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Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle The John Muir Trail
Three friends, women in their fifties, set out to hike “the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world,” the John Muir Trail. From the outset, their adventure is complicated by self-inflicted accidents and ferocious weather, then enriched when they “adopt” a young hiker abandoned by her partner along the trail.
The women experience the terror of lightning at eleven-thousand feet, the thrill of walking through a towering waterfall, and the joy of dancing among midnight moonshadows. For a month, they live immersed in vast natural beauty, tackle the trail’s physical demands, and find camaraderie among an ensemble cast of eccentric trail characters. Together, they are pulled forward toward the trail’s end atop the highest peak in the High Sierra, Mt. Whitney, and the culmination of their transformative journey.
Force of Nature is equal parts gripping adventure tale, personal memoir, and vivid nature writing.
The women experience the terror of lightning at eleven-thousand feet, the thrill of walking through a towering waterfall, and the joy of dancing among midnight moonshadows. For a month, they live immersed in vast natural beauty, tackle the trail’s physical demands, and find camaraderie among an ensemble cast of eccentric trail characters. Together, they are pulled forward toward the trail’s end atop the highest peak in the High Sierra, Mt. Whitney, and the culmination of their transformative journey.
Force of Nature is equal parts gripping adventure tale, personal memoir, and vivid nature writing.
395 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2023
1385 people are currently reading
6543 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
July 21, 2024
I don’t generally write reviews but i am 100 pages from the end (on Kindle) and just cannot finish. I almost DNF 3 times but kept on until today. Yes, this is a memoir but the entire story is me, me, me, I, I, I - with so much arrogance from the author. She’s the ONLY one of the Three Women who totally embraced nature AND knew what she was doing, (after the first week). Plus, it’s like she used a thesaurus to describe every scene and event. . Probably if the minority here, but there are so many better written books.
September 5, 2023
As a former Superintendent of Yosemite National Park, I have heard many accounts from people who have hiked the John Muir Trail. Joan Griffin's is the best one yet. She takes you along with three women whose courage, inspiration, and tenacity are infectious. The reader experiences it all--trekking, wading, improvising, and losing your breath at the beauty revealed when rounding a bend or topping a rise. Lessons in humanity are learned through meeting the fellow hikers they encounter. The hike the reader shares through this magical part of our planet will be with you and just may move you to make it your own goal.
November 4, 2024
In 2006 three middle-aged women set off on “The Grand Adventure of a Lifetime,” thru-hiking the 200 mile John Muir Trail in the Sierras of California. This non-fiction book is an account of same, recalling how three very different women pull together to experience the wonder, awe, ache, and challenge of the John Muir Trail. More than a physical journey, this hike turns into a mental and spiritual odyssey of self-discovery as told by the author. “I hoped for a transformative journey” Griffin writes toward the beginning, “yet I recognized the irony of my yearnings.”
The initial miles are replete with mishap after mishap and a generous dose of Murphy’s Law. This includes her camera “drowning” during a creek crossing. A sprained ankle. Blisters upon blisters. Getting lost. Lightning at 11,000 feet and a near-death-experience. A crushed Grand Plan. And it’s only Day 3.
At roughly halfway through the book and a little over 50 trail miles, the author wonders if they’ve “outlasted Murphy’s Law and only good things lie ahead?” She gets stronger, mentally and physically. Her confidence increases as her fears decrease. She learns to “Gain and maintain a silent kinship with the elements of the natural world around," explaining that she “sought emotional and spiritual connecting without the mental interference that words, especially proper names, brought to the experience.”
In terms of format, the narrative is divided into five “legs.” First leg, second leg, and so forth. These coincide with specific portions of the trail. Each “leg” includes observations and experiences from several days, told in a day-to-day, diary-type fashion. This includes meet-ups with trail buddies and “trail angels.” River crossings. Stops to eat, rest, camp, and re-supply. Counting switchbacks. Introspective ruminations on nature and the wilderness. “Conquering” sun cups, snowfields, “impossible” river crossings, swarms of marauding mosquitoes, seemingly endless switchbacks and trail legends.” It takes them 27 days to cover 195 miles.
Vibrant descriptions of flora and fauna, terrain and geography and the like practically leap off the page and put on a floor show. Vivid word pictures of the trail’s feral beauty are so lavishly painted, they almost stand up and walk.
