Trish Herr takes homeschooling to an entirely new level. Instead of white boards, we are talking white peaks. Her children carry backpacks with more than just pens and pencils–think emergency supplies, whistles, and trail mix. In this very unique memoir, Up: A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure, Trish details the challenges of signing on to an extraordinary adventure with her young daughter.
Tiger Moms and Free Range Kids, it’s hard to know where you stand. The
good news is that you don’t have to subscribe to any one parenting
manual. And then something really different comes along, in the form of a
memoir like Up. It makes you think outside the box. Can a child
really conquer a task that most adults are incapable of? Before reading
this, I wouldn’t be so sure. Now I am certain that we need to give our
kids a lot more credit.
Before I started the book, I must admit that I had
to look up the definition of peak bagger, which it turns out is a hill or mountain climber set on climbing a set of peaks
above a certain height or in the same region. In this case, Trish and
her daughter (who begins the journey at only five!) take on all
forty-eight of New Hampshire’s highest mountains.
It’s a monumental
feat, and Trish covers it all with such detail and enthusiasm.
Now I’m a
nature lover, but the thought of hiking with any of my brood for an
extended period of time doesn’t sound anything like fun. I would certainly hear a lot of
whining and “are we there yet?” But Alex, Trish’s older daughter, just
relishes the challenge with infectious excitement.
The book starts in
a torrential downpour and my first thoughts were “Who the heck would
choose this?” But as the book progresses, it is clear that Trish and her
husband, Hugh, are serious about mountains, and new ways to educate their daughter. And who knows? You may be
inspired to join a peak bagging adventure of your own. –Eva
