My bookshelf·Index No. 0131

The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere

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This is a book about walking in circles, and the obvious question is “why would you walk in circles?” The answer, in the deeply considered view of author Nicholas Triolo, is profound: because it will change your relationship with the world and yourself, and perhaps heal both. An ultrarunner in a family of high-achieving athletes, Triolo was dissatisfied with outdoor recreation’s linearity, peak bagging, and ethos of mountain conquest. After a global circumnavigation post-high school and a CV that included ultras like Western States, he set himself on the path of circumambulation, or circular walks that arise from a long tradition of spiritual and meditative action. In his exploration of how the shapes we follow shape us, pursuit turns out to be as provocative as the prey.

The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere
By Nicholas Triolo. Milkweed Editions, 2025. 224 pages.