Reviews (1)

A tribute to Mount Katahdin and Baxter State Park.
Connie Baxter Marlow has put together a tribute to Mount Katahdin and Baxter State Park. The people of Maine have a right to be proud of their mountain. This is not a trail guide to the mountain but rather a presentation of its flora and fauna. The photography is very good. However, the text tends to the mystical. This is not a total surprise. Mountains like Katahdin that stand by themselves tend to be regarded differently from those that are found in mountainous regions. For example, Mt. Shasta which looms over Northern California, just as Katahdin looms over the center of Maine, is the subject of legends about lost civilizations. However, this book is worthwhile for its photographs. ... Read more

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Great off-the-beaten path scholarship.
If there is a major error in Tom Wolf's deeply researched work on the Sangre de Cristo mountains, it must be the chronic overestimation of human potential. He makes a case for a new sort of "management" of the mountain range, one that places control among locals. However, having evolved over millions of years without human assistance into marvelous things, mountain don't need management.

Perhaps what Wolf intends is to better manage the people who come to the mountains. That is a worthy goal, as long as the people to be managed are wielding destructive devices such as cars or chain saws. But if he means, as I think he does, that everybody who wants to take a walk in the mountains should pay five or ten dollars in "user fees", then I oppose him enthusiastically.

Such a course seems to me to be needlessly commercial, taxing and selling activities which are as basic and essential as breathing. He has doubts about wilderness status for the Sangres, because of the lack of revenue from so-designated land. But what is this foregone revenue to have been put toward? Management, in a word. He wants to take the levers of control out of the hands of what he calls the Iron Triangle (politicians, special interests, bureaucrats), and place them into the hands of a trust composed of local ranchers, community activists, forest rangers, shampoo tycoons, biologists, economists...some sort of Iron Polyhedron. This body would act sensibly when a crisis such as insect or disease epidemic arose. One can assume there would be controlled burns, controlled wood cutting (going under the euphemism "harvest"), controlled hunting (going under the euphemism "harvest"), and controlled entry into the controlled wilderness area.

Now, I have nothing against hunting or lumbering or even wildfires. All are necessary or desirable in their time. But the notion of the sand dunes being ruined because of increased hikers, or of valleys being inundated in a sea of elk droppings, or of forests being denuded by out-of-control herds of deer are far fetched. Similarly, Wolf's assertion that at the end of the last Ice Age, primitive hunters, without the use of guns or horses or sport utility vehicles, indeed without anything but "new flint technology", were able to drive into extinction 32 genera of post-Ice Age mammals strains credibility. Just as we should cast a jaundiced eye on any of society's plans to "save" nature, we also should guard against giving mankind too much of the blame for the ebb and flow of natural cycles.

Wilderness status for the highest reaches of the range simply protects it from the exploitation of the sort Wolf detail. If one can take any lesson from his account of the various follies visited on the range, it is that no plan can benefit the mountains as much as leaving them alone. And yes, I consider hordes of recreational users who are not shooting anything or cutting anything to be leaving the mountains alone. Crowds of people, if they ever do materialize in the roadless areas, will be as benign a presence as a herd of buffalo. And I'll gladly take 20 random flyovers by jet fighters in place of every No Trespassing sign put up by the so-called "Ranch for Wildlife" crowd. The former are thrilling and harmless, the latter oppressive.

One must take the hat off to Wolf for his monumental effort, however. Who would have thought so much could be written about a backwater, and that it could be linked in so many ways to the mainstream? A greater effort should have been made in the way of editing so as to correct mistakes such as on p.80, where he states "The Sangres stretch from the 42nd to the 41st parallel." These coordinates would put them in Wyoming, giving the lie to the title's claim that they are Colorado's. Also, on p.265 Steve McNichols is mistakenly named as the governor of Colorado in 1975. Dick Lamm was governor at that time. But these are trifling errors... ... Read more

Book Description

An examination of the natural aspects of high topography with an unusual emphasis on topics such as foxfire, ginseng, eastern coyotes, black bear trails and other obscurefeatures of high ground in the mid-Atlantic states. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is the same as the English title, only with a fullGerman text and cover. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Buy this book! You will not be disappointed.
If you're looking for the perfect "coffee table book" this is it. From first glance you will be captivated by the most beautiful pictorial you could ever lay your eyes on, no exaggeration! This book will have you calling your travel agent and planning a trip to Canada A.S.A.P. From Mt. Robson in Jasper to Red Rock Canyon in Waterton, over 100 pgs of full color landscapes, flora and fauna of the Canadian Rockies. Each picture is titled and described with historical facts and details which only enhance your enjoyment of this awesome book. I highly recommend this photographic masterpiece, you won't regret the money spent!

