Good book that took me a few chapters to get into. It was well done and well presented but the pace was slow.

Suzanne, Erika and Dionne hike over 200 miles along the John Muir trail and encounter hungry marmots, agile bears, a few quirky men and bad knees….but also the vast beauty, struggles, tears and triumphs lead to stronger selves-body and soul. As their packs lighten along the way, they learn to release other baggage as well.
This is a beautifully written and enjoyable memoir of the John Muir Trail trough-hike. Muir’s words are interspersed throughout the book in an apropos manner that makes me stop and think on each passage. This is a personal tale and nothing is held back so I felt that I knew and really cared for these three women. I plan to check out other books written by Suzanne Roberts and having just now finished her book….I think I’ll take a high desert hike on the BLM land surrounding my home.
Thank you #netgalley and #UniversityOf NebraskaPress for the opportunity to read this enjoyable adventure memoir, #AlmostSomewhere

Almost Somewhere differentiated itself from other distance hiker memoirs first in that Roberts started on the trail with a group and then by using Muir's writings as a frequent touchpoint throughout the journey.

Between the ongoing antics of the group and the references to both Muir and the group's guidebooks, at times there seemed to be little space left for introspection by Roberts. This introspection is what draws me to memoirs. At times, a deeper dive into the feelings of Roberts would have been preferred to offering up another Muir quote.
One stand out passage: "I wanted access to my feelings without them flowing over me like a turbulent creek, drowning everything else."

As a whole this was well worth the read - but not necessarily a story that will linger in my mind.

The new edition's afterword did provide some additional context - including recognition of the limitations of Muir's world view as well as acknowledgment of the theft of Native American land. Acknowledgement of specific tribes of the region would have been a nice addition.

Almost Somewhere
by Suzanne Roberts

3 stars

Interesting and fun look into a women's journey into hiking the John Muir trail 30 years ago. Anyone who loves the outdoors or dreams of spending an extended amount of time on this or any other trail must read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am always impressed with people that long distance hike the various, amazing trails. This book was a bit different than others I've read since it involves 3 women in their 20s and takes place in the 1990s.
Overall, I enjoyed reading about her adventure and the people they met along the way. Some parts were a bit repetitive and slow. I feel like the author gained insight from her experience and the last chapter that is in this new addition was interesting as she looked back and hiked the JMT again as a woman in her 50s.

I didn't realize until after I requested this book that I actually read it back in 2019! This reissue includes a bit more apparently, but I only gave it 3 stars the first time around so I won't be reading it again.

Thanks to University of Nebraska Press, Bison Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.