8 Books by Outdoor Women to Inspire Your Next Adventure
These are very strange times that we are currently living in. It feels scary and surreal. Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, here in the UK we have just (as of yesterday) gone into a so-called ‘lockdown’ and being urged to only go out for essential travel. This of course means that any hillwalking or climbing are off the cards1, meaning we outdoor lovers will have to seek others ways to keep our minds and bodies busy. One of those things is reading! And what better way to escape into another world, another time, than to read about wild landscapes from inspiring writers. For this reading list, I have chosen eight books by female outdoor, nature or adventure writers that will inspire your next adventure… whenever that may be.
From barren, dessert landscapes of India to snowy peaks of the Cairngorms; from 2,650 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail to 4,000 vertical feet across five mountain ranges. The women in these novels have pushed boundaries and set a pathway for women in the outdoors and adventure to carve their own way in this masculine-dominated world. In one way or another, each of these novels has inspired me on my own journey and motivated me to embark on my own challenges in the outdoors and in life.
I chose to use a website called Hive to link to these novels, as they seemed to be a good option who give a percentage of money back to independent bookstores, thus supporting local at this time. Of course, if you have a local bookshop with an online store, I’d definitely recommend trying to find these books there first! But Hive seems like a better alternative to Amazon :)
I hope you enjoy reading these novels as much as I did, and that they can offer some peace and escape amidst the madness of the world at the moment.
This was possibly the first novel of this genre that I read, and one that inspired me a lot on my own journey to do much more solo travelling and solo hiking. Wild is an autobiographical memoir about a woman who loses her mother to cancer, falls into drugs and a sex addiction, and then leaves everything to hike 2,650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The words are moving and relatable, Cheryl accounts this time in her life with such beauty yet rawness that it can only inspire you to embark on your own big adventure of self-discovery. Escape onto the trail with Cheryl and into a world of wide landscapes, raw adventure, and the most innermost thoughts.
I have also written a full review of Wild on my blog here.
End of the Rope by Jan Redford
This is another autobiographical memoir of a woman’s journey from a young and feisty rock climber to becoming a mother. End of the Rope is gritty, funny and honest, as Jan traverses the pitches of her life from being young, wild and free, to finding herself in a marriage that almost pulls her apart, to navigating a new way of living in motherhood.
Ultimately, how Jan takes back freedom in her life and in her climbing in End of the Rope is thrilling and inspiring. I resonated with so many aspect of this book; with her fear, her honesty, her love and emotion, and I honestly could hardly put the book down. Jan’s journey is honest and raw, and it inspired to learn to lead-climb and to lead in aspects of my own life after reading this novel.
I have written a full review of this book on my blog here.
This is a book that I haven’t yet read, but will be on my list for during this period of self-isolation. The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd is a wonderfully poetic account of the Cairngorm Mountain Range in Scotland, which Nan spent her life walking. The book is highly regarded as a masterpiece; a book which allows you to escape to the wild and harsh environment of the Cairngorms through its pages.
Written during the Second World War, it took another 30 years for the book to be published, but today The Living Mountain is considered one of the greatest pieces of mountain literature ever writeen. I look forward to losing time and place reading this short novel during this time.
The Girl Who Climbed Everest by Bonita Norris
An adventurous tale that goes beyond just the climbing of a mountain, but that gives us an insight into the journey of getting there along with a true account of what happens when things go wrong. Bonita Norris climbs Everest at 22, and is the youngest woman to have climbed Everest and been to the North Pole. The Girl Who Climbed Everest accounts Bonita’s childhood growing up in Wokingham, and her teenage years suffering with an eating disorder, to finding a love of climbing and mountains and how she discovers a deep self-belief to reach the summit.
Her writing flows freely meaning you can easily lose hours reading this book, inspired by her drive and determination to get to the top of the highest peak in the world. The book tackles mountains, life lessons and finding the courage to fail, and is an inspiring memoir of an amazing adventure onto the highest peak in the world — but more importantly, what she learns from this journey and how she applies it to the rest of her life.
Desert Places by Robyn Davidson
This is another book that I haven’t yet read, but was recommended by my sister Anna. After reading Tracks by Robyn Davidson which is probably one of my favourite books of all time, I can only imagine that this book is just as honest and beautiful to read. In the novel, Robyn embarks on a pilgrimage with Rajasthani locals through the desert, accounting an un-romanticised reality of life in rural India.
While life may be harsh, Robyn develops a deep respect for the nomadic Rabari people with whom she travels, accounting the ups and downs of her journey but ultimately understanding that this is their real life, while she can go home to modern comforts. Desert Places is an insight into the deep contrasts as to how we live our lives, and I look forward to disappearing into this book very soon.
This one’s for all you skiers out there! Although, as a terrible snowboarder, I still loved and resonated with Unbound and the journey embarked on by Steph Jagger, author and protagonist. One day, Steph quits her job, takes a second mortgage on her house and sells all her possessions to embark on an incredible journey to ski 4 million vertical feet across 5 continents — North and South America, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.
While Unbound is about this physical journey, more importantly it tackles Steph’s own inner journey of self-discovery. Having lived in a way that always followed a masculine ideal of success, this journey allows Steph to understand how to be a woman; to love, to live authentically, and to pursue a life she is supposed to lead.
Space Below My Feet has become a fairly well-known book in the climbing world, accounting the life of Gwen Moffat and her pursuit of a life of climbing. After deserting her post in the army, Jan travels around the world — from Cornwall to Scotland, Snowdonia to Chamonix — in pursuit of climbing, taking on whatever form of work she could to get there. The book accounts her transient life in the mountains, eventually become renowned as the leaded female climber in the UK and qualifying as the first female Mountain Guide.
In the 1940s and 50s, Gwen broke down barriers and paved the way for other female climbers. This book gives a wonderful insight to her courage, wild adventures in the mountains, and the climbs tackled along the way.
The final book on my list is one that I am currently reading. Breaking Trail by Arlene Blum is a memoir about a life spent pursuing climbing, and more specifically high-altitude mountaineering in the Greater Ranges. Arlene lead the first all-female teams to a successful ascent on McKinley and Annapurna, and is regarded as a trailblazer in the world of mountaineering — a highly masculine dominated sport. Simultaneously, she is responsible for some groundbreaking scientific work that challenged gender stereotypes in the academic community.
In Breaking Trail, Arlene Blum accounts memories from her childhood and uses those to reveal how she made her way in the world of mountaineering — an example of what life can teach us and how we can forge our own paths pursuing a life of adventure.
I hope that these books can provide you with some inspiration and escapism at this time. If you have any recommendations of your own, please let me know as I’m always keen for more in this genre!
Stay safe everyone.
Athena x