Things I Learned from Falling: The must-read true story

This was one of my favourite reads of 2024, and I’ve bought it as a gift for 2 other people as a result. I found it very relatable as a millennial Londoner who is always dreaming of escaping the daily grind by adventuring out into nature. Nelson gets the balance right between her tense description of her near-fatal accident and survival mission and her thoughtful reflections on her life and its meaning.

Apart from not falling down a hole - I feel seen. 👀 I found the book affecting.. it was beautifully written and very relatable. I love a good adventure story and this held my attention. I got worried about her in my daily life out in that desert in the searing heat. I've felt that heat. It was like I needed to get back to her and help her out. Mind you it took me ages to read the book so I would have been no use. I love her outlook and attitude and zest for her life. It was an inspiring story, a great pick in these strange pandemic times.

This was a truly emotional recollection of a life changing event that thankfully you survived, a great read not only about the fall but as importantly the recovery and the overwhelming message of how to manage our own demons.

A few weeks ago, the book Things I Learned From Falling came to my notice. I can’t recall exactly how but I was trawling through a list of topics that might pique my interest (based on previous choices), and this popped up. I was immediately intrigued and decided to pre-order. The download date of March 5th came and went. Things I Learned From Falling was duly digitally placed on my Kindle and there it stayed for the next few weeks. Late April 19th, having read a few books in between, it was time to start Claire Nelson’s book. April 20th, I finished the book and stayed restful in the aftermath of what had been a 24 hour tornado. I cried at parts (not being someone who weeps – sad movies come and go, yet I usually remain stoic and dry-eyed). I knew the outcome but was still gripped by the narrative – I simply could not put the book down. The story runs as follows; In June 2018, Claire Nelson went on a solo hike to Lost Palms Oasis, but not without bringing a reasonable amount of provisions for the journey. Nelson was a seasoned hiker but made one critical error in this instance – she did not tell anyone where she was going or when she expected to return. On the walk, Nelson mistakenly drifted off the track and fell down an incline. When trying to get to her feet, Nelson realised she had broken her pelvis and could not move. Having found that her phone had no signal (it eventually ran out of power), and her video camera did likewise, Claire started to regret. And regret. The times she went it alone. The people she knew and loved but never really allowed get close to her. Encounters that could have been better friendships. The sense of being surrounded by those with similar wishes and hopes, but apart – disconnected. Eerily lost. She realised what her legacy would be and lamented the crutch-like, endless red-herring themes and topics, following links to social media that showed a world of activities but a dearth of true happiness or meaning. The real impact of her fall manifested itself at times in hilarious musings, and at others, the blind terror from encountering wild animals foraging at night and Claire being helpless in fending off attacks. Nelson writes about what so many people opt to forget or push aside – life should be embodied with gratitude and it is bountiful, optimistic, and overwhelmingly filled with beauty. What struck me most about Things I Learned From Falling, is Claire’s graciousness – her ability to bare her soul and to impart a message that within each of us, we hold healing, redemptive powers and as humans have cause to embrace both the good, bad, and at times, the very ugly. If there is one book you should read this year (or indeed any year), it’s this one. It is a journey to a supreme discovery. An ode to not just surviving, but thriving when faced with extreme adversity. From the worst of events, came a staunch refusal to give up – recognition of challenges that prompted change for the better and an unambiguous lesson that every single one of us needs to learn and hold as close as can be. Thank you Claire Nelson for having the courage (and generosity) in telling your story.

A story of determine survival, which I enjoyed, but did feel there was a lot of repetition. Often just skim read.

I'm into reading Trail books at the moment and I reckon I have read about a dozen, both good and others, not so good. But Wow ! This book knocks them all into a cocked hat ! The story gently led me into a spell binding climax that left me unable to put the book down. As the story continued to unfold at a more gentle pace, Claire gives us an insight into her enlightenment wholly brought about through her incredible ordeal. She reaches into our consciousness explaining how her experience has brought the acceptance of the happy life that she had been searching for. That the happiness she craved was already within her grasp, and therefore it maybe the answer that we are all searching for. The happiness we seek, is the happiness we already have. Claire shows us that we do not have to go through her most harrowing experience to understand that. A great read.

Enjoyed this book, a remarkable true story, that is well written, highly recommend!

