I got interested in long-distance backpacking in my mid-twenties, looking for an escape from the messy life I had created for myself. I wanted to reinvent myself, and a blog about the Appalachian Trail suggested a perfect solution. After 650 miles on the trail and the death of my mother, I knew I would never be the same. In the years since, I have hiked the Wonderland Trail (as featured in Alone in Wonderland) and the Colorado Trail. Backpacking has become more than an escape – it has become home.
Mary's story shows the harsh reality of being a woman in a man's world – wildland firefighting. Her vulnerability and truth were incredibly relatable to me. The pressure to always be on, always strong, always performing, lest one moment of softness be held up as an example of why women don't belong.
FIRE IN THE HEART is a powerful memoir by a woman, once a shy, insecure schoolgirl, who reinvented herself as a professional wildlands firefighter. Determined to forge herself into a stronger, braver person, Mary devotes herself to fire from the Florida swamp to Alaska's interior. Filled with literal struggles for survival, tough choices and Mary's burning passion for what she does, Fire in the Heart, is an unflinching account of one woman's relationship with fire. But when she loses a close friend to the famous Storm King Mountain forest fire in Colorado, which killed fourteen firefighters, Mary faces the hardest…
Garton dives deep into the investigation into Christine Boskoff's disappearance in the Himalayas. This book tells the beautiful story of Christine's career as a mountaineer, in the 90s when Everest was becoming as much of a status symbol as a feat of human perseverance. As a lover of Everest stories, I ate this one up – female-forward mountaineering stories are still few and far between.
"The next must-read." - REI, Uncommon Path magazine - Finalist, Colorado Book Awards - Nominee, Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature - Nominee, Banff Mountain Book Award for Mountain Literature- Nominee, Reading the West Book Awards- Nominee, High Plains Book Award **WATCH OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER ON PAPERBACK PAGE LISTING** A dramatic and inspiring adventure story based on the lives of trailblazing mountaineer Christine Boskoff and her partner Charlie Fowler. Edge of the Map traces Christine's life as a high-altitude climber and mountain guide - from a two-day climbing course while a Lockheed engineer in Atlanta to her remarkable leadership of…
When Jennifer Shea married Russel Redmond, they made a decision to spend their honeymoon at sea, sailing in Mexico. The voyage tested their new relationship, not just through rocky waters and unexpected weather, but in all the ways that living on a twenty-six-foot sailboat make one reconsider what's truly important.
Heather "Anish" Anderson is one of my personal heroes. Mud Rocks Blazes is the story of her attempt to secure the Fastest Known Time record for the Appalachian Trail. She battles self-doubt and the trials of the trail, digging deep to prove her worth (more to herself than others). I love her grit and her vulnerability in sharing herself with us.
Despite her success setting a self-supported Fastest Known Time record on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013, Heather “Anish” Anderson still had such deep-seated insecurities that she became convinced her feat had been a fluke. So two years later she set out again, this time hiking through mud, rocks, and mountain blazes to crush her constant self-doubt and seek the true source of her strength and purpose.
The 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Maine to Georgia, did not make it easy. Anderson struggled with its infamous rain, humidity, insects, and steep grades for 54 days. But because she…
Vanessa O'Brien recounts her journey from busy businesswoman to badass mountaineer. She is now the fastest woman to complete the seven summits (both versions just in case you had anything to say about that!) She's brash and gutsy, doesn't hold back what she really thinks, and addresses some of the human and environmental issues facing the world's biggest and ever increasingly popular peaks.
When Vanessa O'Brien was made redundant in 2008 as part of the recession, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband for his career and resigned herself to being 'just the wife'. There she was, aged 46, bored, uninspired, unemployed. Was this going to be how she was going to live the rest of her life?
One night in the infamous Kee Club, over shots of tequila, a friend suggested O'Brien climb Everest, and that was the start of an epic journey she never looked back from as she climbed Everest, K2 and many other mountains.
Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration
by
Mark Doherty,
I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…
Angie Abdou tells a hiking story with a different bend. She decides to spend a summer using hiking to bond with her tween daughter, who isn't thrilled about the idea. Throughout the season, they come to realize what they value in their mother-daughter relationship and that some things just can't be forced. Abdou takes on social media culture and what it is to be under the microscope as a perfectly flawed human being and parent.
“Through the story of facing her fears, Abdou shows us that we are much stronger than we think.” — Jowita Bydlowska, author of Drunk Mom
This personal memoir of self-discovery tackles the problems of modern parenting in a digital age
Disillusioned with overly competitive organized sports and concerned about her lively daughter’s growing shyness, author Angie Abdou sets herself a challenge: to hike a peak a week over the summer holidays with Katie. They will bond in nature and discover the glories of outdoor activity. What could go wrong? Well, among other things, it turns out that Angie loves hiking…
Alone in Wonderland is a memoir about thruhiking the Wonderland Trail around Mt Rainier in Washington. Reed takes the reader along for 11 days on trail, as she questions whether her constant search for independence has served her well in her 20s. Or whether her identity as a solo-female backpacker and vanlifer is stifling her happiness.
Germany 1938. Herman watches in horror as his cousin is arrested. As a Jew, he realizes he must flee Germany, a decision that catapults him into a life changed forever by the gathering storm of world events.
Part coming-of-age fiction, part immigrant tale, part military adventure, Immigrant Soldier follows Herman’s…
The Amazing Afterlife of Animals
by
Karen A. Anderson,
My book is for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet. If your heart feels shattered and you are searching for understanding, comfort, and connection, these chapters were written with you in mind.
I share uplifting and life-changing stories that help you move beyond the devastation of grief, including…
