A wak in th woods by Bill Bryson Commencment Speech
Hiking the Appalachian Trail after college
Greetings College Graduates my name is Tyler Anderson and today I would like to take some time to encourage you to hike the Appalachian Trail before you head off into the world and start your new lives and careers. There is one book that you should take the time to read called “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson.
In this book Bill Bryson is planning on hiking the entire 2,220 miles of the Appalachian Trial. He wanted to reacquaint himself with nature and his inner sense of self. In the beginning of the book he thought he would have to take this journey alone but he was joined by an old friend who he hadn’t talked to in a while. As he and Stephen Katz; his friend that had joined him started hiking the Appalachian Trial they were off pace and slow and they both hiked at different paces so they rarely hiked together. When I think about how slow and difficult the beginning was for them, it reminds me of how you will be as you begin your new journey, it will be completely new to you. There will be hardships there will be competition there will be new experiences that you will have to learn to deal with. There will be no one by your side telling you what turn to make next. They had a road map to tell them where to go and which way to turn but you do not, you have to make your own decisions and choose the path that you want to take without knowing the outcome or knowing where it leads.
As Bill Bryson leads Stephen Katz through the Appalachian Trail they were met by many obstacles and fears. There is always the fear of bears or wild animals when you’re in the woods and just the fear of the unknown in general. One of the quotes that gives you an idea of what was going through his head is “Black bears rarely attack. But here 's the thing. Sometimes they do. All bears are agile, cunning and immensely strong, and they are always hungry. If they want to kill you and eat you, they can, and pretty much whenever they want.
Greetings College Graduates my name is Tyler Anderson and today I would like to take some time to encourage you to hike the Appalachian Trail before you head off into the world and start your new lives and careers. There is one book that you should take the time to read called “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson.
In this book Bill Bryson is planning on hiking the entire 2,220 miles of the Appalachian Trial. He wanted to reacquaint himself with nature and his inner sense of self. In the beginning of the book he thought he would have to take this journey alone but he was joined by an old friend who he hadn’t talked to in a while. As he and Stephen Katz; his friend that had joined him started hiking the Appalachian Trial they were off pace and slow and they both hiked at different paces so they rarely hiked together. When I think about how slow and difficult the beginning was for them, it reminds me of how you will be as you begin your new journey, it will be completely new to you. There will be hardships there will be competition there will be new experiences that you will have to learn to deal with. There will be no one by your side telling you what turn to make next. They had a road map to tell them where to go and which way to turn but you do not, you have to make your own decisions and choose the path that you want to take without knowing the outcome or knowing where it leads.
As Bill Bryson leads Stephen Katz through the Appalachian Trail they were met by many obstacles and fears. There is always the fear of bears or wild animals when you’re in the woods and just the fear of the unknown in general. One of the quotes that gives you an idea of what was going through his head is “Black bears rarely attack. But here 's the thing. Sometimes they do. All bears are agile, cunning and immensely strong, and they are always hungry. If they want to kill you and eat you, they can, and pretty much whenever they want.
Cited: Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods. Anchor Books. New York: 1998. Print (pages 23,73,78)