That being said, I totally cringed at the account of Big Hiking No-Nos, seemingly committed without a second thought. On page 30, for example, there's a description of Jane walking “Out into the meadow” and “bending to look closely at a patch of purple flowers.” Going off-trail like that is called “meadow stomping.” That is a Ginormous No-No in hiking and conservation communities because it so easily damages/destroys fragile habitats and eco-systems.
Later, on the same page, Cappy chirps, “Let’s walk another half-hour then stop. We can picnic in the meadow.” (Emphasis added.) Oh. My. Muir-ness! I about had a coronary. Ironically, the author later writes about how disgusted she and her companions are when they find trash discarded by earlier hikers at a remote trail campsite.
Although this narrative is beautifully written and brims with rich descriptions of the region’s feral beauty, I found it a bit wash-rinse-repeat. Like, do we really need a blow-by-blow description of every trail snack the author consumes between campsites? How many different ways they can set up a tent? Yawn.
I've read scores of hiking memoirs, including those about the PCT, the Appalachian Trail, the Wonderland Trail (a personal fave), and the JMT. Force of Nature is hard to peg. I have mixed feelings about it as noted above.
On one hand, the narrative starts to feel redundant and tired in places. Over-written. Did we really need to "listen in" to Cappy's daily commentary about guide book and topo maps? Zoe's hips and shoulder owies? Every campsite in creation? There's also the occasional typo. Like "upward-bound hoards." (p. 368. The correct word is "hordes.")
On the other hand, the prose is top-notch. Lyrical. Almost luminescent. And the narrative ends on a high note of encouragement for all who seek to embrace their dreams and goals. So it's undeniably inspirational and will certainly resonate with hiking and outdoor enthusiasts.
My Rating: 3.5
The initial miles are replete with mishap after mishap and a generous dose of Murphy’s Law. This includes her camera “drowning” during a creek crossing. A sprained ankle. Blisters upon blisters. Getting lost. Lightning at 11,000 feet and a near-death-experience. A crushed Grand Plan. And it’s only Day 3.
At roughly halfway through the book and a little over 50 trail miles, the author wonders if they’ve “outlasted Murphy’s Law and only good things lie ahead?” She gets stronger, mentally and physically. Her confidence increases as her fears decrease. She learns to “Gain and maintain a silent kinship with the elements of the natural world around," explaining that she “sought emotional and spiritual connecting without the mental interference that words, especially proper names, brought to the experience.”
In terms of format, the narrative is divided into five “legs.” First leg, second leg, and so forth. These coincide with specific portions of the trail. Each “leg” includes observations and experiences from several days, told in a day-to-day, diary-type fashion. This includes meet-ups with trail buddies and “trail angels.” River crossings. Stops to eat, rest, camp, and re-supply. Counting switchbacks. Introspective ruminations on nature and the wilderness. “Conquering” sun cups, snowfields, “impossible” river crossings, swarms of marauding mosquitoes, seemingly endless switchbacks and trail legends.” It takes them 27 days to cover 195 miles.
Vibrant descriptions of flora and fauna, terrain and geography and the like practically leap off the page and put on a floor show. Vivid word pictures of the trail’s feral beauty are so lavishly painted, they almost stand up and walk.
That being said, I totally cringed at the account of Big Hiking No-Nos, seemingly committed without a second thought. On page 30, for example, there's a description of Jane walking “Out into the meadow” and “bending to look closely at a patch of purple flowers.” Going off-trail like that is called “meadow stomping.” That is a Ginormous No-No in hiking and conservation communities because it so easily damages/destroys fragile habitats and eco-systems.
Later, on the same page, Cappy chirps, “Let’s walk another half-hour then stop. We can picnic in the meadow.” (Emphasis added.) Oh. My. Muir-ness! I about had a coronary. Ironically, the author later writes about how disgusted she and her companions are when they find trash discarded by earlier hikers at a remote trail campsite.
Although this narrative is beautifully written and brims with rich descriptions of the region’s feral beauty, I found it a bit wash-rinse-repeat. Like, do we really need a blow-by-blow description of every trail snack the author consumes between campsites? How many different ways they can set up a tent? Yawn.
I've read scores of hiking memoirs, including those about the PCT, the Appalachian Trail, the Wonderland Trail (a personal fave), and the JMT. Force of Nature is hard to peg. I have mixed feelings about it as noted above.
