5 comments about Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling.

1. If you're looking for condensed information and ideas on how to purchase & use a food dehydrator, preserve fruits vegetables and mushrooms, meats for home use, as well as ideas for planning back country packing meals, this is a very good little book.



2. Learn to use a food dehydrator and pack for those camping and hiking trips. There are also great tips on preserving fruits and vegetables.



3. Good airflow throughout the cabinet meaning everything dries close to the same rate. The sound is basically is low and unobtrusive - lower than a humidifier. I like the square shape because it maximizes counter space in the kitchen. I dehydrate entire meals for backpacking. In addition to the standard fruit and veggies, I've dried chili, lasagna, chicken enchilada & rice, tuna noodle, spaghetti & sauce, lemon lentil soup, and more. Again, size of the trays and airflow work great for spreading out the food and getting it dried evenly. Rehydrating food out on the trail is much easier and tastes better than carrying ingredients separately and combining them out there. Dehydrating my favorite recipes for the trail also beats a week of store bought mac 'n cheese type foods out there. Geez, I should have been doing this years ago.



4. good and informative book for the price. I tried a few of the recipes and was able to improvise from there.



5. As a boyscout leader, we like to outdo the scouts on our creative cooking to inspire their creativity. It is a great book, to show how to make creative meals without the weight of heavy food items. This has been great!! Thanks C>

5 comments about Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?.

1. My daughter is really into the princess craze. As a reluctant queen (I was a tomboy), I was excited to see this book, that emphasizes the beauty of all princesses (not just the ones in pretty dresses waiting to be kissed by the prince). I also recommend the Paperbag Princess if you like this book.



2. This is a cute story and a must have for a girl's collection. All of the "Do Princesses..." are really nice stories with good illustrations.



3. I just absolutely love this book and other books by this author. I think I got it more for me than my baby girl. I love it so much that my husband and me are buying for all the little girls in our family this Christmas.



4. Don't get me wrong....I find the Fancy Nancy books adorable, especially since my oldest granddaughter is definitely a little princess. That's why this book makes a good duo with the Fancy Nancy books. It provides a measure of "all around girl" to the Princess Craze. There's also one about kissing frogs and another about scraping knees.



5. My 2 year old loves this book! And it's so wonderful to see a book that says, yeah, be a princess, but that doesn't mean you can be fun and make messes too! You can still be a real person. This book is fantastic!

5 comments about Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes, A.

1. Very thorough description of trails. Chart of easy, moderate and strenuouos trails is helpful.



2. As a veteran of more than 35 years of wilderness backpacking in all kinds of weather and every season of the year my brother-in-law and I decided to shoot HD video in Yellowstone.
   
   We did not want to do a wilderness trek on the first time out with all new video gear so decided day hikes were best. We did 20 of 29 of the hikes in "A Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes" in 7 days and covered 70 miles on foot.
   
   This is a great book, one of the best I have seen in my years of hiking and backpacking. Each trail is unique and amazing. Some are tough but even the steepest trail was not so bad for a 54 year old with 35 pounds of video gear on his back. Trail ratings are true, so you will NOT be surprised by a gargantuan climb that is rated as moderate. Strenuous ratings wisely reflect both length and elevation change.
   
   If you have room for only one day hike book in your travel gear this IS the book. If you are a seasoned backcountry expert or a beginner you will not be dissapointed.



3. This is an excellent guide to relatively short day hikes in Yellowstone. Provides good descriptions on what you will see on the trails and it's small enough to take along on your hike.



4. We bought this book before a trip to Yellowstone with our family. The book was very helpful in helping us find trails that our whole family could do. The pictures and discriptions were very helpful in the planning and telling our kids what to look for.



5. We have been hiking the National Parks in the West for almost 20 years and this is the most valuable trail book I own. The information on each trail is completely accurate with respect to distances, maps, directions, etc., and the naturalist notes are very informational. We have completed 75% of the hikes in this book and have enjoyed every single one - some have even been done two or more times. The book is small enough to carry in a fanny pack. I have thrown away all of my other Yellowstone hiking books as this has become affectionately known as "The Bible".

5 comments about Pedometer Walking: Stepping Your Way to Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness.

1. This is a good book to get enthusiastic about walking to stay fit and lose weight. However it must be said that the book does stretch out the "limited" content quite a bit. I read this in one evening and was motivated to replace the pedometer that I had purchased and to get walking each and everyday. I will have to see if the 10'000+ steps a day have any long lasting weight loss effects...



