Tracks

Rating:
Summary: inspiring, motivating
Review: Robyn Davidson has the courage that all woman (and men) covet. She has gotten to know herself more than most people ever dream. Her tenacity is incredible. I am inspired to finally take my own solo trips and look forward to reconnecting with myself and nature and not be so focused on the material, commercial, capitolistic society we get sucked into. It is a journey of simplicity and passion and finding peace within yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Camel trips
Review: Robyn Davidson's "Tracks" and Robin Lee Graham's "Dove" have had a major and long-term impact on my growing up. They stoked a serious case of wanderlust. Almost twenty years after the first of many readings, I'm reading "Tracks" again right now.

[Something I wanted to point out that I noticed from this reading that I had skimmed over on other readings. This was an admirable trip in every way, but to say that she did it alone, is not quite right. Let me just mention a few names: Sallay, Tolly, Jen, Rick and Eddie. I think it's almost impossible to do anything ALONE.]

A lot of my book is underlined with quotes like this one: "There are some moments in life that are like pivots around which your existance turns--small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something correct for a change, when you think you are on the right track."

And the last line of the book: "Camel trips, as I suspected all along, and as I was about to have confirmed, do not begin or end, they merely change form."

Awesome. A salute to Robyn Davidson.

Rating:
Summary: Camel trips
Review: Robyn Davidson's "Tracks" and Robin Lee Graham's "Dove" have had a major and long-term impact on my growing up. They stoked a serious case of wanderlust. Almost twenty years after the first of many readings, I'm reading "Tracks" again right now.

[Something I wanted to point out that I noticed from this reading that I had skimmed over on other readings. This was an admirable trip in every way, but to say that she did it alone, is not quite right. Let me just mention a few names: Sallay, Tolly, Jen, Rick and Eddie. I think it's almost impossible to do anything ALONE.]

A lot of my book is underlined with quotes like this one: "There are some moments in life that are like pivots around which your existance turns--small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something correct for a change, when you think you are on the right track."

And the last line of the book: "Camel trips, as I suspected all along, and as I was about to have confirmed, do not begin or end, they merely change form."

Awesome. A salute to Robyn Davidson.

Rating:
Summary: If she could do this, anything is possible!
Review: Subtitled, "A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback," this 1980 book by Robyn Davidson, then 30 years old, is now considered a classic. She did it alone, with four camels, a loyal dog, and all the self-doubt and introspection that make her very human. Ms. Davidson grew up in Adelaide, a city in Southern Australia, but she traveled to the Central Australian town of Alice Springs, arriving with just $6 in her pocket and a desire to learn about camels. She worked in a bar and apprenticed herself to a camel owner, performing menial jobs and learning all she could. It took two years and half the book, but finally she was ready to pursue her dream.

She never was able to accumulate the funds needed to outfit her camels and so she applied for and received a grant from National Geographic. Throughout the book she questions that decision because this meant she had to meet with a photographer on several parts of her journey as well as an onslaught of unwanted publicity. In her mind, the trip became less the pure expedition she had envisioned and there is much soul searching about this. This is not the only thing she constantly reflects about though. Throughout her 7-month trip, she questions everything, even at times, her own sanity. I learned not only about the harsh Australian Outback, the pleasures and problems of living with camels, and the plight of the Aboriginal people she met along the way. I also shared every nuance of her fears and inner journey, which was as complex and richly landscaped as the harsh and beautiful land around her and found myself laughing out loud at times at her offbeat sense of humor. And I watched her change from self-conscious timidity to a woman who gives up so many trappings of civilization that towards the end of the book she walks naked next to her camels, her skin browned and thickened to a leather-like consistency, heavy calluses on sandaled feet from walking 20 or 30 miles a day, and so far from the former civilized accouterments, that she doesn't care that menstrual blood is dripping down her legs.

There's little background information that explains why Ms. Davison undertook her journey and I never really understood her reasons for doing it. That didn't matter though. What did matter, however, is that she is a living example of someone who made choices to follow her own personal dream. And for that, she is an inspiration. Upon finishing the book I was left with the thought that if she could do this, anything is possible and I applaud this her for reminding me of this. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: the outback, a faithful dog, 4 camels and aboriginal magic
Review: There are few adventurous people that by-pass the luxury of their diesel-pushers to experience the likes of what Robyn Davidson embarks on as the challenge of a lifetime. That is precisely what makes this book so phenomenal.