On one hand, the narrative starts to feel redundant and tired in places. Over-written. Did we really need to "listen in" to Cappy's daily commentary about guide book and topo maps? Zoe's hips and shoulder owies? Every campsite in creation? There's also the occasional typo. Like "upward-bound hoards." (p. 368. The correct word is "hordes.")
On the other hand, the prose is top-notch. Lyrical. Almost luminescent. And the narrative ends on a high note of encouragement for all who seek to embrace their dreams and goals. So it's undeniably inspirational and will certainly resonate with hiking and outdoor enthusiasts.
My Rating: 3.5
August 27, 2023
Epic! Force of Nature is like 'Wild' meets 'A Walk in the Woods,' where breathtaking adventure and humorous setbacks are the narratives nestled in a setting only Joan Griffin can put into words. Griffin’s thru-hike of the John Muir Trail is a journey of self-discovery and a testament to the human spirit. I'm a thru-hiker and can vouch she nailed it! In her words: Fear loses its power in the face of someone who has known courage. 5-Stars!
September 14, 2024
The title is very misleading. It lead me to think this was a book about female empowerment. Broken women finding their inner strength, with the challenge of hiking the John Muir Trail as a metaphor for that battle.
This is not that book. It’s not even about three women. One of the three leaves the group after a week or two. Another one joins later, but by the end, the author doesn’t even seem to like her companions.
Once again, as in many books lately, there seems to be no real editing. The descriptions of the trails are repetitive and, as another reviewer said, it reads as though the author mined a thesaurus. She was attempting to be poetic, I suppose, but she tried much too hard.
In the end, this is a memoir (written many years after the hike) of a privileged white woman taking three months out of her life to walk the John Muir Trail and describing every foot of the way.
This is not that book. It’s not even about three women. One of the three leaves the group after a week or two. Another one joins later, but by the end, the author doesn’t even seem to like her companions.
Once again, as in many books lately, there seems to be no real editing. The descriptions of the trails are repetitive and, as another reviewer said, it reads as though the author mined a thesaurus. She was attempting to be poetic, I suppose, but she tried much too hard.
In the end, this is a memoir (written many years after the hike) of a privileged white woman taking three months out of her life to walk the John Muir Trail and describing every foot of the way.
July 15, 2024
I loved this book because Joan Griffen does such a good job of describing the trail. You really feel that you are there! I completed the JMT in the summer of 2022 and my group did the exact route from Tuolumne Meadows to Whitney Portal that the Three Women completed, although we didn’t have the time to take their more leisurely pace. I constantly found myself nodding my head at something Griffen described in the book and then going back to look at my photos for all of the passes, etc. I am planning to try to get a permit to hike the trail again next year, and this book was perfect for helping to build the anticipation.
August 25, 2024
Enjoyable to read about but cemented what I already knew, this is something I will never ever do. I would definitely recommend to anyone over 50 who needs inspiration to get out there and have adventures and to anyone of any age thinking about hiking the JMT. You will get a really good feel for what the trail is like and the amount of planning needed as well as some of the pitfalls and challenges you might face. To all the arm chair travelers like me, be sure to go to her website and see the photos.
April 17, 2024
Do you love to hike? Do you love the Sierras? This is a wonderful description of a small group of women's John Muir Trail experience, day by day. It is well written and capture the beauty and challenges of hiking the Sierras. It was a wonderful escape. Loved it.
November 15, 2024
This ultimately was an exhaustive chronicle of each day's vistas, discomforts, trail snacks, camp prep and dinner, breakfast and breaking camp. I would have liked much less of this and more of the author's backstory of prior wilderness experience, like her failed first attempt to summit Whitney (a great tale). The writing about her trail partners seems forced. The endless recitals of gear brands (Patagonia, REI, etc.) in the first third or so made me wonder if she was intentionally plugging sponsors. There ARE terrific passages describing the Sierras' savage beauty, which kept me at a 3 rating, but this was a longer book than it needed to be.
July 1, 2024
Read this book for information on how NOT to hike. The author routinely hikes ahead on the trail leaving her partners behind. On one hike, she's so far ahead and doesn't know where her hiking partners are and becomes worried that something happened to them so she turns around and finds them a quarter mile down the trail. She adopts another hiker to join her group who doesn't have a tent and has sores from an ill fitting backpack instead of encouraging her to drop out when they're in a resort area. The author doesn't like her logistics partner naming trails, distances, mountain passes because it bothers her enjoyment of nature. Ugh!
