The Fictional Heroines Who Belong in Outdoor Book Club
Celebrating adventurous women in literature (and why we need them on the trail with us)
If Outdoor Book Club had a trailhead guestbook, I know exactly who I’d want to see signed in.
They’re not influencers or ultra-marathoners. They don’t have curated gear closets or signature protein shakes.
They’re fierce, flawed, and wildly unforgettable.
They’ve wrestled bears (literally and metaphorically), cried in the woods, challenged the patriarchy in petticoats, and wandered far from home to figure out who they really are.
These are the fictional heroines who would absolutely belong in Outdoor Book Club.
Because here’s what most people miss:
We don’t read these stories just for escape.
We read them because they remind us who we are—and who we’re becoming.
Adventure doesn’t always look like climbing Everest.
Sometimes it looks like leaving home, saying no, or standing up in silence.
And the heroines below? They’ve all blazed a trail worth following.
Karana – from Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
She survived alone for years on an island with nothing but her wits, her courage, and her connection to the natural world.
Karana would be the one silently teaching us how to make cordage from beach grass, pausing occasionally to commune with a sea otter. She’d never say it, but she’d quietly remind us that solitude is not the same as loneliness.
Trail Name: The Quiet Survivor
Snack of Choice: Smoked fish and fierce independence
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Addie LaRue – from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Immortal, invisible, and painfully introspective, Addie would walk with you for hours without saying a word—and then drop a single sentence that changes your life forever.
She’s the kind of hiking partner who doesn’t rush you to the summit. She makes you notice the lichen on the rocks, the stories in the silence.
Trail Name: The Shadow Walker
Favorite Gear: A journal with no name on the cover
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Elizabeth Bennet – from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sharp-tongued and quick-witted, Elizabeth would lead the group hike and narrate the drama with devastating precision.
She loves a long walk, especially if it means avoiding small talk and poking holes in outdated norms. We’re pretty sure she invented the phrase “your vibe attracts your tribe.”
Trail Name: Sassquatch
Least Favorite Phrase: “Smile more.”
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Cussy Mary Carter – from The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
She delivers books on horseback through the mountains of Kentucky during the Great Depression. Say no more.
Cussy Mary would show up to camp with a mule named Junia, a heart full of stories, and the kind of quiet strength you only earn through hardship. She reminds us that literacy is liberation—and that not all heroes make a lot of noise.
Trail Name: Bluebird
Campfire Contribution: Reading aloud from a well-worn novel, voice steady as rain
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Jane – from The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Jane and her husband flee to the wilds of Alaska after a season of unbearable grief—and somehow, through the cold and quiet, she finds magic again.
Jane would be the one watching snow fall with reverence. She knows that not everything can be explained—and not every woman needs to be “fixed” to be whole.
Trail Name: The Reclaimer
Morning Ritual: Coffee, then silence
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Circe – from Circe by Madeline Miller
Exiled to an island for being “too much,” Circe turns herbs into spells and pain into power. She’s a survivor, a teacher, and a little terrifying in the best possible way.
Circe wouldn’t bother with trail snacks. She’d hand you a cup of something smoky and say, “Drink this. Then speak your truth.”
Trail Name: Witch Hazel
Vibe: That friend you go to when the therapist says, “Try journaling.”
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Cheryl Strayed – from Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Okay yes, she’s technically not fictional—but the version of Cheryl we meet in Wild has mythic proportions.
She hikes the Pacific Crest Trail with zero prep, a too-heavy pack, and a desperate need to feel something real. She cries on the trail, pees awkwardly, and somehow becomes whole again through blisters and beauty.
She’d be laughing by the fire, wine in hand, telling you that it’s okay to fall apart and keep walking.
Trail Name: Queen of the Blister Sisters
Campfire Quote: “You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to keep going.”
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Why These Women Matter
Because they reflect us.
Our doubts. Our dreams.
Our messiness and our magic.
They remind us that strength comes in many forms:
Saying yes to the unknown
Walking away from what no longer fits
Or simply showing up, again and again, for yourself
They’re not perfect.
They’re powerful in spite of it.
And they belong here—in Outdoor Book Club—just like you.
Who’s Your Fictional Trail Sister?
Drop her name in the comments.
Or share this post with the person you’d want next to you on a hike, in a storm, or on the next chapter of your reinvention.
Let’s fill this club with heroines—real and imagined.
Because books open doors.
And trails?
They lead to them.
Ready to Discover Your Inner Heroine?
Join the Outdoor Book Club email list to get book recommendations, trail wisdom, and soul-stirring community straight to your inbox.
Because you don’t have to summit a mountain to start your next adventure—you just have to say yes.
If you buy one of these books using the links above, a little magic happens:
You support me and a real, live indie bookstore.
All links go through Bookshop.org, where every purchase helps keep the literary lights on in small towns and cozy corners everywhere. Thank you for hiking alongside me—one story at a time.
Which fictional heroine(s) would you most like to hike with??
For me, it’d be Katniss Everdeen.
Not just because she’d make sure we didn’t starve—or walk into a wasp nest—but because she understands silence, survival, and the way the woods can hold your grief. I think we’d hike for hours without saying a word, then stop at a clearing where she’d quietly point out something beautiful I would’ve missed. That kind of presence is rare.