Book Review: Wander by Ryan Benz
Wander
by Ryan Benz
Genre: Memoir / Travel
ISBN: 9798988997627
Print Length: 200 pages
Reviewed by Kristine Eckart
An inspirational tale of transformation on the Appalachian Trail
Ryan Benz knew his adventure on the Appalachian Trail would change his life, but he didn’t know he’d be helping others change theirs too. With this memoir, he does just that, except readers don’t have to hike 2,000 miles to do it.
Feeling the effects of burnout, panic attacks, and separation from his wife, Benz knew he needed a change. The Appalachian Trail, roughly 2,200 miles starting in Georgia and ending in Maine, takes, on average, a year for hikers to complete. From bears to blisters, the trail has dangers seen and unseen but also boasts stunning vistas, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and a close-knit community of hikers. So Benz decided to hike the trail, using his time in nature to intentionally upend his world and reconnect to his true self.
“We weren’t measuring our journey in minutes or hours or days, but experiences.”
Traveling can teach us many lessons, but we don’t often take the time to ruminate on them, much less share them with the world. This is Wander. Each section of the trail and the people he meets along the way teaches him valuable lessons about himself, about life, and about the world. I’m always grateful to read those lessons in books and much more grateful that I don’t have to hike almost the entire length of the East Coast to discover them. Some are universal ideas: hope, slowing down, gratitude, asking for help. Others are universal but presented in a more trail-specific lingo: Trail Angels represent kindness and Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH for short) embodies being true to yourself no matter what.
“This journey isn’t about finishing—it’s about being here, truly living.”
The life lessons and self-transformation described in this book do a wonderful job of encouraging the reader to take the time to wander, even if it’s just in their backyard or at the park. Maybe the lessons you’ll learn will be different, but as we now know, it’s important to Hike Your Own Hike and commit to wander in your own way. They’re both just as important to your life as having the proper footwear.
At times, the story can get a bit repetitive (hike, blisters, vistas, camping). I longed for more of a storytelling approach instead of a diarist approach, but that in no way detracts from the overall message of the book. The life lessons and self-transformation described in this book do a wonderful job of encouraging the reader to take the time to wander, even if it’s just in their backyard or at the park.
“We had come to find mountains, and there found the wild in our hearts.”
If you liked adventure memoirs like Wild or Eat, Pray, Love, this is the book for you.
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