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[theinevitable]

also "A Walk in the Woods" where he does something a little more intense, but insists on acting like he has no common sense. "Why do I need to bring food other than ramen noodles? This is stupid, I'm just going to bring ramen. It's a good idea to hike most of the appalachian trail alone, right?"

But actually, I liked that book a lot.

[wombat]

That one doesn't really seem so much like the kind of book I'm thinking of. At least hiking the trail is something that lots of real people do, you know? It's not like 'eat nothing but fast food for a month' or 'pretend to be poor.' At least it's something a real person would do, not an everyday thing taken to a fake extent so it makes a book.

Maybe I give him a pass because he's been writing books more or less like that since back before it was such a silly trend. But also, "take a long hike and write about it" has a long history as a genre. I think of Basho the haiku poet who did it in the 17th century, but there must be Western examples I'm not thinking of.

So, yeah, Bill Bryson is off the hook but the rest of you silly writers, cut it the heck out.

[Ruta Bagas]

Doesn't Bill Bryson's walking partner throw out most of their provisions early on because they're too heavy and he's a twerp? I could be wrong, it's been a decade or so since I read that book...

To be fair, though, Bryson's a travel writer, and that's kind of different to being the author of Oh, Brother: How Six Months Living The Life Of A Monk Made Me More Deeply Aware Of What It Is To Be A Monk Than Monks Are.

[littlefallsmets]

Thoreau invented celeblogging?

Oh my God, that makes so much sense it is frightening.

It is as if American culture is a vast Rubiks Cube and, dammit, realizing this just completed the orange side.

[wombat]

Doesn't Bill Bryson's walking partner throw out most of their provisions early on because they're too heavy and he's a twerp? I could be wrong, it's been a decade or so since I read that book...

I don't remember that, what I remember is that Bryson threw out all of the other guy's Little Debbie cakes. It stuck in my mind because he doesn't otherwise seem like such a cruel person, you know?

[Toaster]

Why does this sound like something out of Calvin & Hobbes?

[theinevitable]

maybe I am misremembering about the Ramen, but I remember noting a lot of weird choices he made in terms of what to bring. Choices I knew were weird with my only camping experience being 2 or 3 day camp outs at the summer camp I worked at.

[Toaster]

When I was a small child, I would make a game out of determining what I needed for an extended period of time, for example snacks, books, toys (because I was a child), tissues if I had a cold, adequate water to stay hydrated, chewing gum, etc. And I was really good at it. If I ever needed to go camping, I would pack like a motherfucker. I would consider every contingency, every intention. I was like a little Batman, except with living parents.

Sadly, I believe I have lost this skill, but maybe I could get it back if I practiced, especially with camping and/or traveling and/or road trips. I think I will some day.

[miles]

I like the My Side of the Mountain reference. YES.

Doesn't it seem unlikely that LN would be a fan?

[pmcd9]

So basically Thoreau is the rich girl in this song?

[Ben-San]

Doesn't it seem unlikely that LN would be a fan?

He was a fan of it at the time that Ray last comprehended what LN was "into".

[theinevitable]

Imagine: it was more recently than one would think.
Imagine: young nephew rapping hardcore about how much he misses Frightful.

[lprkn]

So basically Thoreau is the rich girl in this song?

The URL contained a malformed video ID.

"malformed" Hmmm...