'Fraidy Cat

In 1998, the author of this memoir decides to make a vision quest to mark her sixtieth birthday. Entering the Wilderness alone with no food and no items beyond what she can carry in her backpack, she will spend four days and nights of the ten day adventure, completely on her own. This challenge, she feels, will definitively mark her transition into Elderhood. What follows, is the story of her undertaking this self exploration with a professional Quest Leader at Somerset Reservoir in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Three major goals dominate Rabuzzi's list before her quest: She hopes to transform her inner image of herself as a 'Fraidy Cat into one of a strong, powerful, panther; she longs to experience a vision; and she wishes to complete her whole solo time without failing. The challenge of fasting looms particularly large in her catalogue of self-doubts. What the author assumes will be strictly a personal quest of exploration and self-discovery, turns out, however, to be far more than that. As each participant tells his or her quest tale, the communal sharing enriches the entire experience so that, ultimately, this solidarity transcends the author's solitary undertaking. Thus, this becomes a book encompassing nine different quests through the eyes of a very disparate group of people. Most, but not all, participants discover great personal meaning during their solo time in Nature. For the reader, this book opens up the joys and challenges of seeking deep spiritual meaning within a wilderness setting where almost anything may transpire.