2. My first thought when I saw this book was, " what a stupid book -who needs a book about how to operate a pedometer." My curiosity about what the book might entail made me open the first few pages and read a bit. I was pleasantly surprised by the words on the page. This is definitely a good book for people who are at or below the basic level of fitness and want to get started doing something to improve their health.
   There is really nothing simpler than putting on a pedometer and letting it count your steps, and the book doesn't explain pedometers as much as the concept of walking your way to fitness with the aid of a pedometer. There is a nice list of resources at the back of the book, as well as some suggestions about what pedometer to purchase. There are a few more than 6 chapters but, basically, this is a 6-week program that is designed to increase your steps per day up to 10,000. The author shows you creative ways to achieve your step goal (although not all of them are practical, especially if you live in a large, sprawling city or an inner city neighborhood with limited walking spaces). Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it easy to read and very informative. The book is primarily for beginners/those not interested in high-impact activities and will get you interested enough to try and walk your way to health.



3. When I bought this book, I knew nothing about pedometers or their uses. This is a really good book. I highly recomend it. Well worth the money.



4. If you're wondering how to get the most out of using a pedometer, this book is for you. It's pretty basic so for someone like me that is already walking more than the average American but still not enough, I still was able to use it to structure a program for myself. It also gives equivalants for activities like swimming or bike riding. In my 4th week I'm seeing an improviment in my legs appearence and strength and I'm starting to lose wieght. It's become a way of life that I don't think I would have if not for the info in this book.



5. Pedometer Walking: Stepping Your Way to Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness is a great book to get if you want to get into better shape or lose weight by walking. It's also a great read to help you get the most out of your pedometer. Here's what you get.
   
   The book has no chapters, but rather centers around a 6-week program. As you might have guessed, each section is a week. Weekly step logs are also included at the end of sections.
   
   Week 1 is simply about putting on your pedometer and doing your normal activities for a week. The goal here is to find out just what your average number of steps a day is. From there you'll build on that number and the rest of the book shows you how. Included in this section is all the basics you need to know about pedometers, such as how they work, the proper way to wear it, etc. Most helpful!
   
   Know now that your end-all goal of this 6-week program is to get you up to the 10,000 steps a day level. Many people have heard of the "10,000 stpes a day" campaign and it was extremely interesting to me that this number is actually based on research that has been going on since the mid 60's, mainly in Japan of all places. In a nutshell, people who walk 10,000 steps a day tend to have a normal weight compared to people who average about 6,000 steps a day or so. Now that's good info to know.
   
   On to Week 2- the goal here is to increase your average daily steps (which you found out at the end of Week 1) by 20%. This is a nice small increase. This section is all about ways to increase your daily steps.
   
   The Week 3 section is neat. After finding ways to increase your daily step number in the previous week, this week's goal is to practice building some of those modest increases into permanent additions- and to make your newer steps into habits.
   
   Week 4. By now you've managed to increase your steps and may be hitting a plateau when it comes to finding new ways to increase them even further. Enter the goal of week 4- ways to add walks to your week. By using the tips and suggestions in this section, most readers will no doubt be able to find clever ways of adding short walks here and there to further boost their daily step numbers. A few pictures of helpful stretches are also included.
   
   The Week 5 section covers an important way to boost steps- increase the speed at which you take steps. Here you learn the proper, safe way.
   
   And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the Week 6 section. Why? Because it covers STICKING with the program. As the book says, more than half the people who start a new fitness program drop out within 6 months. So, the emphasis here is ideas and tips to make pedometer walking a part of your life.
   
   The book ends with a frequently asked questions section and a nice resource section (i.e. hiking info, race walking info...).
   
   I have to say that this is a really enjoyable book to read with good research interspersed within each section. With the book, a pedometer, and a little motivation, I think most every reader will have a lot of fun reaching a new level of fitness. Avid walkers that have plantar fasciitis may also be interested in The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution.

5 comments about Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf (.

1. A must to throw into your backpack when heading out to the trails. All of the information you will need to plan a day of hiking, biking, or paddeling is in this one little book.



2. Ordered this book before our Jan. trip to Kauai. We have been on this island many times, but this book gave us lots of info about trails. It tells you the difficult trails, the easy trails, how to get there, what to know before you start, etc. Really a very good buy for hikers who want to see more of this beautiful island.



