The best real-life stories to inspire your next camping adventure

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is a monumental undertaking for anyone—but trying to do it with your spouse takes it to another level. I love this memoir because it alternates perspective between husband and wife, revealing how two people can hike the same trail at the same time and experience the same things totally differently. I’ve often found that after a trip with my husband when we compare notes it can seem like we weren’t even on the same trip! It’s a great he-said-she-said tale of adventure.

Bill Bryson is best known for his humorous travel stories, so when he teams up with an old buddy to take on the Appalachian Trail with almost no outdoors experience between them, you know it’s going to be a bumpy and hilarious ride! I found it an inspirational tale, not because they rise to the occasion (they don’t really), but because it shows that you don’t have to be an outdoors expert to enjoy the wilderness and challenge yourself. It isn’t about finishing the journey, it’s about starting it. As someone who has been known to trip over tree roots and fall into slimy creeks, I could totally identify with the author and understand how rewarding it is to become a little less terrible at something.

Mountain climber Joe Simpson’s amazing tale of survival has to be one of the most intense and riveting adventure stories ever published. Here’s the thing—even though I knew he survived his ordeal (because he wrote the book), I couldn’t help being on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it because it seems so impossible that this will end well for him. Simpson fell while hiking in the Andes mountains and his climbing partner was left with the impossible decision to cut the rope that attached them, leaving him behind. Simpson, with horrific injuries, had to gather strength and determination that most of us can’t imagine, just to survive. You can feel the biting cold and the searing pain of every moment of his ordeal. You might not want to go climbing after reading this, but you will certainly be inspired to enjoy your life and take nothing for granted.

Some women deal with grief and marriage breakdown by shopping too much or eating a lot of ice cream. Cheryl Strayed decided to hike from Mexico to Canada instead! Her memoir, Wild, became a bestseller because Cheryl is relatable and you really feel how hard this journey was, and how rewarding. I love her candid and revealing style that made me feel like I was taking every step by her side. If rugged armchair travel is your thing, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s a bit like Eat Pray Love, but more Hike Collapse Camp.

This book isn’t like the others on my list (it’s a how-to rather than a memoir), but I want to include it for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you want to have camping adventures you need to know some essentials about how things work in the wilderness, and Meyer broke the taboo around bodily functions and told campers, in plain and straightforward terms, how to do their business. The millions of newbie campers who bought the book, including me, are eternally grateful! Also, I have a personal soft spot for Meyer because I interviewed her for my book. I consider her something of a role model for being your true self, even when it’s not what others expect. And without the runaway success of her book, I’m not sure a publisher would have taken a chance on mine.