Wanderers: A History of Women Walking, by Kerry Andrews is very well written and its longish direct quotes from the women who made these treks are interesting and informative. But you don’t have to read every chapter of the book to get the most out of its reading. I breezed through it for a discussion group by Zoom. The bulk of the members of the group were online in Portland; I was in Phoenix.
I particularly liked the entry by Anais Nin who conducted five ‘independent’ affairs during the time she made her forays. Virginia Woolf claims she self-dictated To The Lighthouse while on one of her long walks. Also fascinating was the contribution by Cheryl Strayed, who was in danger a couple of times walking alone from California’s border with Mexico to a bridge over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. Lauren Elkin’s 2016 book Flaneuse discussed the dangers of urban walking and the presence of men who seemed always to be watching and waiting.
Going on long walks is something I do. I hope I always can. Years ago I walked the Camino de Santiago from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela. At the age of 83 it is not something I would do again.
I guess I’ll stick to reading about long walks.
Flaneuse 
Nice column. Our definition of what makes a walk long just changes.
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That sounds like an interesting book.but dd you mean the Columbia River…that’s the only riveri know that’s between Oregon and Washington.
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i’ll relook at “Wanderers” (which I had already returned to the library to see where she was standing), a really good book, to see where she was standing at that point. Thanks for the catch.
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