Extreme Sleeps

September 1, 2014
Smith, a British outdoors writer and editor of Wanderlust magazine, battles bugs and imaginary bogeymen as she seeks out the most remote camping destinations in the UK. Wild sleeping (a night out, isolated and alone), she discovers, can provide both an adrenaline rush and a blissful communing with nature. Her journey begins at Lizard Point at the southern point of the British mainland, and ends in northern Scotland, and on each step of the way, her confidence builds as she experiences such wonders as the snow-coated sand dunes of the Norfolk coast and a herd of deer grazing in the Shadows Mountains off the island of Jura. A veteran hiker, but one lacking experience in going it alone, Smith combines self-deprecating humor and an overactive imagination to enliven her story, as she worries about threats ranging from murderers to wolves to witches. In addition, Smith takes time to educate readers on the culture and history of wild sleeping and the philosophy of people who would rather bypass formal campsites to discover Mother Nature's wondrous bedroom decor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)