January 11, 2025
Here's another book that I must attribute to the value of being part of a book club. Even though I love to hike, I don't know that I would have heard about, or picked up, this book of my own accord. It's a lengthy read and one that I initially thought had far too many details yet by the end I felt like I had certainly gotten the flavor of what it's like to backpack on The John Muir Trail. It's a story about 3 women (basically in their 50's) who for various reasons set off on a 28 day backpacking trip in California. As I was reading, I couldn't help but think how the book would have been enhanced by a few photos from this amazing trek and lo and behold at the end of the book was reference to the author's website and photo album from the John Muir Trail. Even though this trek was made in 2006, the book was published in 2023 and I think it was wise of the author to have waited to share the story in writing because she had time to really reflect on her experiences and how it affected her life. I quote: "Succeeding at such a huge personal challenge changes a person. My JMT experience stripped away much of the power that fear-of-the-unknown once held over me. When we take on the nearly impossible and succeed, the impossible begins to look approachable."
December 9, 2024
Boring. Poorly written. Needed a map or pictures or something to break up the monotony. Spoiler alert older women can do hard spectacular things, it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Thought the author’s personal self discovery journey through sappy quotes was also pretty lackluster. At some point I considered looking up a picture of one of the trail legends she passes through, but then I realized the description wasn’t inspiring enough to make the effort. Should have skipped this one and just re-read Wild.
September 8, 2025
Good….not great…let me explain
I LOVE to hike, and I've read several books on the JMT and the PCT, so I was excited to add this one to my list of such reads. Sadly I felt like it was overly descriptive and redundant. I kept waiting for pivotal moments. They never came. Overall it was a good story about friendships, the trail, the scenery and finding yourself on an adventure.
I LOVE to hike, and I've read several books on the JMT and the PCT, so I was excited to add this one to my list of such reads. Sadly I felt like it was overly descriptive and redundant. I kept waiting for pivotal moments. They never came. Overall it was a good story about friendships, the trail, the scenery and finding yourself on an adventure.
April 23, 2025
I don’t like to rag on memoirs and I understand I am not the intended audience but I only finished this book because my dad gifted it to me. I find a general “rules for thee but not for me” attitude of the author regarding respect for the wilderness and LNT.
She writes about her frustration with over crowding at campsites while pitching her own tent in the same crowded campsite.
She details the “Trail Legends” and how they often end up over-hyped while ignoring that they exist as a way to impart caution to hikers approaching these obstacles. Will most people be safe fording the river crossings in August when she traveled? Yes. Are hikers swept away in year in river crossings? Also yes.
This is best displayed in an interaction between Joan and Cappy where they are approaching Mather Pass from the south. Cappy, who has taken on much of the burden of planning each day, explains that according to the map and reports, they will have a long and dry climb ahead of them. Joan pushes back (why? Because she doesn’t want to carry extra water?) saying all the reports are overblown and they don’t have to worry. Cappy wins the battle and they are over prepared leading up to the pass and then it turns out they didn’t need to bring so much water. Perhaps 2006 was a high snow year, I don’t know. Then Joan has the audacity to say “I told you so” regarding bringing extra water?! No! I cannot stress enough ignoring previous reports and going in not expecting the worst is how 99% of backcountry SAR missions begin.
Anyway I think this is fine for people who may never hike the JMT, or if you’re looking for a trail memoir. I just worry when poor practices and published and endorsed in a book which could lead an uninformed reader to make poor decisions.
She writes about her frustration with over crowding at campsites while pitching her own tent in the same crowded campsite.
She details the “Trail Legends” and how they often end up over-hyped while ignoring that they exist as a way to impart caution to hikers approaching these obstacles. Will most people be safe fording the river crossings in August when she traveled? Yes. Are hikers swept away in year in river crossings? Also yes.
This is best displayed in an interaction between Joan and Cappy where they are approaching Mather Pass from the south. Cappy, who has taken on much of the burden of planning each day, explains that according to the map and reports, they will have a long and dry climb ahead of them. Joan pushes back (why? Because she doesn’t want to carry extra water?) saying all the reports are overblown and they don’t have to worry. Cappy wins the battle and they are over prepared leading up to the pass and then it turns out they didn’t need to bring so much water. Perhaps 2006 was a high snow year, I don’t know. Then Joan has the audacity to say “I told you so” regarding bringing extra water?! No! I cannot stress enough ignoring previous reports and going in not expecting the worst is how 99% of backcountry SAR missions begin.
