A Walk in the Woods

Two weeks later, Bryson is back home in Hanover, where Katz rejoins him, and they prepare to hike the final leg of the AT in Maine. During his time away, Katz has developed the notion that they should pare down what they carry and, instead of using their heavy packs, carry what they need in newspaper delivery bags. Bryson talks him out of this idea but agrees to significantly decrease what they carry. As they set out for their 10-day trek, Bryson explains that Maine’s portion of the AT is deceptive because of the state’s small size. In the state’s 283 miles of the AT, northbound hikers face 100,000 feet of climbing, which includes 99.7 miles of its famous Hundred Mile Wilderness, “the remotest section of the entire AT” (341-42). Bryson’s wife drops them 30 miles shy of Monson, the starting point of the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Immediately, it’s evident that Katz has fallen out of hiking shape—and just as he did when they began hiking months earlier—he angrily throws away many of their supplies to lighten his load.

During their first night of camping, they spot a moose nearby, and Katz later admits that he forgot how difficult hiking is.