Chapter 9 Summary

Driving from Knoxville to Roanoke, Virginia, is an adventure, since the men have been living in the woods for a few weeks. When they arrive, they are assaulted by a seemingly unending strip of Wal Marts, video stores and other commercial monstrosities.

Chapter 9 Analysis

Having researched the Appalachian Trail considerably before setting out, Bryson is aware of some of the more famous thru-hikers to complete all 2,200 miles of the trail. One man was in his eighties, one weighed 350 pounds, and one was a grandmother who, in spite of frequently getting lost, completed it twice in her sixties. Deciding to skip over parts of the trail does not feel like a failure. Bryson no longer sees the need to hike every inch of the trail just to experience it. With that in mind, they temporarily return to civilization by car, the anti-hike.

Coming into...