We are appalachian trail hikers (Ma & Pa) and we loved the book. Bryson only did a small section of the trail but he certainly gives a good account of trail life.
I once spoke with someone who met Bryson on the trail in NC and this person said that Bryson seemed to be alone. The stuff that Katz does seems really offbeat and it makes me wonder if he is fictional
Hi,
"Stephen Katz" is actually a pseudonym for Matt Angerer and he turns up in a few of Bill's books.
He appears in this Bill Bryson documentary at about 6 minutes in:
https://youtu.be/ckdeInBhSf8
Hope this helps.
Bryson says in the book that he and Katz hiked at different paces and were usually separated during the day while hiking, but caught up with one another for meal breaks and evenings. So it's not surprising that he was seemingly alone on the trail.
shareI suspect that Katz is actually a composite character, representing various people that Bryson hiked with at various times. When I hiked the trail, back in 2001, and stayed at Shaw's Hostel in Monson, Maine, the subject of Bryson came up at dinner (he describes his stay at Shaw's in the book). According to Shaw, Bryson was there not with anyone named Katz, but with his brother! Go figure.
share[deleted]
Katz is not his real name to protect his identity I suppose. But Bryson's Katz is a childhood friend that he's had a few travel adventures with. Google Bill Bryson and you can experience the joy I did from his books. Amazing, funny and very very insightful. Katz was a part of a couple of those books including "Thunderbolt". They also went on a cross continent journey through Europe.
I've read all of Bryson's books and am a huge fan of his.
I also am a huge Bryson fan. "In a sunburned country" is my second favorite.
Good humor and entertainment as I learn. (I rarely read nonfiction).
I have purchased endless copies of these two books (and other by Bryson) to give and/or mail to friends and family. I send the audio versions to those who are not avid readers.
Having trouble finding a theater in my area that plans to run the movie though....