48 Peaks - by Cheryl Suchors (Paperback)

About the Book

At forty-eight years old, Cheryl Suchors vows to summit the highest forty-eight peaks in New Hampshire's challenging White Mountains--and discovers, in the years that follow, that in order to feel truly successful, she will have to do much more than tick off peaks.

Book Synopsis

At forty-eight years old, Cheryl Suchors vows to summit the highest forty-eight peaks in New Hampshire's challenging White Mountains-and discovers, in the years that follow, that in order to feel truly successful, she will have to do much more than tick off peaks.

Review Quotes

2019 Silver Medal Winner in Autobiography/Memoir, Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) "Suchors' journey feels authentic, and her writing, gleaned from journals she kept over the years, brings to vivid life a proud and driven woman, her staunch support network, and her vibrant, intelligent best friend and soul mate... An inspiring yet relatable true story with exciting scenes and plenty of heart."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of Wild by Cheryl Strayed will love this new memoir. Cheryl Suchors had one goal in mind when she took up hiking in New Hampshire: climb all 48 peaks of the White Mountains. Spending 10 years pushing towards her goal, Cheryl endured the death of a close friend and her own cancer diagnosis. Quickly finding solace in the outdoors, hiking became a form of therapy to Suchors--and throughout her decade-long venture, she learned tremendous things about life and herself. 48 Peaks takes an eye-opening look at grief, strength, and the power it takes to overcome your biggest fears."
--Bookbub

"If you find yourself rereading Cheryl Strayed's Wild, it's time to pick up this new nonfiction read from Cheryl Suchors. Spending 10 years climbing one of the world's most strenuous mountain ranges was Suchors's way of finding herself, healing her past scars and regaining her strength. After losing a best friend and being diagnosed with breast cancer herself, Suchors did the one thing that scared her most: hiked the highest peaks of New Hampshire. Documenting the entire journey in 48 Peaks, Suchors lets her readers in on what she learned about herself, her life and the world around her."
--Popsugar

"48 Peaks is the compelling story of one woman's hiking journey through the forty-eight 4,000-foot peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains. It is also a meditation on life, loss, friendship, and love. In the years after her first 4,000-footer trek--a challenging loop over Mt. Tripyramid--the author loses her best friend and hiking companion to cancer, mourns for her sister, and survives her own grueling battle with breast cancer. But by returning to the mountains, again and again, she finds an exhilarating affirmation of life and nurtures the bonds of deep friendship. When, a decade later, she makes her triumphal finishing climb on Mt. Isolation, we cheer along with her husband and friends. This book should provide inspiration for many a hiker as they embark on their own mountain journeys."
--Steven D. Smith, editor and compiler of White Mountain Guide, 30th Edition, and author/coauthor of other White Mountain guidebooks

"In this eloquent memoir, Cheryl Suchors charts two different journeys. As she describes her many ascents of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, she also details her involuntary expedition into the world of hospitals and her return to health. And she brilliantly invokes her several friendships with the women who keep her company on both journeys. Suchors writes with eloquence and honesty about the complexities of friendship and about the landscapes she knows so well. 48 Peaks is a compelling and moving book."
--Margot Livesey, best-selling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy and The Hidden Machinery

"Friendships are some of the most essential relationships of our lives--yet they are strangely absent as the subject of memoir. Into this void steps Cheryl Suchors's beautiful, essential 48 Peaks, at once a memoir of a profoundly impactful friendship and the story of Suchors's triumph as she found solace and strength in hiking after her friend's death and her own bout with cancer. Engaging, vivid, and deeply openhearted, this book could be called a manual for hope."
--Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

". . .Cheryl Suchors' writing is, simply put, beautiful. . . both easy to read but deeply moving. Subtle and intelligent, yet entertaining and enjoyable.48 Peaks: Hiking and Healing in the White Mountains has inspired me to be a better friend, to set higher goals, and to believe in myself. And that is why you should read this book. Because you will be moved, inspired, and--above all--you will be reminded to live and love with strength and tenacity."
--Anna Huthmaker, founder of Trail Dames

"48 Peaks is more than a chronicle of climbing 48 mountains in New Hampshire. It's rooted in an outdoor adventure . . . but it strums a universal chord. This book is a meditation on friendship and grief and perseverance. It's a testament to the transformational power of setting a goal and seeing it through to completion no matter what obstacles life, or nature, throws across your path. It's an ode to the life-affirming power of nature. It's a celebration of the healing power of the wild places through which we pass and the wild places that we carry with us."
--Ruby Throat Journal