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Taking a walk in the forest
Taking a walk in the forest
Essays on a walk in the woods
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Everyone enjoys the outdoors at least once in their life. Some cross fierce rapids on boats, while others hike treacherous mountains trails. Most people have a reason for wanting to do these crazy things; this is no exception to, specifically, the Appalachian Trail. In A Walk in the Woods, author of the book Bill Bryson invites along his friend, Katz. The two never had an actual reason to walk the trail, however, it was Bryson who wanted to go on the trip; the author didn’t dare to venture alone. Originally, Bryson thought the trip would be a good learning experience and an attempt to lose some weight. The woods changed Bryson, but his friend, Katz, hadn’t changed one bit.
At the beginning of the trip, Bryson was pretty ecstatic to start
I noticed a few graves of people whom have died of the disease cholera (Document C). Some campers may need to
To add to the difficulty of the trails is the extreme elevation changes. The re are ironically enough thirteen climbs which result in more than 10,000 feet of climb per loop. This is obviously accompanied by an equal amount of descent. One runner described it as climbing 100 floors of stairs in your first mile, going back down on second mile and continuing this for twenty miles. The course amasses an average grade of over 20% and between 50 and near 100 percent grade on the abandoned trails and bushwhacking sections. The grade is the reason that the trails have been abandoned or not built in the first pace. Each climb bears a unique name which in many cases gives a good idea of their nature.
The chapter on fecundity addresses the bizarre ways that nature has evolved to ensure the continuity of a species. As the title suggests, fecundity deals with the fertility of species where Annie Dillard explores the inefficiency of fertility and the brutality of nature’s evolution. In the end, Dillard concludes that death is a part of life.
Is Bill Bryson, the author of a Walk in the Woods, an Appalachian Trail hiker? To most people, the only type of AT hiker is someone who hikes it all at once, also known as a “thru hiker.” Bryson has hiked a large amount of the AT, along with Katz, and has come across many obstacles along the way. He has encountered a bear, obnoxious hikers, and especially harsh weather conditions. None of these hurdles have seemed to stop Bryson. They have reduced his progress but have not stopped him completely by any means. Critics have expressed their irritation with Bryson and his negativity towards all of the impediments on the trail. For example, one critic said, “As a hiker laying in a strategy to thru-hike the AT in a couple years, I was looking forward to a light and lively tale. Boy was I disappointed. Grumping about the cold, rain, mud, vermin, tourons, monotony, ugly people and places, and an inept hiking partner didn't let up.” (Anonymous: A Protracted Whine. Book review of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. November 2, 2007) Although many tough critics do not consider him to be an AT trail hiker, he should be considered an AT hiker because he has hiked most of the trail and has written a best-selling novel to inform people of his long, vigorous journey.
In the passage A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson uses the literary element of mood in lines 190-210 to make the reader feel sympathetic for the characters and also to establish imagery. The first way that Bryson uses a mood with imagery is when he talked about how the snow made things in the wilderness look peaceful. For example Bryson wrote “Every tree wore a thick cloak of white, every stump and boulder a jaunty snow cap, and there was that perfect, immense stillness…”(line 191-192). This quote shows how Bryson establishes mood because when readers read it they can image how perfect the snow looks when it has first fallen.
...can be a life-changing experience. McCandless entered the wild as an overly confident hitchhiker and left as a self-accepting and humble man. He thought that human relationships were futile, he was impervious to materialism, and that he could understand nature on a scientific level. However, McCandless left the wild with a newfound appreciation for humanity, some clarity on his purpose in life, and the ability to create his own legacy. Many people finish reading Into the Wild and form negative opinions about McCandless’ reckless behavior. However, it is important to focus on how being in the wild brought McCandless closer to understanding himself. Into the Wild should motivate humans to participate in explore the wilderness to discover the true meaning of life.
Dangers and months of preparation aside, the American Discovery Trail it is a life changing event for anyone who decides to tackle the vigorous trail. When an individual sets out to cover over 6,000 miles, with nothing but the pack on his back, himself, and the wilderness around them, they find out things about themselves that they never knew. Nature has a way of helping people push themselves to the brink so that they may find themselves in the end. For anyone who is in the process of wanting to find themselves, needs a break, or simply wants a challenge, do the research and tackle the American Discovery Trail.
