By Christine Reed - adventurer, author and Walking Connection hiking guide.
I’ve been asked several times now, what inspired me to sit down and write a memoir. It’s a complicated question, but I keep coming back to this. We all have a story to tell. And we can all find connection and meaning in the stories of others. I have read at least a dozen memoirs that made me cry, smile, and laugh out loud. I have read stories that have inspired me to take risks and take action. I have read stories that have made me feel less alone in a lonely world.
Alone in Wonderland isn’t about some impressive accomplishment or noteworthy event.
It’s just a story about walking.
But that’s what made me think my story was worth telling. It’s accessible. It’s practically mundane. In it, I delve into the reasons that we walk. I hiked the Wonderland Trail in Mt Rainier National Park for the beauty—it’s one of the most stunning places I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending 11 days. I did it for the connection—I missed the trail community and wanted to be around other backpackers. I did it for the solitude—I knew that I’d be able to spend time alone to unravel my mind in a way that is somehow always easier to do on a long walk.
I thought my story was worth sharing because it’s everybody’s story. Maybe we haven’t all backpacked the Wonderland Trail. But we’ve all felt the wonder of the world and magic of how we move through it. Maybe we haven’t all experienced the specific loneliness or self-doubt or lack of direction that led me to wonder what I was doing with my life. But we have all experienced a loneliness or self-doubt or lack of direction.
Alone in Wonderland isn’t a book that answers the big questions about life. But it’s a vulnerable real glimpse into the mind of another human being who’s asking the same big questions you’ve probably asked yourself. A reminder that our human experiences are all a different flavor of the same world. I hope you’ll read Alone in Wonderland, because I wrote it for you.
For more information on Alone in Wonderland
and to order your copy: https://www.aloneinwonderland.com/