NO MAN’S LAND

A freelance writer offers a travelogue of hiking the Colorado trail and more.

In her debut memoir, Jensen tells a story of how, at a low point in 2016, she decided to take on the Colorado Trail as a hiking project. She pointedly introduces the choice as more than a mere physical challenge; rather, it was about choosing life at a time in middle age when she was grappling with depression and suicidal ideation. Her narrative of the hike is interspersed with accounts of growing up in an abusive situation, coming to grips with her father’s traumatizing suicide attempts, and other dysfunctional relationships. However, most of the book is framed as a story of a trek through nature, with detailed anecdotes of facing myriad hazards, including bitter cold and encounters with moose and other wildlife. The book is most engaging in its portrayal of trail culture, which includes accounts of how hikers get their “trail names” (hers became Serendipity) and the informal community of mutual support along the Colorado Trail. Woven throughout the narrative is the aphorism “hike your own hike”—a common refrain in the trail hiking community, and whose multiple meanings include going at one’s own pace and not following someone else’s idea of what a hike should be. Jensen’s remembrance of her troubled relationship with her fiancé also provides useful subtext, as does her story of her search for the perfect spot to scatter her late father’s ashes. Overall, this memoir works best as a long-distance hiker’s narrative, as it gives the reader a good sense of not only the physical, but also the mental effort required to successfully complete such a journey. As such, it’s primarily a great adventure story, accompanied by a secondary but revealing account of personal discovery. Jensen’s reflection on her motives for inviting her partner along for part of the hike is particularly eye-opening.

An engaging and uncommon account of self-discovery and pushing one’s limits.