Tracks

 Today I read Tracks, a memoir of a trip by Robyn Davidson. In her early 20's she moves to Alice Springs to learn how to train and be around camels. Her goal is to take a trip with camels from Alice Springs to the ocean on the south west side of Australia near Perth. She doesn't have much money. She gets a job at a restaurant who will allow her to sleep in the back overnight. She finds a camel trainer. He is so incredibly rude to her that she quits him after a year. Another camel trainer learned that she managed to stick it out for a year. He is so impressed by that he finishes her training and gets her two camels. Those camels die. A photographer friend of hers suggests she write to National Geographic to sponsor her trip. She does get sponsored by the magazine and takes off with four camels and a dog. For nine months she travels mostly alone. Her photographer friend meets her 4 times. For some time she traveled with an elderly Aboriginal man which is nice because she doesn't get lost as much. Australia has feral camels roaming. This spells trouble during the mating season. She ends up having to shoot several male camels to death. When they reach the ocean the camels are freaking out at the sight of all this water. The camels run and dance and swim in the sea. She takes them to a camel sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives and travels away. Interesting story.