A Walk in the Woods

I just finished re-reading one of my (many) favorite books A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering American on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. It is categorized as travel, but it could also be classified as humor, memoir, history, and ecology. It is the retelling of Bryson's experience walking the Appalachian Trail with his comical buddy Stephen Katz, mixed with interesting history about the AT and information about ecology in the United States.

Some of the history Bryson shared broke my heart: "...the Park Service in 1957 decided to 'reclaim' Abrams Creek...for the rainbow trout, even though rainbow trout had never been native to Abrams Creek. To that end, biologists dumped several drums of poison called rotenone into fifteen miles of creek. Within hours, tens of thousands of dead fish were floating to the surface like autumn leaves." His lore about the environment of the AT amazed me: "The true creature of the Smokies, however, is the reclusive and little-appreciated salamander There are twenty-five varieties of salamander in the Smokies, more than anywhere else on earth....Most salamanders are tiny, only an inch or two long, but the rare and startlingly ugly hellbender salamander can attain lengths of over two feet." And his wit made me laugh out loud: "Hunters will tell you that a moose is a wily and ferocious forest creature. Nonsense. A moose is a cow drawn by a three-year-old." It is an informative and enjoyable read.

Adult Hellbender Salamander

A Walk in the Woods is the book this year for Allegheny County's One Book One Community. One Book aims to promote literacy, share ideas, and foster understanding and tolerance through reading. Each year there are community-wide discussions and events relating to the book.

Even if you don't want to participate in One Book events (or if you don't live in the Pittsburgh-area), read the book! I think it is best enjoyed outside in the quiet of nature.