Structure

The overarching structure of A Walk in the Woods is, of course, tied to the journey of Bryson and Katz along the Appalachian Trail. It is structured in two parts and twenty-one chapters. Part 1 covers the first leg of the hike, beginning at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending at Front Royal, Virginia, where the men part ways for the summer. Part 2 begins with Bryson attempting to keep up the momentum of walking through day hikes and short camping trips in the Northeast. Part 2 also reunites Bryson and Katz as they take on the Hundred Mile Wilderness of Maine, after which their journey ends. The chapters are each essentially devoted to a specific milestone or event on the trek, such as the meeting of Mary Ellen, the trip to Gatlinburg and the hike up Mt. Lafayette.

As with many works involving a journey, both fiction and nonfiction, the...