A Walk in the Woods

Hallie Chavis

A Walk in the Woods

Bryson and Katz's relationship changed throughout the book from tolerating each other to forming a tight bond with each other because of multiple things including Katz’s health problems, the trail itself and their prior experiences together. In the over 2,000 mile trail, there are many different things that could go wrong, including bears, deranged moose’s, getting off trail and all together things that could result in an untimely death. All of those components have the potential to strengthen any relationship.

Prominent from the beginning of his introduction to the book, Stephen Katz has had health problems due to his past addictions. Katz is a former drug and alcohol addict and as an after effect of taking contaminated phenylthiamines, he has to have food in his system at all times, or else he will start seizing. It is apparent that his recent way of life has even taken a toll on his endurance. He falls quickly behind Bill Bryson, the narrator and author, by miles at a time. His appetite and hunger for reality becomes quickly identifiable within the story. Bryson doesn’t particularly know how to approach this situation in the beginning, but does start to recognize his health needs, and turns from hesitant about it to understanding, which is one part of the structure of their friendship.

The Appalachian Trail itself is a test of your endurance and your spirits. Aside from the length and the ever-looming dangers, the terrain is rough and rugged. Maps are hardly detailed and descriptive enough, and leave many places out. So often hikers are left by themselves to figure out the actual trail. Throughout all of the experiences on and off the trail, the hiking duo had gone through Hell and back to continue along the trail. Often stopping in small towns, or at rest shelters, the pair grew a stronger bond. The AT was a challenge for both of them, and even mentioned in the beginning of the book, Bryson cheers that he won’t have to hike alone, throughout the book, he becomes more thankful that he didn’t have to do the massive hike solitarily.

Prior to the Appalachian Trail, Katz and Bryson had traveled to Europe together and ended up not getting along so well. Their relationship was overall tumultuous and dysfunctional but the narrator essentially makes you infer that if it hadn’t been so up and down, it wouldn’t have ended up as good as it had. Their friendship was a direct result of the hardships and struggles they had gone through, and reflects that they can achieve anything together.

Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz are polar opposites in the bigger picture of things. They started out being slightly cordial and finished their trek with a better understanding of one another. A Walk in the Woods is a very good representation of how something difficult can change people. The Appalachian Trail is over 2,000 miles long and crosses over multiple states. It tells the story of two men and their journey through this trail, and to finding out who they really are.