Peter Flamming - Post 4

When Bill Bryson introduces you to the AT in the beginning he explodes the reality of it and makes it seems as one monumentally impossible challenge. I think it was from the moment he knew what it took to complete the trail that Bryson failed inside. Though Bryson hiked on doggedly through near hopeless situations and when every muscle in his body yearned to turn back, I don't believe that deep inside he ever thought he could the complete the trail that only a few thousand ever had.

As he hiked, Bryson never came to truly enjoy the hiking. An undertaking, such as the AT, requires not only steadfast determination (which Bryson lacked) but a liking of what you were doing. Through the constant drivel about how hard the trail was and how miserable he was, Bryson showed that he simply did not fully possess the drive to win, which prevented him from sticking it out even after he grew more comfortable with the trail.

Hiking the entire trail, however, was never his real goal. His real reasons for hiking were to witness the American wilds for himself before they were gone, to get fit, and to write his documentary. For Bryson: done, done, and done.

Bryson is an esteemed novelist, and therefore he recognizes good literature. Probably somewhere before Roanoke, where Bryson skipped the trail, Bryson realized that so far all his goals were going smoothly. Bryson especially realized that he already had lots of things to write about in his book. Having his goals well on the way to being completed I don’t think that Bryson had any implications against skipping some of the trail, as it wasn't one of his primary goals or even one he intended to finish. I believe that if the book required more information then Bryson would have trekked onward to Virginia instead hitting the road.