Bryson's primary technique is humor.

He keeps his readers entertained by putting wisecracks and shrewd observations into the mouth of his characters, himself most of all. This attention to humor transforms what could be a rather dull account of day after day of walking into a lighthearted, fun narration. Even the potentially bland passages in which Bryson comments on the social and political ills threatening the Appalachian Trail are infused with his authorial personality, making it more like a friendly conversation than a journalistic report on the state of America's environment.

The alternation between narrative and background information is another important technique utilized by Bryson. Simply recounting the history of the Appalachian Trail would, for most readers, make for rather dull reading. On the other hand, only relating the particulars of his single experience with the Appalachian Trail would cheat the readers of context. Bryson gives both by...