I am what some might call a pussy hiker. I do genuinely enjoy a leisurely stroll in the "mountains" of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. I like the pretty views. I always bring my conveniently-sized L.L. Bean backpack ($39.95 from the Kittery Outlets) so I have a place for my camera and cell phone. But by early afternoon, I would like to be done, please. I would like to be done and sitting at a booth in a pub with my burger and beer. Camping is certainly worthy of consideration, but here's the deal: I don't do rain. In light of the fact that weather reports are unreliable beyond a 48-hour window (and even that is pushing it in New England), it is unlikely I would ever camp for more than a two-night stay. Oh, and if I were to camp, I would like it to be at a site that has free Wi-Fi. 
 What this amounts to is that the Appalachian Trail, endearingly referred to by those hiking it as "the AT," will never be anything more to me than a lovely little map. 
 (click to enlarge) 
 BUT. I am glad for gung-ho people like Bryson and his chubby checker friend Katz who did walk "the AT" and are kind enough to let me know what I am missing. As it turns out, I am not missing much. This is not to downplay the extraordinarity of a 2,200-mile trail of wilderness running from Georgia to Maine, a trail that takes the average thru-hiker six months to complete, but in terms of day-to-day variation, it is basically a shitload of trees followed by another shitload of trees. 
 For me, this book makes a better argument for the day hike. There are many parts of the trail I would enjoy, including the Smoky Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Delaware Water Gap. Like Bryson, though, I am a people person, and I enjoy my simple human comforts. I would like to see these areas without having to make an extended departure from civilization. Why can't I have both--my nature and my nurture? Fortunately for me, almost a full third of the Appalachian Trail is in New England, so maybe I can have it all--because I think if there is one thing I've learned from Bryson's experience, it is that I don't have to suffer through long days of cold rain and hungry nights to enjoy what the Appalachian Trail has to offer.