Will Middour - Post 1

I think that Katz chooses to go along with Bryson on the trip for a few reasons. He remembers their great times hiking in Europe and misses spending time with his old friend. He wants to reestablish his friendship with Bryson after all of those years. Also, Katz still cares about his friend and probably wants to make sure that he will be ok because he knows the dangers of the trail. I would say that Katz wants to become a little bit healthier, but he shows us in the book(chapter 4) when they stop at a convenience store for food he is not. Katz becomes more excited than he has been for a while after being surprised by Bryson with Hostess cakes which shows us that he has no desire to get fit. Katz sees his invitation to go hiking as a great opportunity to help him overcome his previous addictions of drugs and alcohol. He has already turned his life around by not doing drugs or drinking and getting married once he got out of jail. Katz knows that hiking the trail will serve as a great challenge and if he can complete it then it will give him more confidence and self esteem. These two characteristics will help him to always stay sober and to lead a good life.