3. Have only made it partially through the book and am very impressed with the outline and the depth of knowledge of the subject. My wife and i are returning to PoiPou on the south shore at the end of April, 2008 and we are making daily plans from this book.



4. We returned this year with their new third edition for 2008 and found remarkable changes. Hiking the Kalalau Trail again.....was even better the second time around. When it comes to organization and finding ez access to all the cool trails, this one is the winner. The strategies for getting around this beautiful island were incredibly useful.



5. Guess where my wife wants to take me on her summer vacation? Hint: she likes lush resorts with hiking opportunities.
   
   I've been to the other islands of Hawaii several times, but never to Kauai. I don't need the usual 50 pages of cajoling to enjoy myself that most guidebooks feature, and in this era of goooogle, I certainly don't need out-of-date hotel listings. This is a book crammed with info that I may find useful when I get there, concerning the rugged activities that make flying all those hours worthwhile, written in a plain and honest prose. I'd venture to say that this is the most convincing guidebook I've ever encountered.
   
   Another reviewer complains about the absence of maps. I'd agree that lack fo maps would be a problem, except that the maps one finds in other guidebooks are almost always next to useless. My advice: get a real full-sized map and correlate!

5 comments about The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada (California Academy of Sciences) (California Academy of Sciences) (California Academy of Sciences).

1. This field guide is perfect for the hiker and camper or general nature lover who lives near the Sierra Mountain range in central California or who intends to vist that region. The authur has drawn almost all of the animal, flowers,insect and bird life to be found in the Western and eastern Sierra mountain range in beautful color by hand. To identify the various life forms you simply look under the various topies and you no doubt will ID that strange bug or plant. You can trust the author and his work is among the best selling of the genre. This is one of the most readable guides to life in the Sierra's and the artwork is first rate. This little guide is perfect for the rucksack crowd in terms of size and weight. This guide has limited written commitary as the artwork is the key to this field guide. This is a well-designed book, making for effortless page-turning and the writer/artist really get into the detail of the creatures shown. You will enjoy your quick hike much more and will have a dramatic change of atmosphere as you reference the life surrounding you in these mountains of great beauty. I recommend this guide highly.



2. This book is amazing. With all the different species of life.
   I'm going to keep it in my car. Some times when we're driving; my husband will say "what kind of bird was that" or "what kind of flower".
   It's very imformative and very handy.
   Thank you



3. This book is stunning!..Beautiful artwork by the author as well as meaningful interpretations of wild life. The author is a gift to natural books as well as his art!



4. John Muir Law's Guide to hiking in the Sierra Nevada is lush with his artistic renditions of all you might see, and want to identify, as you hike this area. Small enough to carry in your back pack, but chock full of helpful information.



5. I have at least 10 books specifically on Sierra wildflowers and several field guides. This is the best all-in-one book. It's not too heavy for me to carry on a day hike.
   
   Janice
   in the Sierra

5 comments about Top Trails Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone (Top Trails).

1. We spent a week in the Yellowstone and hike everyday - this guide helps us as a lot to find what is the best for each day. We easily found the way how to get to the trails and we never lost our way. This book is definitely very useful for everybody going to the Yellowstone (or Grand Teton) not to stay on road but enjoy hiking.



2. This book is one of the best hiking books I have ever bought. I would recommend it to anyone!!!



3. I wish there were more of the common trails in the book (I used to work in YNP) but it's definitely a handy book with a lot of useful info



4. This is a really good trail book for Yellowstone and the Tetons, but I wonder if maybe the writter is holding back on more secluded or backwoodsy, if you will, trails? I feel these same trails are pretty much in all the books I have read. The thing that puts this one in the lime light is the fact that it has pretty much all the trails in one book. I find it handy that I only need to tote one guide book, instead of three, with me on the trail. I would like to say thank you, Andrew, for the details your book puts forth!



5. "Top Trails" for Yellowstone and Grand Teton is extremely well-organized and eary to use. We had limited time in the parks and needed to quickly assess how to make the best use of our time, hiking limitations, etc. The first few pages offer an excellent overview of how long and how difficult each trail is, what you're likely to see (from geology to wildlife, panoramic views, etc). Then it gives you a reference page number, where you can get more detail on the trail, best time of day/year to do it, pros and cons, etc, etc. I can't vouch for the longer hikes, as we stuck to those under 2 miles, but it was quite accurate, easy to use, and a valuable asset.

