I tried reading Bill Bryson a long time ago and wasn't into it. Second attempt, years later: on the strong rec of a friend, I picked up A Walk in the Woods. It is GREAT. Solid narration on the audiobook helps, but even the print version would make this one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's a very enjoyable memoir with some light humor (occasionally making me LOL) and a sprinkling of history. #Books #Bookstodon #AmReading #NonFiction #Memoir #Hiking #FridayReads @bookstodon
@dbsalk @bookstodon it’s the only Bryson I’ve ever read but I very much enjoyed it.
@jaykass @dbsalk same here. I very much liked this book at the time. I should re-read it.

@cetan @jaykass I think my bar for giving a book 4 or 5 stars is whether I would want to re-read it, and this one definitely hits that mark. My friend who recommended it said she's read it at least a few times and might re-read it again soon.

It makes me want to be more outdoorsy and give hiking a try, though I'm grounded enough to know that an extended excursion along Appalachian Trail would be a ridiculous undertaking for someone like me.

@dbsalk @cetan @jaykass I read it too. How would you define extended?
@GregArcus @cetan @jaykass Good question! I don't know? For me, it probably wouldn't take much for a hike to be considered "extended." I was in middle school the last time I slept outdoors (passing out in front the house where I lived while working in Door County doesn't count), and now I'm on the wrong side of 40. Lugging a heavy pack over distance and uneven terrain sounds hard. I'd have to work up some endurance before I attempted a multi-day, let alone multi-week hike.

@dbsalk @GregArcus @jaykass don't forget that we have portions of the Ice Age Trail in southern Wisconsin that you can hike and camp along. It's no AT but that's not really the point. The point is getting out and exploring. :)

Even a one-nighter would be fun IMHO. Or just setting up a base camp and going on long there-and-back day-hikes for a weekend would be an adventure.

@cetan @GregArcus @jaykass Thanks for the tip. That definitely sounds more my speed. I'd probably want a more experienced hiker with me regardless. I'm prone to screwing things up, you know.
@dbsalk @GregArcus @jaykass Ice Age Trail runs right through Devil's Lake State Park. You could camp there and do day hikes. I think it's like 10 miles in the park itself and then 3 or 4 miles just outside the park on either end of the trail. And Devil's Lake has some good elevation changes so you wouldn't just be flat-land hiking. :)