Books, Books, More Books for Distraction and Inspiration
March already, can you believe it?! Time flies when you’re having fun… tucked away with a book on your lap embracing a bit of escapism while the weather is still getting its act together — heading in the right direction though, slowly. After another sunny weekend in the bag, many more shall follow I’m sure. But as it’s still a bit nippy out there, and restrictions not quite yet lifted, I thought I share a few more books that kept me entertained throughout February.
Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor
Still fascinated by the exploration theme mentioned in my previous post on lockdown readings, I came across the Blind Descent, a book by James Tabor telling the story of the men and women who risked their lives to make one of the last grand discoveries of human history, finding the deepest cave on earth, the bottom of the world, a risky endeavour which would put their names beside the likes of Peary, Amundsen, Hillary, and Armstrong.
In the lead, American explorer Bill Stone who was convinced that Cheve, a vast, and some might say deadly cave in southern Mexico would be his destiny. His competition, Alexander Klimchuk from the Ukraine, who chose Krubera, a freezing super-cave in the Republic of Georgia, to descent into complete darkness in search for the deepest place on earth, and the satisfaction of being the first one to find it — a timeless human desire leading to the brightest and darkest places of life one can imagine.
Not wanting to paint too dark of a picture, besides the fact that the book is about underground adventure, it does feature some rather grim tales, highlighting the risks people are willing to take in the hope of making a mark — terribly inspirational as well as slightly terrifying if you do have a rather vivid imagination and done some caving and scuba diving before. While descriptions of the dangerous but yet funny martini effect divers can suffer from might make you smirk, Tabor’s elaborations on mile-long belly-crawls in complete darkness definitely left me with a rather uneasy feeling.
I listened to the audiobook version and remember having to keep my facial expressions in check continuously switching from fond memories of diving, the occasional giggle when the term ‘penetration diver’ came up, (very mature, I know), to utter discomfort imaging all the things that can go wrong, running out of air, getting stuck in one of the enclaves, and simply the thought of being buried alive, a possibility that did not stop these incredibly determined individuals to dedicate decades of their lives to their mission.
If not put off but rather intrigued about outdoor exploration now, you better get packing as the average retirement age is 42 when it comes to people who make their careers with their bodies, which is not surprising given the extreme conditions they put them through. Might just stick to hiking then, where a comfortable backpack weight is supposed to be 1/3 of your body weight or less apparently. It finally explains past grumpiness along the trails, at least that’s my scientifically proven excuse now — thanks Mr Tabor for the interesting tales and useful facts.
Another one to note, which Tabor happily shared various times, was the existence of a cave equivalent to the Mile High Club — the Mile Low Club in that case, which also applies to submarines, just in case you were wondering?! Mature or not, it did make me laugh, and that’s all that matters, something the following gent would totally agree with I’m sure.
Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventure in a Wee Country by Billy Connolly*
Meet banjo-playing comedy legend and national treasure, Sir Billy Connolly. Known by many as the Big Yin, when asked about his origin, he describes himself as a ‘citizen of the world who happened to be Scottish’, an expression I used myself before, …except the Scottish bit, although somebody did ask me the other day again if I was from the Highlands and Islands. I must have had Billy’s voice still stuck in my ear as I’ve been listening to the audiobook version for this one as well, which I would highly recommend as it adds even more character to the story. And truth be told, who doesn’t like a Scotsman whispering secrets in your ear — or rather tales of his homeland and journey through life making him the man he is today, a man who entertained the world for decades.
And he continues to do so as his legacy lives on and this memoir circles around, a book that’s been written in true Billy-manner not following a strategy but jumping through timelines, starting at one place, and ending up in a completely different one, one thought flawlessly leading into another, and another, and another, and eventually back to the original story, maybe. Scatterbrained or organised chaos — call it what you like, he turned whimsical storytelling into an art form and thereby provides legendary approval for another little habit of mine, one to keep in mind next time you have trouble following…
But jokes aside, which is hard to do when talking about Billy, listening to his story, I was terribly fascinated with his background, how he made it from the shipyards of Glasgow to the world stage, from welder to comedy gold, banana boots just one of many things he first introduced as he was making his mark in comedy history. While conquering the world with his humour and wacky fashion sense, he also brought the world to people’s homes with Billy Connolly’s World Tours inspiring some to travel themselves, a good friend of mine included as I found out when recently chatting about books we’ve been reading.
La Perouse was featured in the first episode of ‘Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Australia’ from 1996, a place I got to visit myself in 2017, almost two decades later. Would be interesting to see what might have changed throughout the years, …besides the recording medium it’s still available on — does anybody have a DVD player at hand please? Or how about VHS, for the ones that remember 📼 🎞️…
It made me admire Billy even more, not only having an incredible story as an artist but also being the person that got people out exploring the wonderful places this world has to offer. There’s something special about randomly stumbling across an ‘icon’ that shaped the lives of people around you, to see their eyes light up when sharing your fascination and hearing about the things they remember best, in my friend’s case such World Tours which I feel I need to check out myself now, once I figure out the DVD situation — downsides of being a gypsy.