5 comments about Chi Walking: The Five Mindful Steps for Lifelong Health and Energy.

1. This book is interesting and well written. Along with its companion book, Chi Running, it provides a well-thought-out approach to walking to improve fitness and avoid injuries. My walking is easier, with better posture and less stress on my legs. I highly recommend both books.



2. I bought this as a gift for my husband and he's been able to incorporate the information right away.



3. Both Chi Walking & Chi Running have helped me immensely. I no longer have knee pain when I run and walking has felt almost effortless. The body sensing and relaxation techniques have helped so much even if I feel little twinges since the twinges go away. I highly recommend both books for anyone struggling with walking and running hang-ups.



4. Very good book Chi Walking: The Five Mindful Steps for Lifelong Health and Energy



5. excellent book. well written, and instructive without being stiff. It will definitly become a part of my reference library.

5 comments about A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail).

1. Bill Bryson is hillarious. The first few chapters contained bits and pieces that had me laughing out loud, which is not something I come across often in literature.
   
   The book details a hike that Bryson and his friend (an out-of-shape character's character!) took on the Appalachian Trail. Both "older" gentleman aren't exactly in the best of shape... neither is a very experienced outdoorsman. Yet they both appreciate the signifigance of the trail, and are able to hike a good bit of it without mishap.
   
   The way that Bryson writes is just invigorating. He's just so funny, and describes people in the most beautiful way. He's also managed to get quite a bit of back-story on the Appalachian Trail into this text, so the book is not only entertaining, but also somewhat educational. It made me want to jump on a plane and start hiking the trail!
   
   After reading this book, I'm definitely going to search for more of Bryson's work. He's a good author, and this is a good story.



2. This is actually a review of two books, one old and one new. Both are nonfiction, and both are intended for grown-ups. There's nothing in them that kids will find objectionable, but they may find them boring. I found them to be funny, poignant at times, and thought-provoking.
   
   The first is called A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, published in 1997. The second is called Scout's Honor, by Peter Applebome, published in 2003. Bryson is a writer and journalist who decided to walk the Appalachian Trail at around age 50, and Walk is the story of his adventures on the AT. Applebome is a writer and a journalist who decided to become a Boy Scout dad at around age 50, and Honor is the story of his adventures with his son's Boy Scout troop and with Scouting in general.
   
   I read Walk several years ago, and just discovered Honor last week. Reading Honor reminded me of Walk, so much so that I couldn't review the former without talking about the latter.
   
   Bryson and a friend decided, almost on a lark, to hike the AT which they had heard so much about, but Bryson was so inexperienced a hiker that he couldn't tell a Nalgene from a North Face. In fact, his introduction to backpacking and hiking occurred in a sporting goods store. He and his friend started at the southern end of the AT, in Georgia, on a snowy autumn day, and ended, with a few breaks, at the northern end in Maine several years later.
   
   Bryson's writing is self-deprecating and intentionally funny. He plays for laughs, and he gets them. By poking fun at himself, he gives himself license to give all the other characters on the trail the same treatment he gives himself in his writing. The book is funny throughout. But just as Mark Twain and Will Rogers gave us lots of food for thought in the middle of their humor, so Bryson writes a series of thoughtful essays between the lines of his funny stories: lessons about people's character and behavior, about greed and status, about environmental awareness and social responsibility, and about what Thoreau called "the need for wilderness" or something like that. (Yes, Thoreau talked about it before John Muir did.)
   
   When you finish Bryson's book, you will be as satisfied with the conclusion as he was with the end of the hike. You may also come away with a renewed appreciation for wild places and with an awareness of the personality flaws that make you similar to the characters Bryson writes about. It's definitely a book I would read again.
   
   Applebome, like Bryson, knew nothing about hiking, camping and backpacking, until he moved his family from Atlanta to Chappaqua, New York, and his son wanted to join the Boy Scouts. He was reluctant to get into the hiking and the canoeing, the knot-tying and the sleeping outside on the hard ground surrounded by rain, snow, wind and critters. He had hoped that his son would express an interest in Little League baseball instead, but, wishing to score some Good Dad points with his son, he went along with him to the Boy Scout meetings and outings.
   
