Do you like to take a walk on the wild side? Or would you rather read about it when you know everything turns out okay? Check out this list of daring adventure stories by some who lived to tell the tale.
Walking the Gobi: A 1,600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair by Helen Thayer
At age 50 Helen Thayer was the first woman to ski alone to the North Pole (accompanied by Charlie the dog). Thirteen years later, she and her husband started off across the Gobi Desert. Helen Thayer was named “one of the great explorers of the 20th century” by National Geographic. It’s an amazing, exciting, true adventure.
A Long Trek Home: 4,000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski by Erin McKittrick
Two people start walking from Seattle and 4,000 miles, one year and many adventures later our intrepid adventurers arrive at the end of the road in the Aleutian Islands. And it’s not even a road! Incredible tales of bear sightings, an ingenious packraft and a good cause will astound and inspire you.
Shooting the Boh: A Woman’s Voyage Down the Wildest River in Borneo by Tracy Johnston
If a rafting company offered you a free trip to an exotic locale, you might jump at the chance. Journalist Tracy Johnston did, never imagining the treacherous rapids, foot rot, hot flashes, leeches, clouds of sweat bees and sheer hard work it would entail. The trip was bad, but this book is witty and insightful. Good reading.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
After a plane crash, 13-year-old Brian spends 54 days in the Canadian wilderness, surviving with only the aid of a hatchet. This heart-stopping story finds Brian facing a life-and-death decision at every moment. It’s gritty and great, written for the 11- to 13-year-old crowd, but a rocking adventure for all ages.
And I Alone Survived is another thrilling tale of adventure written in the 1970s by Lauren Elder, who survived the crash of a light plane in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and walked to town for 36 hours with a broken arm and boots with two-inch heels.
~Ellen F., Central Library
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