Joe Pascale - Reading Blog IV

This blog is about a book a read for recreation this semester. It was the Bill Bryson book, A Walk In The Woods. I picked the book up because I have been doing a little looking into the idea of doing a thru-hike on the AT. I have done dayhikes and overnighters along the trail, but have always been captivated by the idea of doing it straight through in one season. 2100 miles is a long way to walk. The Bryson book was great, alot funnier than I expected. Bryson and his buddy, both out of shape and not experienced in backpacking had a hell of a time. They broke the trail into section and Bryson figured out that they only walked about 39% of the trail. It just goes to show how hard the trail really is. But the question that kept coming to mind was, why do people do it. What is the draw to walk and camp for 5 or 6 months straight. I cant explain it, hiking the trail is something that I have wanted to do for a while now, but even I cant say why I want to do it. It just seems like an adventure I guess.