Besides being a travel inspiration and becoming one of my storytelling idols — Bill Bryson better watch out… just kidding, there’s enough room for two Williams in my life — the book itself has lots more to offer. It’s sprinkled with facts on Scottish weather and eating habits, a few of them even new to me, and bound to be featured in future stories I’m sure, which should not hold you back from grabbing Billy’s book, especially if you’ve travelled the world and might live or have lived in different places yourself.
Whilst being a citizen of the world, Billy also referred to himself as ‘a tourist in his hometown’, another expression I used before after a visit that left me with the feeling that I might have lost touch with my roots, that I truly uprooted myself no longer being tied to anything — a liberating feeling some might say, yet often overshadowed by guilt and estrangement. My hometown might no longer be the place I call home but it will always be the place I came from, something I realised on this meandering journey through Billy’s life, a story showcasing his love for the world, but most of all, for his country and people, special as they may be at times.
*If you don’t have the head space for a book at the moment or want more Billy once done with it, head over to BBC iPlayer to see the story (once more) in pictures. First aired in 2018, the 2-episode-long mini-series Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland was played again on BBC 2 over the weekend — timing is a wonderful thing sometimes! It’s available till the end of the month (if not extended).
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
And speaking of special, the third book I’d like to highlight this month is The Salt Path, an incredible story about losing everything and finding yourself in the midst of nature. If you’ve been following my stories from the beginning, you can see why this book would win me over quickly, whereas the hardships and struggles Raynor Winn, the author and main protagonist of this story, faced are things beyond anything one can imagine.
While timing can be a wonderful thing sometimes, it can also be terribly cruel. Only days after Ray had to find out that her husband Moth, the love of her life, is terminally ill, she stood in court fighting for their home and livelihood, both ultimately taken away with minimum notice, a fate she was not willing to accept when it came to her husband. With nothing left to lose but the precious time together while waiting for things to get better, they make the impulsive decision to walk the South West Coast Path, the longest of the National Trails in the UK, running from Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset, a scenic yet challenging 630-mile walk (1,014 km) passing along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall.
The distance itself is quite a challenge already, especially when considering the coastal terrain and temperamental British weather, two reasons hikers tend to cover the trail in sections, but not Ray and Moth. With no money to spare, they decided to wild camp along the trail, the whole trail, from Minehead all the way to Poole. At least that was their initial ambition, one that got greeted by lots of doubt along the way, their own a continuous companion, at times getting the upper hand but chased away by chance encounters, acts of kindness and genuine admiration reinvigorating their spirits and tired legs.
The Salt Path is a true page turner and emotional rollercoaster, (an enjoyable one for a change,) that will make you chuckle as the couple first encounters the infamous kissing gates you tend to find along British trails, which are not the easiest to overcome when carrying your livelihood on your back increasing your circumference quite a bit. It might make you tear up once in a while when in awe of their selfless nature, giving when there is nothing left to give**, as well as their unique relationship, one to aspire to, as they continuously face oncoming challenges together, being each other’s rock while mother nature does the rest.
Despite being their very unique journey, it felt like yet another inspiring and encouraging story to read throughout these testing times, wherefore I’d like to give a big shoutout to my lovely childhood friend Isabell for sending this book my way as it reminded her of me and my backpacking adventures. Funnily enough and unbeknown to her, the Jurassic Coast, part of the South West Coast Trail, is actually one of my 2021 wild camping goals. And even better yet, I was already in the possession of a Paddy Dillon guide book myself, the man who led Ray and Moth along their trail and made them question their hiking capabilities.
As they continuously missed his targets, Ray came to the conclusion that he must be superhuman, or to put in her words: “he’s ex-SAS, eats raw seaweed for breakfast, runs marathons when there’s nothing on TV, and wears camouflage pyjamas.” I shall take that into consideration when planning my Great Glen Way endeavour, one I discarded due to the circumstances but shall add back to the agenda now being weirdly intrigued by the Paddy challenge.
Until we get to venture through the outdoors again though, I do hope some of those books will offer some entertainment, distraction and maybe even inspiration for more springy days to come. Until then, happy reading, listening or even watching, whatever your little heart desires these days! 📚🤓
**Clearly a moment of giving to the homeless stuck more with me than knicking some fudge or dodging camping fees — something my inner romantic let them get away with but the rational outdoor enthusiast does not recommend. While all three books are rather thought-provoking, probably best to stick to Tabor or better yet, Paddy Dillon, for practical adventure advice. 🏕️
Click here if you missed last month’s books.
