Chasing Africa: A Memoir

(Paperback, New edition)

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Chasing Africa delicately explores the loss of identity, the gift of health and adventure, and the courage to put oneself first despite guilt, fear, and the pull of family.

As a teenager, Lisa couldnt wait to escape suburbia and travel the world. Years later, as a healthy young climber, she was confronted with the depressing realities of her dads and her brothers neurological diseases: Parkinsons and progressive multiple sclerosis. In 1996, after watching her dads and brothers bodies fail for five years, she was determined to push fear, worry, and guilt aside to reclaim her adventurous identity the only way she knew how: travel to Africa on her own.

Without Google Maps or the internet, Lisa relied on herself, fellow adventurers, and the kindness of locals while navigating unknown territory. She ascended the magical dunes of Namibia in sole-sizzling heat, paddled the Zambezi River among crocs and hippos, went hiking alone in the Chimanimani mountains, and attended a witchcraft healing ceremony on the remote island of Likoma. Lisas unpredictable adventures and serendipitous setbacks taught her that wonderful things happen when she lets go of guilt and fear. Despite her solitary nature, Lisa discovered that being brave doesnt mean she has to do it alone. For over two decades, these lessons stayed with her as she grappled with her dads and her brothers lengthy illnesses and witnessed the toll it took on her mom as their caregiver.

Reviews

Chasing Africa is a beautifully constructed memoir that puts life into perspective. Skilfully interwoven with Lisa Duncans story of her once-in-a-lifetime African odyssey are candid personal accounts of her home life. The frank vulnerability in this writing is inspiringly thought-provoking and aligns with the subtitle of the book, Fear Wont Find Me Here. Angela deJong, author of Be Free and co-author of Polepole: A Training Guide for Kilimanjaro and Other Long-Distance Mountain Treks

Lisa Duncans memoir Chasing Africa is as expansive as Africa itself. She dreamt of this trip, longed for these travels. And yet, as she finalizes her plans, her father and brother fall ill with neurological diseases and her mother becomes a full time caregiver. As Lisa decides between following her dream or staying home, the reader feels her strength and cheers for her as she makes the decision to go. Through her beautifully rendered and interlaced descriptions, readers will experience the landscape and place that is Africa, and come to understand both Lisas curiosity about and fascination with this place, and the strength of character she possesses that drives her forward. Stella Harvey, author of the novels Nicolais Daughters, The Brink of Freedom, and Finding Callidora and founder of the Whistler Writers Festival

Author Bio

Lisa Duncans outdoor pursuits have taken her all over the world. After years climbing in Squamish, Skaha, Smith Rock, Red Rocks, Joshua Tree, and the Bugaboos, she got hooked on road cycling and mountain biking. Lisa and her husband have travelled to Maui, Tenerife, Portugal, and Spain to push the limits of their cycling legs, and with their mountain bikes and border collie/pit bull in tow, they drove from Vancouver to Cape Breton across the American Midwest in their VW van. Since the birth of her daughter in 2014, their family adventures have included backcountry camping, sailing along the Sunshine Coast and in Desolation Sound, and trips to Maui, Haida Gwaii, Yosemite, the Rocky Mountains, and Costa Rica. Lisa has been an educator for over two decades, teaching Japanese as a second language and visual art for most of her career. She holds a BA in art history and an MA in environmental education and communication. When she isnt teaching, writing, or travelling, she spends her time hiking, running, and biking the trails near her home in Squamish, British Columbia.