The Long Path Home
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About
Sleep. Eat. Walk.
Repeat.
Joni Walker, 52, lost her husband a year ago and feels unable to break out of her plateau of grief. Their dream trip to hike a section of the spectacular and rugged South West Coast Path in Cornwall, England is an adventure she can’t imagine tackling alone. But when her son offers to accompany her for a slightly truncated journey, she embraces the opportunity to spend time together.
When circumstances threaten to cut their remarkable odyssey short, Joni recognizes that only a gutsy choice may bring about the life-changing outcome she longs for.
At times humorous, often inspiring, and ultimately uplifting. Be prepared to be swept away!
*** Includes COLOR photos from the South West Coast Path!
(devices which do not support color will display the photos in grayscale)
A Note from the author about this story
In April and May of 2022, I embarked on a remarkable trip to England with my long-time friend, Debby Reed, to hike over 250 miles of a portion of the South West Coast Path as it follows the serpentine coastline of Cornwall, England. As a novelist, I spent time throughout our journey imagining a fictional character, Joni, experiencing a similar odyssey but with challenges and obstacles that were totally dreamed up.I’ll admit that Joni and I share some traits. We’re both short, we’ve both lived in Denver, and we are both enthusiastic hikers. Beyond that, Joni is a generation younger than I am and most importantly, I haven’t been forced to deal with the death of a spouse. My husband, as of this writing (knock on wood), is alive and quite well, thank you very much.
Some of Joni’s adventures parallel those of Debby and myself, while others are complete fabrications. At times during the story, I’ve scrambled locations and terrain, often because those details have already escaped my memory. While some characters were inspired by people we encountered, most are outright inventions. In other words, don’t take anything in this yarn literally.
With that in mind, please join my imaginary friends for a rather long walk.
Bonus: Includes a preview of Ellie Dwyer’s Great Escape