2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Inspiration
2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Mind/Body/Spirit
2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Nature
2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Self-Helf/Motivational
“A poignant and engaging sojourn into the American wilderness.”
—Kirkus Reviews
"Glenda Goodrich’s mesmerizing memoir of her over twenty years of solo wilderness quests is an exhilarating and tender read. In moving and penetrating prose, she faces her fears, grief, regrets, even transgressions with the trees, rocks and creatures as her companions. Supported by the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel traditions and able guides, she stunningly recreates her sacred ceremonies as she more fully embraces her artist, wise woman self."
—Wendy Judith Cutler, co-author of Writing Alone Together: Journalling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection and co-editor of Finding Home Within: Sanctuary and Solace During Tumultuous Times
“A book for everyone who loves wild places and longs to live an examined life, Solo Passage is a wise, stunningly beautiful page-turner that will leave you moved, inspired and ready to connect more deeply with nature—and yourself.”
—Rebecca Jamieson, author of The Body of All Things
"In its bravery, authenticity, and generosity, this book is pure gold. Through an honest reckoning of her own life, and the hard-won healing she co-created with the natural world, Glenda Goodrich suggests that we too might be capable of the extraordinary spiritual growth—the forgiveness, possibility, and redemption—described so beautifully in this book."
—Ellen Santasiero, Writing Coach and Editor; Co-editor of PLACED: An Encyclopedia of Central Oregon
"Glenda’s honest memoir about her personal wilderness vision quests is a powerful statement about the relevance of this ancient form to those of us in modern life. Through the humble, intimate stories of her life, the vivid descriptions of the places she quested, and her beautiful artwork, I am reminded to keep finding ways to engage in this spiritual practice the rest of my own life. Thank you, Glenda, for this gift of inspiration."
—Ann Linnea, author of Deep Water Passage, a Spiritual Quest at Midlife
"Glenda Goodrich carries bare-bones survival gear, deep intention, and astonishing trust as she ventures year after year into the wilderness in search of a deeper knowing of herself. Her seamless stories about the old ways of solitude, fasting, and exposure are laced with tenacity, tenderness, and the unexpected gifts of wild nature."
—Susan Hagen, co-author, Women at Ground Zero
"Inspired by the raw honesty of the wild, Glenda Goodrich's book is a unique memoir in that it invites the reader to accompany her on this journey and not simply witness it. . . . The author's willingness to reveal her struggle will compel you to examine your own life and question old feelings, false narratives and outdated identity structures. In other words, if you allow the wonder of these pages in, you will be transformed along the way.”
—Philip Kenney, author of The Writer's Crucible: Meditations on Emotion, Being and Creativity
"Here is a compelling story, told with courage and deep vulnerability . . . a celebration of interconnectedness and belonging, a wild sacrament, a love song to Mother Earth.Through her stories, the reader is shown a path to transformation that anyone who is drawn to can follow. Glenda shows us the earth belongs to us all, and our souls know how to open to its beauty and wisdom."
—Sara Harris, Co-Founder of EarthWays LLC, Wilderness Rites of Passage Guide
"An introspective, poignant personal narrative written with raw, animated honesty. This beautifully crafted book is drenched in wonder and wrapped with tenderness. It is a celebration of interconnectedness and belonging, a poetic love letter to nature."
—Savannah Tenderfoot, Sensitivity Reader and Editor, Salt & Sage Books.
"Glenda Goodrich heads boldly into wild places in search of answers to the kinds of gritty, nagging personal questions that vex many of us all our lives. And in this book, she reveals the “answers” she’s found. They are sometimes indirect and sometimes precisely aimed, often mysterious, and always profound."
—Trebbe Johnson, author of Fierce Consciousness: Surviving the Sorrows of Earth and Self and Radical Joy for Hard Times
2023-07-19
Goodrich recalls lessons learned on a series of wilderness quests in this nonfiction debut.
A vision quest, writes the author, “is an act of courage and determination that involves solitude, fasting, and prayer.” Solitary quests into the wilderness, she notes, are central to the spiritual narratives of Indigenous Americans, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians. After reading about wilderness questing in 1996, the then-50-year-old woman, hailing from a conservative white family, decided to take her first of 13 journeys. Each of the book’s chapters center on a single quest, focusing on both physical experiences and spiritual and psychological revelations. Goodrich takes readers through her peregrinations, from a trip to Death Valley carrying only a few necessities and four gallons of water (and, intentionally, no food) to an “unrelenting downpour” in the Pacific Northwest. Similarly diverse, her spiritual revelations range from the sublime, such as a tree stump that inspired a prayer for her to acquire a new self, to a trip shortly after the death of her mother in which she grappled with the meaning of death. Each unique journey reveals “an unexpected treasure,” found both in the beauty of nature and in spiritual awakenings. Some lessons she learned along the way were therapeutic, as she confronted traumas from her previous life, including teenage pregnancy, abusive men, and infidelity that left her “with lingering shame and self-doubt.” Particular sensitivity is given to honoring the Indigenous peoples whose ancestral land the author traversed as she discusses their rituals and practices while avoiding problematic appropriation. An artist from Willamette Valley, Oregon, Goodrich includes more than a dozen of her original pieces in high-resolution, full-color reproductions, many of which correspond to specific vision quests. This narrative is an important reminder that it is never too late to seek a new self, and that we should take time to acknowledge the value of solitude, nature, and open-mindedness.
A poignant and engaging sojourn into the American wilderness.
