The fog is laying thick, everything around me is grey and blurred and all sound seems to be swallowed by this dense blanket of fog. Suddenly, a muted shout manages to penetrate the fog: arfineq pingasut! Another voice seems to answer, this time a bit louder: qulingiluat!
We are on our way down from a mountain on Greenland, when the fog surprises us. Our hiking guide suggests it is safe to continue down, but introduces a check system to secure nobody gets lost in the fog. The guide yells one, the next in line yells two, etc. The only problem is, he insists we use the Greenlandish numbers. So if someone fails to answer, it is not entirely certain the person is lost, he/she may just have forgotten, whether seven is arfineq marluk or arfineq pingasut.
I love hiking. But doing the full backpack version, where you carry tents, cooking gear and food for an extended period is hard work. More than 15 kg on your back is tough to begin with and it affects your balance seriously. Add to that the non-existing trails, which means you muddle around in uneven terrain filled with rocks and invisible holes. Not to mention the ridiculously steep slopes, which Greenland seems to be filled with.
After a few days, your entire body is hurting and just getting your backpack on and off is close to impossible. Resting on an ultraslim thermarest mattress doesn’t do much to recover your sore muscles. Then of course, there are the mosquitos, which insist of eating you alive and the cold, which somehow goes straight through all the layers of fleece and gore-tex. And yet, it is amazing! The spectacular views, the clean air and the sense of adventure make up for all the struggles!
The Salt Path resonated with me on so many levels. First and foremost, Raynor Winn’s descriptions of the hiking experience were spot on. I felt the pain, when she tried to get her backpack on (through time I’ve tested various more or less elegant techniques myself), I froze, when she described the inadequate sleeping bags, I gasped (and chuckled a little bit) when they had to escape the water after thinking they had camped in a safe distance to the sea (haven’t we all tried that).
In many ways, the scenes she described were so familiar. But the reality around them couldn’t have been further from my reality. Raynor Winn and her husband had literally lost everything. Everything. And the way it happened made me exceedingly angry. Is there no such thing as justice?
What do you do, when you lose your home, your income, your savings and to some extent your good health? Apparently, you go on a strenuous 630 miles hike with the cheapest hiking gear you can find.
The circumstances which triggered the hike were utterly depressing, but The Salt Path is in many ways an uplifting story. I can only admire, the way Raynor Winn and her husband tackled their hopeless situation, they were fighting back! Despite of everything, they didn’t lose their sense of humour either, and the book includes many humorous situations and descriptions oozing of Winn’s dry wit.
Winn also provides insight into the experience of being homeless and the way it completely colours other people’s perception of you. It made a huge impression on me.
The Salt Path is one of the best and most inspirational books I’ve read in a long time. It brought me through most of the emotional spectrum of anger, depression, empathy, existential pain, laughter, despair, heartache and hope. Thanks so much to Sandra for recommending.
Title: The Salt Path [2018]
Author: Raynor Winn
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Anne Reid
Genre: Nonfiction
Beautiful photographs and scenery.
Greenland is beautiful! And I am sure the South West Coast Path is as well, although I haven’t walked it. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, this certainly does sound inspiring and powerful. As many times as Iβve seen this book around, I donβt think I paid attention to the premise. I would enjoy this one, too. And how fascinating that they chose to hike together given the circumstances they were in. I love that. Fab review, SG!
I found it very inspiring and it is as gripping as any fictional story, I have read in a long time. You would enjoy it, I think. Certainly, it was amazing they went on a hiking trip in those circumstances – bordering to a bit crazy. But reading the story, it felt like the right thing to do. Thanks π
So glad this one resonated with you, Stargazer. It’s pretty special isn’t it. I love how you can relate to the effort and strain of hiking long distances. Your Greenland experience sounds both exhilarating and scary. I’d love to go one day but I suspect I’d keep clear of hiking in the fog!
So am I! It was definitely one of my favourite books in 2019. I think there are certain situations, which all hikers can relate to and that brought an extra dimension to reading The Salt Path. Greenland is amazing, there are such beautiful landscapes. And yes, generally, it is not advisable to hike in the fog, but it really depends on the terrain.
Wonderful post! Iβm glad to hear this one resonated with you so strongly.
Thanks! Yes, it was a great read. It has been a while since I awarded five stars.
Haha! I love the idea of being lost in a fog unable to remember what my number is in Greenlandish! I hope they taught you the word for “Help!” I’m so impressed by your rugged adventures – I fear the idea of hiking makes me want to get a mug of hot chocolate and curl up with a good book. π The book sounds very powerful – I’m intrigued as to how they lost everything, but good on them for turning the experience into something wonderful.
I thought it was so funny! Of course, I would have been less impressed if I actually had got lost… I know what you are saying about wanting to curl up with a book. But when you are forced to live in a very basic way without your usual comforts, you appreciate civilisation so much more, when you get back home. Showers, toilets, beds, food which isn’t dehydrated powder that has to be dissolved in water, books, hot chocolate. Anyway, The Salt Path was amazing and I am sure you don’t have to be fond of hiking to enjoy it.
The book sounds so rich! Wonderful review! x
Thanks Meggy, it was a prime example of why nonficion can be so powerful!
I love how your personal experience allowed you to confirm and appreciate this novel even more than anyone else. That’s definitely reassuring if you ask me, to know that it’s genuine, that the story is able to capture the emotions and make anyone understand the journey! Fantastic review! π
It always adds an extra dimension to the reading if you can relate to some aspects of the story, either the events happening, the location or just the activities taken up. In this case, I’m glad that I could only relate to the hiking aspect, but the book did make me think more about the reality of homeless people. Thanks! π
This was lovely to read. I havenβt heard of their story before but now I would love to know more and read about it. Thank you
Thanks so much! π I can highly recommend this book, it’s amongst my favourite reads in 2019.