Granted, this adventure took place in 1980, but the age of the event changes nothing of the experience.

Roughly structured, and for her reasons only, she embarks on a 1,700 mile trek across the outback to the ocean from Alice Springs. Her transportation? Camels!

The most fascianting part of this trip is she must learn about these amazing creatures from scratch. She moves to Alice Springs and sets forth to find those that are willing to teach her the camel business. Some of these teachers are of worthy content and impart essential knowledge. Robyn, however appears to be a natural with these animals, and a relationship with them developes that draws the reader into the story and through every foot of the trip. Her chosen camels have strong personalities. Her unique writing style capture their wonderful, quirky attitudes that lures the reader in a feeling of acquiantance. It is not difficult to feel her fondness of these creatures and her heartbreak when difficult times develope. Her sincere appreciation and love for the camels provides delightful distraction and imparts great humor and solice on her desert quest.

Special mention must be made to her best female friend, Diggity. This incredible dog was her lifeline and her mainstay through many trying days and nights in the bush. Diggity's personality was beautifully captured by Robyn's recollections and will tweak the heart of any dog lover.

Robyn's ability to bring the aboriginal people and outback to life as she treks across it's vastness is truly astounding. After I finished her book, I immediately went back to amazon.com and ordered every single book and reference she wrote. Her amazing zest and appreciation for the life in th outback of Australia was exhilarating. I urge you to read a truly moving, tear jerking, humorous, insightful and generally captivating novel that bespeaks of the ultimate travel experience one can ever hope to conjure. Thank you Robyn!!

Highly recommended for an enhanced reading experience:

_From Alice to Ocean; Alone Across the Outback_ photographed by Rick Smolan; with excerpts from Robyn Davidson's bestselling _Tracks_

Rating:
Summary: the outback, a faithful dog, 4 camels and aboriginal magic
Review: There are few adventurous people that by-pass the luxury of their diesel-pushers to experience the likes of what Robyn Davidson embarks on as the challenge of a lifetime. That is precisely what makes this book so phenomenal.

Granted, this adventure took place in 1980, but the age of the event changes nothing of the experience.

Roughly structured, and for her reasons only, she embarks on a 1,700 mile trek across the outback to the ocean from Alice Springs. Her transportation? Camels!

The most fascianting part of this trip is she must learn about these amazing creatures from scratch. She moves to Alice Springs and sets forth to find those that are willing to teach her the camel business. Some of these teachers are of worthy content and impart essential knowledge. Robyn, however appears to be a natural with these animals, and a relationship with them developes that draws the reader into the story and through every foot of the trip. Her chosen camels have strong personalities. Her unique writing style capture their wonderful, quirky attitudes that lures the reader in a feeling of acquiantance. It is not difficult to feel her fondness of these creatures and her heartbreak when difficult times develope. Her sincere appreciation and love for the camels provides delightful distraction and imparts great humor and solice on her desert quest.

Special mention must be made to her best female friend, Diggity. This incredible dog was her lifeline and her mainstay through many trying days and nights in the bush. Diggity's personality was beautifully captured by Robyn's recollections and will tweak the heart of any dog lover.

Robyn's ability to bring the aboriginal people and outback to life as she treks across it's vastness is truly astounding. After I finished her book, I immediately went back to amazon.com and ordered every single book and reference she wrote. Her amazing zest and appreciation for the life in th outback of Australia was exhilarating. I urge you to read a truly moving, tear jerking, humorous, insightful and generally captivating novel that bespeaks of the ultimate travel experience one can ever hope to conjure. Thank you Robyn!!

Highly recommended for an enhanced reading experience:

_From Alice to Ocean; Alone Across the Outback_ photographed by Rick Smolan; with excerpts from Robyn Davidson's bestselling _Tracks_

Rating:
Summary: Soul on sand and scrubland - a camel trek across the outback
Review: This book is a true story by a determined Australian woman who crossed one of the most inhospitable stretches of land in the world - a wide swathe of treelees dry scrubland which is most of Australia's center and its northern half.