The Oregon Trail is a 2000 mile long wagon route and emigrant trail made by fur trappers and traders from 1811 to 1840. The trail was then only possible on foot or horseback. By 1863, the trail was cleared from Independence, Missouri, to Fort Hall, Idaho. The trail later kept being cleared until Willamette Valley, Oregon. Improved roads, cutouts, and bridges made the trip faster and safer every year. The Oregon Trail had three offshoots: the California, Bozeman, and Mormon trails. The eastern half of the trail spanned future Idaho and Oregon. The western half of the trail spanned part of future Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Modern highways pass through the same course as the Oregon Trail. It was sometimes called “The Highway of Hope”.
Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” is a book that epitomizes the struggles that one needs to go through in order to better themselves. This is evident with the main characters. They are two middle aged men named Bryson, a man who resideds in New Hampshire and Katz, Bryson’s overweight alcoholic college friend from Iowa. When he thought of someone to accompany him, a grumpy college friend named Katz came to mind. As they started off, Bryson started off with the goal that the trail was only being hiked as a way to see the grand nation of America, but it lead to so much more as it uncovered many important topics. This is true because the trail was filled with adventure in discovering America’s heartland and realizing their own personal problems. Through this, the men conquered many areas of their life that they were not strong in before including fitness, cooperation with others and finally, specifically, Katz addressing his personal issues. Therefore, even though they didn’t complete the entire trail, which was the original goal, they achieved something else that is more important, conquering their personal flaws, thus making this trip a complete, utter success.
Works Cited "Appalachian National Scenic Trail." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.
This passage displays Katz’s growing maturity about dealing with the challenges the woods bring. Bryson describes the situation by providing detail of the strong surges of the water. In the situation, he explains how Katz figured out his own way of getting across. This reveals growth of Katz’s character since he becomes independent in figuring out how to deal with certain situations. Bryson continues to describe Katz as “helpless” in the situation. However, Katz does not complain or ask for help from Bryson like he previously would, instead he resolves his own problems. Bryson also mentions how Katz acts as if problems like this happen everyday to them out in the woods. This further emphasizes Katz slowly maturing into an independent person
Things usually do not go as planned, and most of the time, the results are unexpected. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is a novel about a great journey. Usually when hearing that, first thing that comes to mind is the ending of this great journey; whether it is completed or given up. However, writing a novel about an extraordinary journey, usually refers to a great ending. In this story, Bill’s inspiration and confidence truly shows ambition. He also shows that he is genuinely able to finish the Appalachian Trail. However, the outcome is the complete opposite. Bill and Stephen’s journey is a representation of how all journeys come to an end; their determination shrivelled the further they walked, by experiencing physical, friendship, and
“Be back before 8 Riles. You know how angry your dad gets”. “Okay mom no worries”,I said as walk out the door and hop onto my bike. I stopped in front of jakes house to pick him up. We’re going to take a hike in the forest. “Hey Riley, did you get the water and the sandwiches”, Jake shouted in a jubilant tone. “Yea. Go get your bike, i only have like two hours before my curfew is over”, i reply. Jake ran to the backyard and got his bike from the garage. The Rouge watershed trail closes late today so we got plenty of time. Me and Jake drive our bikes for about 7 minutes and then take a stop. “Lets lock our bikes at the bike rack and walk from there; it’s only a quarter mile away”, jake says. “Let's do that after we take a short break. All that
In the novel, A Walk in the Woods, the book has its own strength but also has its defects. One example of the book’s strength is Katz hilarious personality. Katz constantly brings trouble because he’s moves on instinct. For example, once he went out with a big married woman named Beulah after meeting her in the laundromat. Beulah’s husband caught them on a date and went after Katz. Katz then tells Bryson, “Look, if I get shot, do me a favor. Call my brother and tell him there’s $10,000 buried in a coffee can under his front lawn. You buried $10,000 under your brother’s front lawn? No, of course not, but he’s a prick and it would serve him right”. When the narrator, Bryson, goes off and talks about the Appalachian Trail history, it has its
I became resentful at myself, my dad, and the all-too-innocent trail for challenging me, as though backpacking was supposed to be a walk in the park. I allowed myself to be a martyr of my own design, absorbing distress with seemingly no control. I was oblivious to the progress I had made and the privilege I was afforded to truly experience nature. I mistook lousy weather and a slowed pace for failure.