Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail by Suzanne RobertsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a woman who loves adventure autobiographies and exploration nonfiction, Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail, was a refreshing read. So many books in this genre are written from a male perspective, which is something Suzanne Roberts herself grapples with throughout the book as she recounts the summer that she and two of her girlfriends decided to hike (for almost a month) the John Muir Trail in California.
Suzanne and her two friends, Erika and Dionne, decide on a whim to hike the John Muir trail in 1993 the summer after they graduate from college. The book is filled with funny stories as they stumble along, dealing with their inexperience, and more serious ones when it’s revealed that Dionne is struggling with an eating disorder.
Along the way they meet all sorts of interesting and strange people, and start to become “interesting” people themselves as they find their place and grow in confidence.
Filled with gritty detail, honest reflection, and beautiful nature descriptions, it’s a must read for any woman with an adventurous spirit. Suzanne’s sometimes hilarious, but always thought-provoking, stories highlight the kinship between women, overcoming mental and physical adversity from a female perspective, and how women can take their place in the world of explorers and adventurers.
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