The Pursuit of Endurance and the Power of Women
In this book review, I plan on discussing two of the non-fiction books I've read recently. I was feeling in the mood for some books about adventure and the great outdoors and found these recommended on a women's hiking website.
The first book I read was The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience. This is the story of Jennifer Pharr Davis and her record of the FTK (fastest known time) on the Appalachian Trail. She tells stories of those who set the record before her as well as after. She includes funny anecdotes, training ideas, and research that supports endurance sports like thru-hiking and ultramarathons. She also dips into the idea that women can succeed just as much as men in setting these types of records and how our bodies react when pushed to the limits.
I loved so many of the hilarious anecdotes that she shared about her time on the trails (like the time she had to steal her husbands pants and make him walk back to the car in his underwear) and it definitely reminded me of the things I love about running, hiking, and nature.
While I'll probably never set a trail record, I love running and pushing myself to go further distances and faster paces. I loved the sections of the book where she talked about the science behind endurance sports, why people are driven to do such crazy things, and how men and women compare in these contests of will and strength.
I'd recommend this book to hikers, runners, and feminists alike who want to hear about her story and have a love for learning about the limits of the human body. You can purchase a copy here.
The second book I read was Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure. This book was written as a tribute to the adventures that the author, Patricia Ellis Herr, had with her then five-year-old daughter, Alex. Despite her daughter's young age and small size, she wanted to tackle grown-up sized mountains by peak-bagging (defined as "attempting to reach a collection of summits") all of 48 of New Hampshire's highest mountains.
I loved reading about all of their adventures in hiking, the obstacles they overcame, and the lessons about feminism, will-power, the outdoors, and life that Herr bestowed upon her daughter. It inspired me to continue with my goals of taking my daughter, who is now almost 2, hiking whenever possible.
Herr's daughters are now much older--Alex is 17 and Sage is 14. But both of them share a huge passion for the outdoors and continue their hiking adventures. They've hiked the Camino del Santiago in Spain (500 miles), the 211-mile John Muir Trail, and so so many others. I was impressed looking at their Facebook page and Alex's Website.
Just like Jennifer Pharr Davis' book, this was filled with empowering stories and examples of endurance, faith, and pushing the limits of what people believe we can do. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to instill a love of nature in their children or teach them important life lessons. You can purchase a copy here.
I loved so many of the hilarious anecdotes that she shared about her time on the trails (like the time she had to steal her husbands pants and make him walk back to the car in his underwear) and it definitely reminded me of the things I love about running, hiking, and nature.
While I'll probably never set a trail record, I love running and pushing myself to go further distances and faster paces. I loved the sections of the book where she talked about the science behind endurance sports, why people are driven to do such crazy things, and how men and women compare in these contests of will and strength.
I'd recommend this book to hikers, runners, and feminists alike who want to hear about her story and have a love for learning about the limits of the human body. You can purchase a copy here.
The second book I read was Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure. This book was written as a tribute to the adventures that the author, Patricia Ellis Herr, had with her then five-year-old daughter, Alex. Despite her daughter's young age and small size, she wanted to tackle grown-up sized mountains by peak-bagging (defined as "attempting to reach a collection of summits") all of 48 of New Hampshire's highest mountains.
 |
| My daughter and I on a short hike |
Herr's daughters are now much older--Alex is 17 and Sage is 14. But both of them share a huge passion for the outdoors and continue their hiking adventures. They've hiked the Camino del Santiago in Spain (500 miles), the 211-mile John Muir Trail, and so so many others. I was impressed looking at their Facebook page and Alex's Website.
Just like Jennifer Pharr Davis' book, this was filled with empowering stories and examples of endurance, faith, and pushing the limits of what people believe we can do. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to instill a love of nature in their children or teach them important life lessons. You can purchase a copy here.
Comments
Love, Aunt Eva