   Even before he started, Applebome had anti-Boy-Scout leanings -- but as he became more involved with his son's troop, that changed. Interweaved with the funny and poignant story of his own adventures with his son's troop, Applebome tells a balanced, thoughtful, well-researched and honest story about the history of Scouting and its founders, its awkward attempts to adapt to social change, and the recent controversies surrounding it. The book isn't all narrative -- it includes a lot of reporting, exposition and editorializing -- but it's definitely worth reading.
   
   Applebome comes the end of his book grateful for having been able to share the experience with his son, the troop leaders, and the other Scouts and their dads. He himself grows considerably through his experiences, and he faces a huge crisis of conscience when the Boy Scouts win the Supreme Court judgement in their favor with respect to gays in Scouting. The crisis of conscience occurs because he feels that the corporate organization that is the Boy Scouts of America is dead wrong on at least one of the "three G" issues (gays, God, and girls) and not faithful to the wishes of Scouting's founders, and yet he sees that the local organizations of Scouting, the councils and troops, are a powerful force for good in their communities and are getting a raw deal by both BSA headquarters and the left-wing liberals who get all over Scouting's case because of the three Gs.
   
   Being a reporter and a problem-solver at heart, he takes a long, hard look at what Scouting could be (and should be), compares it to what it is, and makes several really good recommendations for fixing Scouting. One of the most interesting things he says is that the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, the moral foundations for Scouting (in the U.S.A.), are rock-solid and it woud be a very good thing if all boys (and men!) lived by those tenets. He also says (either himself, or quoting someone) that the Boy Scout Handbook, any edition, is just the kind of "advice to boys" that people have been longing to give to boys today.
   
   Unfortunately, Scouting is increasingly irrelevant in a society which competes so heavily (and so much more effectively) for boys' attention with sports, video games, and so on. Applebome laments this turn of events, and yet he asserts, with his primary evidence being the members of his own son, that Scouting appeals to a certain group of boys who really don't care if other people think it's uncool, and that Scouting (practiced the way it should be) really is a Good Thing in the boys' lives and is a major influence in turning them into the kind of men this world needs. (Those are my words, not his. He said it differently.)
   
   Scout's Honor is written to and for three groups of people: former Boy Scouts who are now adults; current and former Boy Scouts; and current and former Boy Scout leaders. It's high-energy food for thought for all three groups.
   
   A Walk in the Woods is written for everyone, and will be especially enjoyed by those who love or hate hiking, backpacking, camping, wilderness and the fools they find there. Although it contains more mental junk food than food for thought, it will open your mind and is definitely worth reading.



3. This book is hilarious!
   
   Bryson's sense of humor and his sense of adventure is very funny. Even a couch potato would love this book.
   
   My husband and I plan to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2010, and I bought this book as research for our hike. I couldn't put the book down!



4. I had a long history as a streetwalker. Yes, a streetwalker. But, I never had even spent the night outdoors. However, when I read Bill Bryson's book I immediately decided I wanted to thru-hike the entire 2,175 mile trail.
   
   There is a lot of criticism on the AT about Bryson's book, but one thing is undeniable. With his mass following and inimitable humor, he inspired legions of previous hiking virgins to attempt the AT. And that can only be good, as this mountainous wilderness trail holds wonders that your average American can only dream about. I definitely rate it as one of the top experiences in my life.
   
   Better yet, it inspired me to write a book myself, called Skywalker. There is only one Bill Bryson when it comes to writing. However, it was easy to dissect his success. He wrote a book that appealed to the non-hiker, as much as the hiker. Further, he avoided the plague of so many trail narratives that get trapped in the day-to-day diary format, written by experts, for other experts, in a narrow "hikerese." Rather, he told a tale that is at once earthy, serious, lighthearted, but informative.
   
   It may not be a classic, but it has increased the population of hikers on the AT, and in this day and age of anxiety and hyper-materialism that can only be to the good.
   
   Skywalker '05 author Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail billwalker52@hotmail.com



5. There are 2 parts to this book. Part 1 is awesome! It is a great story of 2 men hiking part of the Appalachian Trail and the ups and downs they had doing it. It's funny, witty and well written. Part 2 however lags a bit. The author drives part of the trail and walk parts of it in day trips, not nearly as exciting as part 1. The only thing in my opinion that save part 2 is the history and facts the author talks about. Especially about Pennsylvania and the Delaware Water Gap. Overall I gave it 4 stars. It could have been so much better if he hiked the whole thing, but overall was still a very good read.

5 comments about A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.

