Peter Flamming Post 1

Katz's life is a roller coaster: it has its ups, downs. Not to long before Katz decided to go on the hike with Bryson, Katz's life was full of drugs and poor choices. When Katz was sighted by Bryson in the bar randomly, Katz was a terrible wreck. I believe that Katz felt that going on a grueling and thoughtful journey through the expansive wilderness would somehow cleanse him and allow him to leave his dark days behind. The long trek through the woods for Katz symbolized his journey towards redemption and a start of a new, healthier life.

Katz might also have felt as though his past life and doings were insufficient and he felt an urge to do something really great with his life before he dies. In his eyes, he wasn't getting any older and he had to hurry to add a last little bit of excitement and exuberance to his waning life. Katz health was also going downhill and the AT was a potential way to experience true nature before he became unable to. His eating condition, made painfully clear when Bryson took Katz out for doughnuts, would have led to a much swifter death had not Katz gone on the trail.