I was expecting to read about the authors horrendous accident and how she survived, but this book is so much more than that. ‘What I Learned From Falling’ is a beautifully written account of a true story as well as being part biography, part thriller, part therapy book and part travel guide. The part I wasn’t expecting was the therapeutic side. I identified with a lot of Claire’s honest and open writing about her mental wellbeing. My tears were not only from reading the vivid description of her survival, they were from reading about her day to day life before her travels. I am proud to say the author, Claire, is a friend. A friend I now understand more than ever before. She is bold, wise, fiercely independent and has a cracking taste in music- this book will convey this and more.

So, I don’t *know* Claire Nelson but I have been following her on Instagram for years now. I followed her as she lived and worked in London and I wished her well as she turned her back on her London life and the burnout it resulted in, heading first to Canada but then ending up in Joshua Tree National Park where she was to house and catsit for friends for a couple of weeks. She’s excited to be out in the middle of nowhere with space to think and recharge and spend time in nature. Having visited the park a number of years ago, I can see what a great place it would be to take a step back from life to reconsider, well, everything. Claire is an experienced hiker but on the day of her accident, though she takes care to bring enough water with her, she doesn’t formally let anyone know where she is going. Her walk doesn’t go to planned and she falls, off the trail and knows immediately that the likelihood of being found (quickly) is very low. And so, she is alone. With very little food and water and, importantly, no shelter in the middle of a desert. Alone with her thoughts. For four days. As I already knew the outcome of this story and had followed along her dramatic rescue (I remember being SO surprised when I saw her rescue photo on Instagram – thinking “Wow, that’s right, it’s been a few days since she posted…”), I wondered how an account of her time in the desert as she awaited rescue might translate to an actual book. I’d read plenty of interviews with Claire but – a whole book? In fact, it’s one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in a long time. It’s raw but not in an over-the-top way that a dramatic rescue story might be. Claire spends her time in the desert thinking back on her old life – so many “what ifs” and regrets about things she could have, should have done… She regrets, ironically the thing that ends up saving her – spending so much time on the social media. It was her lack of posting on social media for a few days that alerted people to to the fact that something might be wrong… It’s an intimate look at the inner workings of someone who is facing near-certain death but who has so much fight in her she literally will do anything to keep herself alive. This is a gripping, tale that will make your heart race. Even if you know the outcome, it’s a tense read that will have you turning the pages, wanting more, needing to make sure Claire’s ok. Don’t start it late at night – you won’t be able to put it down. I read it in a few hours on a flight to Australia, the week it came out and have since read it again. An uplifting tale of determination and hope. Which we could all use more of right now.

I enjoy biographies, especially ones describing exceptional courage, so this was right down my alley. I could really relate to Claire on many levels; her inner struggle, her pain, the way she sucked it up, her demise, her resurrection. Claire’s eventual rescue was as cathartic for myself as it was for Claire. I was on the verge of tears. Claire’s survival and comeback story is nothing short of inspiring and the advice to trekkers so heartfelt. Being a keen mountain trekker myself, made me reflect. Well done ,Claire. I truly wish you all the best!

The writer thinks and reflects about her life, going from the situation that led her to go on a trip, the accident she sufferened and her recovery. There isn't really anything new that people don't already know (go offline, see if your life reflects your values, take care of personal relationships, accept that you can't or have to always be independent) but the book is engaging, interesting and a reminder of what you already know but decide to ignore. A must read

Like the author, Claire Nelson, I have been a Stoic for years and have always held a part of myself in reserve, away from even the closest friends. This type of book, a first person narrative about ‘not particularly unusual’ events, is unlike most books I read. I tend toward ‘factual books’ — science, history, and philosophy. I am glad though that the short précis I read for this book captured my attention. Claire’s lifelong struggle to belong and demonstrate independence is a familiar one to me. That she went alone into the desert to escape and commune with Nature is a theme in my life as well. That she suffered and persevered through what should have been a fatal accident is a feat of courage. The deep introspection about her life in general and her predicament in particular, caused me to pause often while reading and contemplate her hard earned wisdom. Not only did the story itself keep me riveted, but her deep insights have given me much to think about.

Extremely, sometimes gruesomely detailed. I learned a lot for reading this account from a very brave woman.