Embrace adventures both big and small and pursue your wild ideas with this âprofoundly inspiring and laugh-out-loud funnyâ (Jaimal Yogis, author of The Fear Project) guidebook from seasoned adventurer and podcaster Shelby Stanger.
Will to Wild is an instruction manual to adventure. Your guide: enthusiastic outdoorswoman Shelby Stanger. Shelby has been teaching folks how to leap into the unknown since she taught her first surf class over twenty years ago. Over the years, she watched many of her students quit their jobs, end dysfunctional relationships, and move across the country for a healthier work-life balanceâall after spending a bit of time in nature. Shelby marveled at the phenomenon. Being outside was changing the lives of her students, her peers, and herself. Shelby was so intrigued, she began to tell their stories, first as a writer and journalist, then as a podcast host for Wild Ideas Worth Living, REI Co-op Studioâs flagship podcast.
With her first book, Will to Wild, Shelby shares all sheâs witnessed and learned in her years covering adventurers. Itâs the book she wishes sheâd had when sheâd first felt the urge to leap from familiar to wild terrain. The one that takes you step-by-step from the first inkling of inspiration for your own wild idea through fear and self-doubt and on to the finish line.
In these pages, discover stories with practical tips and tactics from world-famous rock climbers and ultra-runners to longtime thru-hikers, surfers, and desk jockeys whoâve figured out how to get off the clock, and even a suburban mom who started teaching women to scale frozen waterfalls in her mid-fifties. Along with Shelbyâs stories, they show you how to get unstuck, how to pay attention to âtrail signsâ that point you toward your adventure, how to face your fears, and what to do when everything goes haywire (which will likely never happen, never fear!). With Shelbyâs characteristic strength and vulnerability, Will to Wild âis the ultimate guide for anyone looking to try something newâ (Captain Liz Clark, author of Swell) and encourages you to break out of your comfort zones, get out into nature, and bring your own wild ideas to life. Whether youâre already an adventure junkie or someone whoâs never set up a tent, thereâs something inside these pages for you.