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Now here’s a thought to consider. Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American Walks in a week. For 93 percent of all trips outside the home, for whatever distance or whatever purpose, Americans now get in a car. On average the total walking of an American these days - that’s walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, around the supermarket and shopping malls - adds up to 1.4 miles a week, barely 350 yards a day. That’s ridiculous.

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At the time of our hike, the Appalachian Trail was fifty-nine years old. That is, by American standards, incredibly venerable. The Oregon and Santa Fe trails didn't last as long. Route 66 didn't last as long. The old coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway, a road that brought transforming wealth and life to hundreds of little towns, so important and familiar that it became known as "America'sMain Street," didn't last as long. Nothing in America does. If a product or enterprise doesn't constantly reinvent itself, it is superseded, cast aside, abandoned without sentiment in favor of something bigger, newer, and, alas, nearly always uglier.

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“I was beginning to appreciate that the central feature of life on the Appalachian Trail is deprivation, that the whole point of the experience is to remove yourself so thoroughly from the conveniences of everyday life that the most ordinary things - processed cheese, a can of pop gorgeously beaded with condensation - fill you with wonder and gratitude. It is a n intoxicating experience to taste Coca Cola as if for the first time and to be conveyed to the very brink of orgasm by white bread. Makes all the discomfort worthwhile, if you ask me.”

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In this passage, Bryson realizes how much he actually sacrificed for his trip. It's a significant moment because as the reader we are seeing our protagonist share his emotions about the things he is missing. Even if those things are sandwiches and Coca-Cola. In order to truly value something you have to lose it eventually. At a certain point, the thing you have starts to lose its value to you. It is not until you have to live without it where you come to the realization of how much it actually means to you. This can be an object or person, with people you don't always understand how much they mean to you until they are no longer in your life.

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Going through high school is rough for any student, but Brysons text made me realize exactly how difficult it has been for me. I spent the first two years in Spain, and my final two years in Weston. Although I have learnt a lot about myself in both places I can't help but look back on the things I've sacrificed. As depressing as it may sound, losing friends is inevitable. No matter how solid your friend group seems it could all change in a day. It was through these sacrifices and loses that actually challenged me to grow as a person. I wouldn't be the same had I not met and lost certain aspects of my life, and I am content with it. Bryson shares this idea in a much more simple context, soda and food, but the principle still stands. Nothing can be truly valued until one loses it.

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At times, you become almost certain that you slabbed this hillside three days ago, crossed this stream yesterday, clambered over this fallen tree at least twice today already. But most of the time you don't think.  No point. Instead, you exist in a kind of mobile Zen mode, your brain like a balloon tethered with string, accompanying but not actually part of the body below. Walking for hours and miles becomes as automatic, as unremarkable, as breathing.

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Bryson describes how his life has turned into a cycle. How everyday is the same, walking the AT and not minding any of his surroundings. Often times in life we fall into these routines without thinking, and we really stop living. We're like zombies going about our daily life, doing what we need to do one day, waking up and doing it again the next day. It's important to not fall into these habits, despite how hard that might be. Continuously "walking" through life doesn't accomplish anything, we all need to be aware of the world around us.

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We all have our own routines. It's not necessarily a bad thing however it's important to know that you're in one. One can't just live their life in endless repetition, doing the same thing over and over again. I know that I am guilty of this. Often times I have to pull myself out of my daily routine because it does more harm than good. Wake up, school, sports, work, sleep, repeat. It becomes toxic and unbeneficial.

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Bryson discusses how as a society we are always changing, and evolving. How ever he forces the question if we are actually growing for the better. As everything changes, becomes more "modern," are we losing certain aspects of our identity? I like to think that although at times change seems unnecessary, there is no reason to be against it. Appreciating history is one thing, but holding on to it only sets us back.

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Is change a bad thing? I don't think it is. I have been through a lot of change in my life, and of course it doesn't always come easy. Sometimes I struggle accepting change, but nevertheless I somehow always come out on top. I don't know where I learned how or from who, but I'm glad I did. I believe it is the most important thing to learn in order to be successful in today's world.

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In this passage, Bryson almost insults everyone else. Because he is doing something (walking the AT) it's like he thinks he is better than others. He and Katz are walking more each day than the average person does, so to him he feels accomplished. He also goes on to say how people have become reliant on their cars to go places. In Bryson's eyes, is falling more and more into a dependent society

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I am also victim to thinking I am better than others for simply doing other works. Whenever I'm in the "zone" for work, like I can speed through whatever assignment I have in front of me, I feel that I am doing more than I actually am. I understand that it's not a great characteristic but it's one of mine, and I've learned to accept  it.