Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin

 I am needing a challenging goal, so I always turn to thinking about hiking...something hard, but I don't want to camp out...So section hiking would be perfect for me. But now I'm wondering, maybe I just want to read about it? This book I found after reading reviews on Amazon. It sounded intriguing since it's about three older women hiking. It did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed Griffin's descriptions of her thinking, of her surroundings, and of her relationships on the trail. She writes like an amateur, and the conversations are stilted, but it still made me want to go hiking. The way she describes her thinking made me want to challenge myself that way. I don't know if I would get the same transformation of courage and confidence, but it would be fun to try. And on the other hand, I don't want to risk life or limb! At any rate, this book did a good job of making me excited about planning a trip. At least I will plan a Black Hills hiking adventure this summer--at the VERY least! Right? Right! 

This book also awakened in me a desire to hike the John Muir Trail. It's almost 200 miles, so I probably wouldn't do the whole thing, but there are alpine lakes and meadows that sound FANTASTIC! My next book is John Muir's book about his Sierra summer, so it will be interesting to see what effect this book and writing will have on me. I'm wondering if I could combine a JMT hike with a visit to see Eli and Teal's new baby in early September...But at this point, I have no clue about permits, whether one could do it in sections or what would even be possible. I also think about my dad, and how when we named Sierra, he said, "Oh, you named her after my favorite mountains!" I kind of feel his spirit nudging me on...I think he hiked a lot of the Sierras via deer hunting. I like to think about having him encourage me on. He was a great encourager for my adventures. Grateful!