WEATHERED

A debut memoir chronicles one woman’s feats of endurance and self-discovery on the John Muir Trail in California.

Teglo was “about to have surgery for two parathyroid tumors, fit but overweight, and sort of a scaredy-cat,” when a co-worker casually mentioned the John Muir Trail. Although she’d never backpacked before, the author became obsessed with the idea of conquering the formidable trail on her own. She soon discovered “the hardest part of the JMT is getting a permit.” After faxing endless applications, she was finally granted one and spent the next few months testing camping gear and hiking trails near her Los Angeles home. On Aug. 31, 2016, she began her hike at Happy Isles, the official start of the trail. Teglo quickly learned that “everything on the JMT is work,” from filtering her water to going to the bathroom to protecting her food in a bear canister. She also struggled to overcome her lack of self-confidence as a hiker, using her competitiveness with other trekkers as motivation. While hiking near crystalline lakes and up rocky peaks, she contemplated her disintegrating marriage and wondered whether she should divorce her husband. Along the way, she met fellow hikers from all over the world. The lessons the author learned from her three-week hike completely changed the trajectory of her life. Reminiscent of Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild—the film of which inspired Teglo—this memoir paints a cleareyed portrait of the challenges and joys involved in hiking the John Muir Trail. The author’s hilarious descriptions of her encounters with a thieving chipmunk and a stubborn marmot underscore how far she traveled out of her comfort zone. The momentum of Teglo’s tale is slowed somewhat by an abundance of exclamation points and occasional mistakes in tense, including when she observes: “California was currently in the worst drought it has ever experienced.” In addition, the author’s laundry list of the preparatory steps she took before her hike could have been more organically woven into the narrative. Nevertheless, Teglo’s depictions of the natural wonders she viewed on the trail and her campfire conversations with fellow adventurers will motivate even the most devoted couch potato to think about lacing up a pair of hiking boots.

An evocative hiking account that offers some powerful lessons.