I read and thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's book. Don't know to what extent he may have exagerated or overdramatized, but I thought he did a nice job of combining real information about the trail with humor and fun.

A couple of anecdotes about the power of Bryson's writing:

I read some of the funny passages to my 2 daughters, who have minimal interest in backpacking. They enjoyed them so much, each of them actually borrowed my copy of the book and read it themselves.

One day at work, while I was reading the book, I was headed for lunch, going down in the elevator with the book in my hand. An acquaintance in the elevator spontaneously burst out laughing. When we got to the 1st floor he explained that he'd read Bryson's book about touring Europe (also with Katz) some years before, and the memory of it was so funny, that seeing the cover of my book just made him burst out laughing at the very thought of it.

Thanks for bringing back a nice memory of a very pleasurable read for me.

Gerry Magnes
Schenectady, NY