (198). He points out that Shenandoah has plenty of problems, such as overcrowding and a shortage of funding, but is famous for its beauty and high concentration of black bears. While camping there in Chapter 11, Bryson and Katz encounter two bears near their tents during the night.

Located in Northern Georgia, Springer Mountain is the southern end of the AT. Like most hikers, Bryson and Katz decide to hike the trail from south to north and start in the spring to avoid bad weather in the northern sections. They fly into Atlanta and use a shuttle service to Amicalola Falls State Park, from which Springer Mountain is a several-mile hike.

A hiker who traverses a trail in its entirety, from one end to the other, is a thru-hiker. Conversely, a hiker who completes only a portion of a long trail but often camps while hiking is a section hiker, and one who hikes only a small amount and leaves a trail rather than camping is a day hiker.