Anyway I think this is fine for people who may never hike the JMT, or if you’re looking for a trail memoir. I just worry when poor practices and published and endorsed in a book which could lead an uninformed reader to make poor decisions.
March 4, 2025
Five stars for Force of Nature: Three women Tackle The John Muir Trail by Joan M. Griffin. I highly recommend to thru hikers, day hikers, armchair hikers and those curious about everything or anything hiking. The John Muir Trail, JMT, is 211 miles long, most of it aligned with the Pacific Coast Trail. It begins in Yosemite and ends at Mt. Whitney. Three women hike the trail but a different three women end the hike together than spent over a year planning for it. I loved reading Joan's journal, for the obstacles she overcame (ankle roll the first day out), the hiking tips (yes you can mountain hike in Teva sandals when your foot is too swollen and painful for your boots), and her beautiful descriptions of the High Sierras. This is one of those books you hate to finish.
July 9, 2025
A note on the cover states Force of Nature is like Wild meets A Walk in the Woods. Wild was 5* for me and Walk was a DNF. This gets planted in the middle. I enjoyed the story of the John Muir Trail. It seems very difficult and I'm very impressed by the hikers abilities. After I finished the book I found a website of the authors photos of her hike. Stunning.
June 17, 2025
As a hiker, and someone who has spent time in the Sierras, the vivid descriptions of the trail, scenery and environment were great. I don't know that we needed a detailed retelling of every minute aspect of every single day, but I guess that comes with the territory when translating a journal for others to read. This was enjoyable, but would have been a 3 on a topic that didn't already interest me.
February 14, 2025
It was interesting and somewhat predictable. Not many surprises, in fact, a little boring at times. A lot of visual descriptions of the surroundings. I finished the book only because I told myself, no matter if I liked it or not, I would always finish. If you want a visual tour of the JMT, this book is for you.
October 1, 2024
Although it took me awhile to get into this book (1st 75 pages or so), I wanted to then finish it. I appreciated the hiking challenges, after recently doing a long-distance hike myself. The main difference was that this author backpacked/camped the entire time. That makes the journey even harder. I would recommend this book to others who are interested in hiking.
April 21, 2024
This was great, read it in two days. Favorite book of the year so far! Griffin set out to backpack the JMT with other women her age, fifties at the time, and they gained a younger woman along the way. It was fun to read her trail descriptions especially for the section around Garnet Lake where I have been. You will feel like you are right there on the trip with them. Her writing touches on the physical, mental, and emotional difficulties of long days with heavy packs. As a backpacker, it was interesting to hear those concerns that I have also experienced on longer trips. Our minds are miraculous but can also get the best of us. Her writing is honest in addressing the potential conflicts with different hiking personalities. She also paints a wonderful picture of the natural landscapes they travel through. You can see the colorful flowers, feel the dusty trail, and experience the shocking cold water of an alpine lake! I would like to backpack with this group!
November 7, 2023
I enjoyed this book so much! It truly made me feel and understand what a backpacking trip like this would be, the challenges, the preparation, the experience, the good, and the bad. In fact, I feel I learned a lot in practical terms as well about all those little details and things you'd have to consider and keep in mind if you decided to do such a trip.
Force of nature is very inspiring, but it also feels very honest. The author doesn't hide how scary and tiring and challenging the whole experience can be, including details such as (understandably) feeling annoyed or frustrated with your travel buddies at times, failed plans, disappointing encounters, etc.
Overall, it was a very fun and entertaining read, no matter if you're a hiker yourself or not!
Force of nature is very inspiring, but it also feels very honest. The author doesn't hide how scary and tiring and challenging the whole experience can be, including details such as (understandably) feeling annoyed or frustrated with your travel buddies at times, failed plans, disappointing encounters, etc.
Overall, it was a very fun and entertaining read, no matter if you're a hiker yourself or not!
April 8, 2024
I have read a lot of books about long distance hiking and backpacking, but this one grabbed me more than any of the others. I felt like I really got to know the people involved, and could certainly relate to the personality differences and the fears and the joys of hiking the JMT. It doesn't hurt that I have also hiked some portions of that trail.