I especially enjoyed this Australian classic, having just visited the remarkable and idyosyncractic town of Alice Springs where the early part of the book is set. This is where the author learns how to tame, care for, live with, and depend on camels for survival, as she prepares for the dramatic trek which lies ahead.

The rage against the male photographer who keeps showing up - the compromising aspect of her compact with her sponsors at National Geographic - is at times shocking, leaving one to wonder whether the author has more sympathy for her camels than fellow human beings. But this impression is deceptive. The mostly male characters who populate her book hardly seem caricatured, while the camels do emerge as a woman's best friend in the outback. "One does not have to delve too deeply to discover why some of the world's angriest feminists breathed crisp blue Australian air during their formative years, before packing their kangaroo-skin bags and scurrying to London or New York or any place where the antipodean machismo would fade gently from their battle-scarred consciousness like some grisly nightmare at dawn. Anyone who has worked in a men-only bar in Alice Springs will know what I mean."

The rage, courage, vulnerability, determination, and other emotions and qualities which this trek depicts, almost seem like a metaphor for the complex place of the outback in the Australian experience. "It was delicious new country but it was tiring. The sand dragged at my feet and the repetition of the dunes lulled me into drowsiness when the first excitement wore off. The stillness of the waves of sand seemed to stifle and suffocate me."

Even without seeing the photos from National Geographic, the reader is left with graphic inmages of a remarkable landscape and the unusual qualities it takes for a transplanted urbanite to survive it.

Beyond character and landscape descriptions, the books offers some inspirational passages. Consider this extract from the final paragraph: "As I look back on the trip now, try to remember how I felt at that particular time, or during that particular incident, try to relive those memories that have been buried so deep, and distorted so ruthlessly, there is one clear fact that emerges from the quagmire. The trip was easy. It was no more dangerous than crossing the street, or driving to the beach, or eating peanuts. The two important things that I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, and that the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step, making the first decision...."

Another bookshelf recommendation for those who are serious about Australiana or about unusual human endeavors.

Rating:
Summary: This Is a True Travel Classic
Review: This is an incredible book: a young woman, wanting to discover what she's capable of, chooses the most ambitious quest she can think of: crossing the Australian Outback by camel. Alone. Her journey is a true inspiration, full of challenges and setbacks and glorious victories. We actually watch, through the course of her difficult journey, how Robyn starts to embrace her authenticity and inner power. It felt like such a privilege to share this journey with her. Not surprisingly, her book has been listed by such places as Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the best adventure books of all time.

A caveat: If you're a reader who is wary of introspection, wary of exploring emotions and motivation, you probably won't like this book. You may find it "boring," or it may irritate or annoy you. Interestingly, some readers still expect their travel books to be one-dimensional displays of machismo or daring (written by men, preferably, who know how to properly contain their emotionality), with no mention of fears or self-scrutiny, etc. For those readers, I suggest picking up some Robert Byron or Wilfred Thesiger or Jack London. But for anyone who wants a story written by an authentic author not afraid to admit vulnerability during the journey, not afraid to discuss her inner workings, then Robyn Davidson is the best of the best.

Rating:
Summary: Psy-cho-babble
Review: Tracks is an exciting name and the fact that it is about Australia drew me to this book. The characters were facinating and the plot was good, but about halfway through the book it turned into psy-cho-babble about her inner self. I forced myself to keep reading but by page 210 of 254 I had to put it on the shelf. One of a very few books that I couldn't finish reading.

Rating:
Summary: have a big glass of water at hand for this desert adventure
Review: What a fantastic book. Ms. Davidson is a marvel -- her adventure, the risks, her fearlessness at the most frightenting moments, the evolution we see her go through -- this is so much more than a simple travelogue. I love books that transport me and this one surely did and more than that made me feel like I found a great friend. I wonder what her next adventure will be...I wonder how she could ever return to society after her transformation in the desert. This is a book to share with friends -- but make sure they give it back, you'll want to keep this on your bookshelf with your other favorite books. A word to the wise: be prepared to dream of sand and wake up thirsty if this is your bedtime reading!