Travels With Charley: In Search of America: John Steinbeck

In 1995 travel writer Bill Bryson was living in the United States after residing in England for over twenty years and longed to reconnect with the country he once knew. Despite having little knowledge of hiking, camping, or the Great Outdoors he decided that an adventure on the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail would be the best way to reacquaint himself with America. Not to be outdone in the inexperience department, Bryson was joined by his friend Stephen Katz, an overweight, out of shape, mercurial college friend, who he hadn't spoken to in over a decade. A Walk in the Woods chronicles their difficult and humorous attempt of one of America's great thru-hikes.

In this episode Christine and Kyle discuss some of Bryson's anecdotes from the trail, his conversational writing style as well as his questionable strategy for completing the trail. They also dive into the life of the real "Stephen Katz" and gab about some of their own experiences on the Appalachian Trail.

In 1996 author Jon Krakauer joined a Mount Everest expedition to document the recent commercialization of the world's highest peak. As an experienced alpinist, Krakauer understood the inherent dangers of climbing at extreme altitudes, but nothing could have prepared him for the events that unfolded on May 10-11, resulting in one of the deadliest days in the history of Everest.  Into Thin Air recounts the entire expedition in vivid detail from the recollection of those who survived and questions how money effects decision making in a high altitude life and death situation.Released in 1997, Into Thin Air is a national bestseller, was adapted into a movie and is considered a must-read adventure book. 

Have you ever been lost in the woods? Did you immediately ball up in the fetal position and scream for help? Stephen King's, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon follows the story of Tricia McFarland, a nine year old girl who is lost in the woods with very few supplies and little water. Her only contact with the outside world is through her Walkman which is tuned into the Boston Red Sox and her favorite player, Tom Gordon. In this episode the Roamers debate fiction vs non-fiction, foraging for food, how hallucinations help with survival, and what they would listen to if they were only accompanied by a Walkman. What's on your lost in the woods mixtape?

After a long fight on the front lines of the women's suffrage movement Edna Brush Perkins and her friend Charlotte Jordan needed a vacation so they did what anyone would do to unwind and traveled for a month in one of the most inhospitable places on earth- Death Valley. At the time it was unheard of for anyone to go to the Mojave Desert for a vacation let alone two cosmopolitan women.  The White Heart of Mojave poetically chronicles the story of the two trailblazing women's adventure across the desert. They experienced both awe and agony because the Mojave is a landscape unlike any other. One minute it will paralyze you with the heat of sun and the next it will freeze your bones all while dramatically taking your breath away with beautiful vistas so expansive that it makes you reconsider your place in the world.  On this episode Christine and Kyle discuss the book, Christine's recent trip to the Mojave and who would play Edna in a movie. 

The Roamers dive into the book Sprinting Through No Man's Land by Adin Dobkin who painstakingly chronicled the journey of the 1919 Tour de France cyclists many of whom had recently completed service in World War I. The ink on the Treaty at Versailles had barely dried when the riders took off on a route around the country's border. Most of the competitors lacked the fitness, resources, and tolerance for pain necessary to endure the 3,450mi race for it was a far cry from the modern tour with teams that posses unlimited funding. The 1919 riders didn't just pedal, they acted as their own mechanic, dietician, doctor, manager, masseur, seamstress and even blacksmith. It was a Tour rich with mythology- the first to introduce the Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey),  the second longest of all time, but most importantly a race that reunited the war-torn people of France.

The Roamers discuss Cheryl Strayed's book Wild which was adapted into the film of the same name staring Reese Witherspoon. In 1995 Strayed set out on the Pacific Crest Trail to traverse 1,100 miles of the California and Oregon wilderness on foot while escaping the life she left behind. Prior to embarking on her hike Strayed was stricken with suffering and grief after the death of her mother and the abandonment of her family. She began using heroin when her marriage fell apart and needed a dramatic change; that change came in the form of the PCT. 

Christine and Kyle read Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg which chronicles the time that Ghinsberg........got lost in the jungle. In 1981 he and three other backpackers tromped into the Amazon jungle of Bolivia hoping to make contact with a legendary indigenous village and strike it rich by finding a mother lode of gold. They were armed with a shot gun, machete and the hubris of youth, but things quickly turned from an adventure to survival when the group split up and divided their resources. Christine and Kyle discuss Yossi's miserable journey to safety, the pitfalls of the expedition, and come up with eight rules of survival! Finally, they give their rating for the book. Spoiler alert- THE AUDIO BOOK WILL MAKE YOUR EARS BLEED!

The next book we'll read and discuss is Wild by Cheryl Strayed which was adapted into the 2014 film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon. For more Roamers content follow @blackgoldcabin on Instagram.

The book club revisits Jedediah Jenkins book, To Shake the Sleeping Self by talking to some long distance cyclists about what they're experiences on the road and what they've learned from being on the bike.

For two years in the 1950's Edward Abbey worked as a park ranger in Arches National Park (then monument) spending most of his time alone, contemplating the desert environment, humans relationship to nature, and conspiracy theories! After it was published in 1968 Desert Solitaire became an influential piece of literature for the contemporary environmental movement of the 1970's. Christine and Kyle discuss some of Abbey's controversial takes, their experiences with the national parks and get deep as they gab about the end of human existence.

As a follow up to Running the Amazon by Joe Kane, Christine interviewed her younger brother Seth Peterson who is a high skilled whitewater rafting and kyaking guide in the Pacific Northwest. 

Check out Seth saving the day here: