How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Nearly everyone [...] had some gruesome story involving a guileless acquaintance who had gone off hiking the trail [...] and come stumbling back with [...] a bobcat attached to his head. (1.1.7)
Okay, so Bryson is obviously exaggerating (as he is wont to do) but the gist of what he's saying is true—there are plenty of things that can go wrong along the Appalachian Trail. We'll learn more about these potential horror stories soon enough, but let's just suffice it to say that a bobcat lobotomy is actually on the tamer end of things. No joke.
Quote #2
Imagine, if you will, lying in the dark alone in a little tent, nothing but a few microns of trembling nylon between you and [...] a 400-pound bear. (1.2.3)
We'd rather not, buddy. Frankly, we're a little surprised that Bryson still wants to go on his Appalachian adventure after reading this book about bears, especially because he seems so freaked out by the whole deal.
Quote #3
Whatever mechanism within you is responsible for adrenaline, it has never been [...] so keenly poised to pump out a warming squirt of adrenal fluid. (1.4.2)
Ew—that sounds a little dirty to us. Regardless, the point Bryson is making is that you're always a little on edge when you're alone in a desolate forest. Of course, there's nothing to fear most of the time, but you never know when you're going to have to run for your life.