Wildheart

One woman's solo 800-mile journey of self-discovery across Finnish Lapland, following in the footsteps of the legendary Petronella Van Der Moer, who made the journey in 1949.

What does it mean to stay wild in a culture that would have us forget that’s what we are?

If there’s one thing Jenny O’Connell learned from her 16 years as an outdoor guide, it’s that there’s a critical connection between wild spaces and our wild selves. When Jenny found herself searching for answers, she didn't just take a hike—she went to Finnish Lapland to retrace the 1949 solo journey of mythical folk hero Petronella Van Der Moer.

An adventure memoir, Wildheart is a story of where life can take you when you listen to your heart and enter the wild. From the southern highways near Helsinki to the boulder-studded fjelds of Lemmenjoki National Park—where Jenny stays with modern-day gold prospectors—this beautifully written story explores our relationship to risk and intuition, provides sharp inquiry into what it is to be a woman making her way in the male-dominated world, and interrogates the inherited fears that try to convince us to keep our lives small.

Gutsy, funny, and intimately told, this memoir combines elements of Tracks and Women Who Run With the Wolves—but with a big red backpack and an outdoor twist.