The trio soon arrive at the Walasi-Yi Inn, and Bryson is shocked to realize how mesmerized he is by products like canned cheese and cold soda after a few days in the wilderness. On their fourth day, a woman named Mary Ellen latches onto them, though they find her bragging, selfishness, and patronizing comments infuriating. Along the way, Bryson reflects on the history of the Trail’s construction, the logging industry (signs of which are evident throughout their hike), and the sinister feeling of being so isolated in the woods. They struggle in the grueling terrain, which is a series of relentless uphill climbs and steep gorges. He also has to go back, find Katz, and carry Katz’s pack for him, which irritates him to no end. After arriving at the summit of Springer Mountain, Bryson is too exhausted to enjoy the view. Bryson soon outpaces Katz, who lags behind, struggling under the weight of his pack. Both of them have heavy packs, which make the hike difficult. The next morning, Bryson and Katz set off. The taxi driver who takes them to Springer warns the duo that most people quit the hike within the first week, and some even quit within a few hours of hiking. Despite Bryson’s trepidation, they fly to Georgia in March, where they’ll enter the Trail near Springer Mountain and hike northward to Maine through the summer. He immediately informs Bryson that he needs to eat every hour or he has seizures, and he insists on stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to Bryson’s place.

Surely enough, when Katz shows up, he’s heavily overweight and addicted to junk food. Bryson’s wife is skeptical, as she remembers Bryson finding Katz irritating on their last trip together many years ago. Terrified of being in the woods alone, Bryson reaches out to his network for a travel companion-and Stephen Katz, an old high school friend he hasn’t seen in years, agrees to join him. After buying lots of camping gear, Bryson reads voraciously about the threats of the wild and stays up for hours each night imagining himself being mauled to death by bears. However, he soon learns that he’s going to have to camp and be prepared to fend for himself in the wilderness. He assumed that hiking in the United States would be similar to hiking in Europe, where people mostly walk in the countryside and then retire in a rural village inn. As soon as he starts reading about the American wilderness, however, he realizes that he’s in over his head.

Motivated by a desire to explore his homeland and grow more acquainted with the United States, he decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. In 1996, Bill Bryson moves to New Hampshire after living in Europe for the last several years.

Shakespeare by Bill Bryson