I Am Featured In A Book About Hiking!
Hiker with body image issues-->writes story about issues-->gets published
Let me start at the beginning. Toward the end of summer 2023, I found out about a writing project in one of the trail running groups I am a part of on Facebook. In short, the project would be a collection of short stories about the experiences of being in a female body in the outdoors, specifically on trail. Hikers, thru-hikers, backpackers, trail runners, ultra runners, and virtually anyone with a story about what it is like doing outdoorsy adventures while having a female body was encouraged to submit something. Better yet, Christine Reed, author of Alone in Wonderland, was spearheading the collection. What in the world!
“This is my chance,” I thought as soon as I processed what I had just read. I had to submit something. As someone in eating disorder recovery with a complicated relationship with their body, I really wanted to be a part of this collection. I had plenty to say.
Then the doubt monsters crept in.
I’m not good enough, no one will care, I suck at writing, what if people hate it.
Blah Blah Blah, on and on and on it went.
A few days went by and I just tried to forget about the project. It was too intimidating and way out of my comfort zone. Too vulnerable, too exposed, I couldn’t do that. But as much as I tried, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had to at least give it a shot, right? What if it gets selected? I would never know if I didn’t submit something.
With a few days to spare until the deadline, I word-vomited my piece into a Google Doc and stitched the story together with very little editing done. It was rough. Very rough and rusty and far from a cohesive narrative. But at this point, I had reached my vulnerability quota and just wanted to be done with it.
“Submit it and forget it,” I told myself. At least I can say I tried.
A month goes by and I am a little anxious to find out whether my story was chosen or not. Maybe by some miracle, Christine Reed was able to sift through the garbage of sentences I had woven together enough to understand the heart of what I was trying to convey in order to make it through to the first round of edits. And to my disbelief, it was. I got the acceptance email and felt a variety of emotions. Excited, proud, confused, and surprised, but mostly thrilled to be a part of something that is perinate to all hikers with a female body.
Over the next several months, I worked on perfecting my story as best as I could. Reed was extremely helpful at pinpointing what needed to be done and definitely did not sugarcoat her suggestions. As with most insecure people, I have found that the editing process can be brutal for someone like me because I tend to turn the critiques around into negative beliefs about my self-worth. Because of this, there were a lot of times when I had to step back and view her edits as fuel to make my story better, not as jabs at my soul. Even though it was challenging, I am so grateful for her advice because she really did help me get my writing where it needed to be.
Insight into my story
Summer of 2022, I drove out to Colorado for the first time to hike a 14ner. I documented the experience on this Substack which can be found below. In that post, I talked about my struggles on this particular hike, but I did not go into the specific details about why this hike was so difficult for me and how it ultimately became a catalyst for me to make changes in the way I treat my body in the outdoors. The more I have reflected on my Mt. Elbert hike, the more I have realized that the experience was a pivotal moment in my journey toward self-acceptance. That is what my Blood Sweat Tears story is about.
The main bullet points: Blood Sweat Tears
The short story collection is split into three sections: Blood, Sweat, and Tears. In short, the Blood category details stories of menstruation on trail, the Sweat category focuses on physical exertion, and the Tears category is about intense, emotional moments while in the outdoors.
The collection will be released on May 1st.
It encompasses 26 stories from women+ adventurers
The cover of the book so fittingly resembles a uterus made from wild flowers native to Colorado where the artist who created the design resides. There are also other Blood Sweat Tears products available for purchase. This includes apparel, stickers, and even a Kula Cloth. Anyone who buys a copy of the book will also receive a Blood Sweat Tears bookmark as well.
Main Takeaways
Overall, I am super excited that this project is finally getting ready to be released out into the world. I feel very honored to be a part of this collection along with several other amazing outdoorsy humans whose stories also made it into the book. As this is my first time being published, I learned a lot about the editing process as well and gained more confidence in my writing skills. I can’t wait to see the impact this book will make.
Please consider pre-ordering or getting a copy of Blood Sweat Tears when it comes out on May 1st!
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all out on the trail!
Congratulations on getting published! How exciting!