Two in the Wild

Thelma and Louise get sporty (and survive) in this anthology of true stories about women whose idea of fun involves sharing adventures--big and small--in the great outdoors. In essays that not only take you to mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers but also explore the powerful and intimate bond of female companionship, the editor of Solo: On Her Own Adventure introduces sixteen daring women and their travel mates as they ski, climb, hike, bike, and drive all over the world.

Trudge through the muddied roads of Australia's outback with thirty-something Sara Corbett and her childhood chum to find the legendary 80-year-old woman rumored to split wood faster than any man who challenges her. Go fishing with Holly Morris, kick back with Pam Houston and a good friend at a Denver ranch, or bike with Diane Ackerman and her friend through the "aubergine drapery of the forest" as they circumnavigate Otsego Lake. Hop in the car with Mary Morris and her baby daughter to meet the eccentrics living in the California desert, and climb the Himalayas with 54-year-old Jean Gould and her 70-year-old travel partner.

Whether you are an armchair adventurer or a thrill seeker in your own right, these exhilarating essays will inspire you to dust off your bicycle, lace up your hiking boots, fill your gas tank, and take your dearest friend along for the time of your lives.

Two in the Wild is a thoroughly engaging anthology of 17 women's adventures in the great outdoors. These are not solo journeys, but rather trips taken with female companions in tow and all that that entails--trust, jealousy, competitiveness, friendship. The collection kicks off with Sara Corbett's hilarious account of her raucous romp through the Australian outback with a childhood buddy named Sugar, and goes on to shine with Lea Aschkenas's essay on the uneasy alliance forged with the casual acquaintance with whom she sets out to climb Costa Rica's highest peak. Other notables include 54-year-old Jean Gould's piece on trekking through the Himalayas with a 70-year-old German woman she's only just met, and Hannah Nyala's story about backpacking with her 6-year-old daughter in the California desert. While each writer has a different reason for leaving home and immersing herself in the unknown, they all discover that the bonds formed with other women on the road are some of the most powerful and potent of their lives. --Jill Fergus