Very engaging, inspiring, and enlightening.
Very engaging, inspiring, and enlightening.
May 13, 2024
A fine achievement and interesting tale. I did, however, find myself skipping repetitive paragraphs and even pages of the scenery and trails. How many ways can one read descriptions of flowers, sunsets, campsites, mountains and so on without being overwhelmed? It was just too much. It often read like the book was a reprint of a daily journal.
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June 9, 2024Great read!
Whether you hike your local park or an epic trail this book is for you. As you read you will leave your desk, chair or bed and join these hikers on the journey. Incredibly beautiful descriptions and detail non to mention the amazing use of the English language. I deeply enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
Whether you hike your local park or an epic trail this book is for you. As you read you will leave your desk, chair or bed and join these hikers on the journey. Incredibly beautiful descriptions and detail non to mention the amazing use of the English language. I deeply enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
June 27, 2024
As a hiker, I’ve dreamed of doing such a hike and I found it inspiring to read about 50 year old women doing so.
My hikes are now day hikes.
This became long and repetitive , as the journey must have felt to her and I eventually found it rather tedious. One thing I really found lacking was photos of the trek. It would have enhanced the reading greatly.
My hikes are now day hikes.
This became long and repetitive , as the journey must have felt to her and I eventually found it rather tedious. One thing I really found lacking was photos of the trek. It would have enhanced the reading greatly.
April 6, 2024
Oh man! This book gives me the greatest sense of wanderlust. Hiking the John Muir Trail is exactly how I would love to spend my retirement. So envious of the experience these women had. Someday…….
May 8, 2024
Reminded me of my forays into the high sierras with friends. I loved every page
January 3, 2025
As a hiker who has done a couple long distance hikes (Colorado Trail and Vermont’s Long Trail and part of the JMT) this book really hit home with me. I could relate to the feelings of escaping completely from civilization for a while, and was emotionally invested in The Three Women’s journey throughout. I liked the author’s honesty about traveling with others - some moments were great and sometimes the intensity of that type of journey requires your own ‘space’ away from your companions. I appreciated descriptions of the flowers, lakes, peaks and the trail itself as well, at times Googling points or plants of interest just for a visual reference. There is no question that a hike like that changes a person and I’m grateful for the inspiration to throw on my pack again and conquer something new this summer. For those interested in pictures of the trek, the author notes at the end of the book that there is a photo album on her website to enjoy. Overall I felt it was an honest and engaging reflection of the author’s own emotional and physical journey on one of America’s most iconic trails and I enjoyed getting to tag along.
December 31, 2024
Anna Crowe narrated so well that I thought it had to be the author reading her own work. This was a nice hike with a few women on the John Muir Trail. I felt like I was right there without freezing or mosquito bites, vicariously eating a high-calorie diet to keep alive while moving up and down the mountains.
This was inspiring writing for sure. I want to do that kind of camping and climbing. I want to be able to write as well as the author. She felt old in her fifties. But here I am inspired by her and hoping I can find a way to do this kind of thing. It is time to start getting in shape. Maybe by summer, I can walk more than two miles a day. They managed 10 a day. I believe it can be done. I think these old bones would be happier with me if I tried.
If you can't get into nature, maybe it's too cold right now. But this book will help make you feel it is summer and you are making the JMT with friends. I recommend this read!
This was inspiring writing for sure. I want to do that kind of camping and climbing. I want to be able to write as well as the author. She felt old in her fifties. But here I am inspired by her and hoping I can find a way to do this kind of thing. It is time to start getting in shape. Maybe by summer, I can walk more than two miles a day. They managed 10 a day. I believe it can be done. I think these old bones would be happier with me if I tried.
If you can't get into nature, maybe it's too cold right now. But this book will help make you feel it is summer and you are making the JMT with friends. I recommend this read!
May 20, 2025
An inspiring read. I ended up watching a few YouTube videos of other’s hike of the JMT as an accompaniment to the book so I could visualize the trail while reading the book. There was more than one passage that made me chuckle because I thought of the typical middle age woman worrying syndrome whenever she would encounter a situation that caused something to go out of her careful plan. It’s typical because that’s what we do - we plan and plan and plan, trying to cover all possible situations and then something happens and then we try and think of why and how it didn’t go as planned on an endless loop. Overall I enjoyed the book and felt like I was there along for the ride.
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