A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, [the author] decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes. [It] provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and [the author] eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters.