A Good Read

Part of being a ravenous woman is having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, if not through personal experience, then through books.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson has been on my list for ages now, and I'm delighted to have come across it in the library at just the right time to read it. Bryson shares his experience hiking the Appalachian Trail using the perfect mix of dry wit and appreciation for nature. Can you imagine hiking from Maine to Georgia? I will never complain about parking around the corner again.

This book made me nostalgic for my brief foray living in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts a few years back. The trail cuts through my then-neighboring town, and I hiked it one day, but quit after just a couple hours. I worked with a guy who hiked the trails entirety, and I regret that I never got the chance to sit down and talk with him about his adventures.

East Coast hikes feel so different from the west coast mostly in the smell. As trite as that sounds, it feels foreign to me now to hike in a place where I don't smell redwood or eucalyptus. I was happy to revisit New England through this book, and feel compelled to add some more of the Appalachian Trail under my boots one day.

Go here to learn more and show support for the trail. And read some Bill Bryson, he rules!