One woman 10,000 miles on foot 6 countries 8 pairs of hiking boots 3,000 cups of tea 1,000 days and nights "The only way to survive three years of walking was to embrace the moment of now.”―from Wild by Nature Not since Cheryl Strayed gifted us with her adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail in her memoir, Wild, has there been such a powerful epic adventure by a woman alone. In Wild by Nature, National Geographic Explorer Sarah Marquis takes you on the trail of her ten-thousand-mile solo hike across the remote Gobi desert from Siberia to Thailand, at which point she was transported by boat to complete the hike at her favorite tree in Australia. Against nearly insurmountable odds and relying on hunting and her own wits, Sarah Marquis survived the Mafia, drug dealers, thieves on horseback who harassed her tent every night for weeks, temperatures from subzero to scorching, life-threatening wildlife, a dengue fever delirium in the Laos jungle, tropic ringworm in northern Thailand, dehydration, and a life-threatening abscess. This is an incredible story of adventure, human ingenuity, persistence, and resilience that shows firsthand what it is to adventure as a woman in the most dangerous of circumstance, what it is to be truly alone in the wild, and why someone would challenge themselves with an expedition others would call crazy. For Marquis, her story is about freedom, being alive and wild by nature. "A vibrant epic, this wondrous book is, at its core, a story of resilience. Marquis is industrious, and I recommend this book to all people seeking to discover the massive magnitude of their own potential power. A triumph!" -Aspen Matis, author of Girl in the Woods: A Memoir "Destined to become a classic in the travel writing genre. The descriptions of time and place are just detailed enough to become animated with life, and the author's courage is inspiring." - Library Journal (starred review) "Tough women explore the great outdoors alone: But while Strayed (author of Wild ) is an amateur hiker, Marquis is a pro." - Entertainment Weekly "Straightforward and forthright, this is adventure writing as it was meant to be." - Booklist “A National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2014 recounts her journey with the clear-eyed resolve and keen observational skills that make her a successful solo trekker.” ― Book Page National Geographic Explorer Sarah Marquis has been profiled in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. During the last twenty-three years, Marquis circumnavigated the globe on foot once and then stopped counting. She’s been covered for solo expeditions in many countries, such as Australia and South America, and her first long walk was the famous Pacific Crest Trail in the United States. Wild by Nature From Siberia to Australia, Three Years Alone in the Wilderness on Foot By Sarah Marquis St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2014 Sarah Marquis All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-08197-1 Contents Title Page, Copyright Notice, Dedications, Introduction, 1. Preparation, 2. Mongolia, My Beginning, 3. Central Mongolia, 4. Gobi Desert, 5. Gobi Desert — Second Attempt, 6. China, 7. Gobi Desert — Third Attempt, 8. Siberia, 9. Laos, 10. Thailand, 11. Northern Australia, 12. Southern Australia, Notes, Acknowledgments, About the Author, Copyright, CHAPTER 1 Before a departure ... "I wanted to be alone on my walk, but not just that. My mission was both much more serious and at the same time unique." A sublime sensation started growing in me the moment that leaving showed itself to be the only option. I knew deep in my heart that this departure was the only way to be loyal to the fire that burned within me. I could feel it weakening, the flame was shrinking. ... It was time to go out and collect the wood that would allow me to rediscover my life's flame. That's how I left. On foot — a fact that presented itself to me as obvious — and alone. Don't misunderstand me. I didn't one day just jump in an airplane, thinking, "Cool, I'm going to cross the globe walking from north to south!" It required a huge undertaking, with tons of determination and energy, all before even beginning to walk. I had to put together a team that I could count on, with an expedition leader. For my two previous expeditions, my brother Joël had been by my side. Sabrina, his partner, had taken care of all the logistics for the "Path of the Andes" expedition. We planned everything over coffee, with no headaches, laughing as we went, sharing love for a job well done. After my last expedition, Joël set down his suitcases with his partner and their young daughter. He started his own mountain excursion business, to which he devotes all his time. So I knew that this expedition would take place without him. My twenty years of experience in this field has taught me that it's vital to anticipate any and all potential problems. I therefore set out to find someone liv