When we arrived to Shenandoah National Park in February, it was very much a world without color. A recent cold snap had blanketed snow on much of the mountains and trails.

The movie adaptation of A Walk in the Woods is on solid footing with Bill Bryson's chronicle of the struggles, discomforts, and deprivations he endured -- and gratifications he derived -- as he explored the Appalachian Trail in the spring and summer of 1996. The book conveys the trepidations he experienced -- the perils encountered, and imagined.

We'd return to Shenandoah, Grand Tetons, and Hawaii's Big Island during the fall in a heartbeat. But I feel a little reluctant to be writing about this undiscovered time of year. If enough people listen to me, it probably won't be such an isolated experience next time.