Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail by Suzanne Roberts

Did you enjoy reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed? Then Almost Somewhere is the perfect readalike, about young women hiking in the wilderness. In 1993, Suzanne, Erika, and Dionne finish college and decide to spend a month hiking the John Muir trail from Mount Whitney to Yosemite. Erika is in charge, Suzanne is the slightly clutzy dreamer, and Dionne has never been backpacking before (a secret from Erika). Like Cheryl Strayed, Suzanne has an oversize backpack, but spends much less time writing about blisters or the contents of her pack, just worrying about her swollen knee and Dionne’s eating disorder. The women hike with two guys for the first part of the trip, including a stranger who Suzanne finds disturbing, and there’s concern that their food supply will run short. It’s not until the women start hiking as a threesome that they work as a team  rather than competing with each other for attention from the guys. They have interactions with bears, other hikers and campers, and struggle to finish the hike through some stunning wilderness scenery and nine mountain passes. For more about the journey, visit the author’s website.

Brenda