This book was so much more than I expected. It told the story of two middle age novices hiking the AT, but also insights on the history of the trail, environmental issues, and friendship

I chose this book on recommendations of family who had enjoyed iBryson's other books. I found it based on my limited hiking experience to acurately described how the woods" feel". Bryson talks about the woods feeling "cubic" and how easy it is to slip back into civilization. Also well characterizes many of the fears and fun associated with a hike in a remote area. He never did acurately describe those who quit reactions of "it was not what I expected", however, that may just sum it up, for everyone.

I found the first half of the book to be interesting and informative but towards the middle it fell a little flat leading up to a somewhat soft ending. However, I did enjoy learning about the Appalachian Trail and it's history, as well as the documented stories about other travelers and the history of some of America's small AT towns.