1. It's been several years since I read this book, but it still annoys me. Bryson neatly avoids the truth: he can't hack it. He quits. He gives up. But along the way he's sure to make fun of other hikers. He's going to get it done in his jeans, he tells us as he drags along his friend that he mocks incessantly. He sure showed us.



2. A laugh-out loud tale of Bill Bryson as he hikes the Appalachian Trail. This was one of my first adult-type books my mom let me read. A hiker myself, I have read this book three times and it never fails to amuse me. The experiences listed are realistic for hiking on the AT, and Bryson's unique writing style as, in all of his books, never lets the reader down.



3. Heard A WALK IN THE WOODS, written and read by Bill Bryson
   
   It is the true tale of the author's attempt to walk the 2,100 Appalachian
   Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine . . . although he ultimately
   was not successful in completing the entire AT (as it is called), it wasn't
   for lack of trying.
   
   You'll find yourself actually laughing out loud at much of his
   account . . . also, you'll shake your head in disbelief about his
   having to deal with his walking companion: an out-of-shape
   Stephen Katz who thinks nothing of discarding provisions in
   order to lighten his backpack.
   
   In addition, Bryson makes history come alive as he describes
   the evolution of the trail . . . he further makes you appreciate
   the need to maintain such areas and in doing so, takes
   the National Park Service to task for not doing enough.
   
   Much of the writing is brilliant, such as this passage describing what
   it feels like when you've finally reached one of your goals:
   * When, after ages and ages, you finally reach the tell-tale world
   of truly high ground, where the chilled air smells of pine sap and
   the vegetation is gnarled and tough and wind-bent, and push through
   to the mountain's open pinnacle, you are, alas, past caring. You sprawl
   face down on a sloping pavement of granite, pressed to the rock by the
   weight of your pack, and lie there for some minutes, reflecting in a
   distant, out-of-body way that you have never before looked this closely
   at lichen, not in fact looked this closely at anything in the natural world
   since you were four years old and had your first magnifying glass. Finally,
   with a weary puff, you roll over, unhook yourself from your pack, struggle
   to your feet and realize--this is the barest fraction of what you will traverse
   before you've finished.
   
   Bryson's use of dialogue was equally impressive, as evidenced by this
   hilarious account of what happened when Bryson and Katz had their first
   encounter with a bear:
   * "Have you get anything sharp at all?"
   
   He thought for a moment. "Nail clippers."
   
   I made a despairing face. "Anything a little more vicious than that?
   Because, you see, there is definitely something out here."
   
   "It's probably just a skunk."
   
   "Then it's one big skunk. Its eyes are three feet off the ground."
   
   "A deer then."
   
   I nervously threw a stick at the animal, and it didn't move, whatever
   it was. A deer would have bolted. This thing just blinked once and
   kept staring.
   
   I reported this to Katz.
   
   "Probably a buck. They're not so timid. Try shouting at it."
   
   I cautiously shouted at it: "Hey! You there! Scat!" The creature blinked
   again, singularly unmoved. "You shout," I said.
   
   "Oh, you brute, go away, do!" Katz shouted in merciless imitation. "Please
   withdraw at once, you horrid creature."
   
   "F*ck you," I said and lugged my tent right over to his. I didn't know what
   this would achieve exactly, but it brought me a tiny measure of comfort
   to be nearer to him.
   
   "What are you doing?"
   
   "I'm moving my tent."
   
   "Oh, good plan. That'll really confuse it."
   
   Reading A WALK IN THE WOODS will motivate any past, present
   or future hiker to check out the AT . . . as for me, I think I'll take a
   pass . . . yet I will commend you, if you give it a try, and I'll look
   forward to reading about your efforts as I bask in the comforts of home.



4. There are 2 parts to this book. Part 1 is awesome! It is a great story of 2 men hiking part of the Appalachian Trail and the ups and downs they had doing it. It's funny, witty and well written. Part 2 however lags a bit. The author drives part of the trail and walk parts of it in day trips, not nearly as exciting as part 1. The only thing in my opinion that save part 2 is the history and facts the author talks about. Especially about Pennsylvania and the Delaware Water Gap. Overall I gave it 4 stars. It could have been so much better if he hiked the whole thing, but overall was still a very good read.



5. I bought this book as a replacement for a lost borrowed book. I had started reading it in Phoenix when I lost it. But the few pages I read there prompted me to buy this book from Amazon when I returned home. (And yes, I did return the new book to the lender.)