Pictures worth more than a thousand words
I recently went on New Year's ski trip to Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (1998-99) and took some great pictures. Unlike my amature pictures, Douglas Lighton's pictures truly capture the spirit and raw beauty of this unsploiled landscape. In this book, on the inside cover, one line reads,

"Many of today's visitors are on their own kind of vision quest. These mountains rejuvenate tired souls."

Let me tell you, I left my high stress corporate job and graduate studies for 8 days to enter the most beautiful area I have ever visited in my 28 years of existance. I fully agree with the author when he wrote, "These mountains rejuvenate tired souls." I came back to Atlanta changed forever by the utter sense of "awh" when we stayed in the magnificint resort town of Banff and visited the surrounding areas like Lake Louise. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the splendor of mother nature doing her finest work. I also recommend visiting Banff National Park in either the summer and/or winter seasons; either time of year you will get the full effect of this magnificent and rejuvenating area. By the way, the residents of this area are among the friendliest people I have ever met too! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

wonderful intimate diary of life in the mountains
This book was billed as a "riveting adventure story" and a "heartfelt elegy to the true wilderness." While I wholeheartedly agree with the latter, the former is misleading. The author frequently mentions the romance of her chosen home and the book does focus on the notable events of her daily life. But if you're looking for one of those overblown life-or-death dramas, look elsewhere. She deals very realistically with the dangers inherent in her lifestyle. The brief but detailed descriptions of the world around her definitely can make you feel like you're right there. And the stories of events in her daily life, big and small, good and bad, can be riveting indeed but probably not to most.

The author obviously loves her life and her home. There is real beauty in the simple and honest portrayal of life in a remote area. If you've spent any time living near true wilderness, reading this book feels like sitting down in a cozy cabin with a stranger suddenly become friend and trading stories over a cup of tea. In short, I couldn't put it down.

Love buying my books online but browsing bookstores still can bring wonderful books to your attention. So thanks to the Paulina Book Company in Sisters, Oregon, for having this author's books and other carefully selected gems collected in one place. Her "Diary of a Wilderness Dweller" looks to be just as good and I'm hoping Amazon can track down her out of print titles. Highly recommend this author to anyone that likes quality books of this genre. ... Read more

Book Description

No other mountain in America has captured the imagination quitelike Pikes Peak.Rising out of the western horizon, it first drewexplorers like Zebulon Peak, Stephen Long, and John C. Fremont, andmountain men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson.Later came the fortuneseekers, who scratched out $18 million in gold in one year alone, andsettlers, who crossed the prairie in search of a better life. Today thedraw is not just to the mountain itself, but also the remarkableattractions nearby-the pleasures of metropolitan Colorado Springs, thecharm of Canon City, the angler's paradise of the South Platte River,the history of Cripple Creek, the amazing Florissant fossil beds, thesolitude of pristine wilderness areas, and the breathtaking wonder ofthe Royal Gorge. The allure of Colorado's most prominent peak and itssurroundings is presented as never before in Pikes Peak Country, BookThree of the Colorado Geographic Series.Over 130 exquisite colorphotos taken by America's best outdoor photographers and anentertaining and informative text combine to create a stunningappreciation of the beauty, the history, and the excitement of PikesPeak Country.You'll agree that "Pikes Peak or Bust!" is as true todayas it was in Colorado's colorful past. ... Read more

Book Description

On a clear, cold morning in January 1998, in the Selkirk Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, six experienced skiers were buried in a massive avalanche. They didn’t have a chance. A combination of factors — steep, open terrain; an unstable winter snow pack; poor weather conditions; and a trigger provided by a handful of backcountry skiers — made the tragedy, the worst day for avalanche deaths in Canadian history and one of the most tragic in North America, inevitable. This personalized view of an avalanche explores a natural phenomenon that has been, and remains, a force of awesome, unstoppable power. The author also raises questions about risk — and about what might have enticed a group of knowledgeable, experienced skiers to place themselves in the path of an avalanche. ... Read more

Book Description

America’s red rock desert is a place unlike any other—such a marvelous fusion of form and color—and "Another Country" is a correspondingly unique song of praise. Pairing fifteen essays with fifteen short stories, acclaimed writer John A. Murray takes you deep into this wonderland, one of the most remarkable regions on Earth. The territory Murray celebrates is a vast triangle in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, a region embracing slickrock canyons, blue mesas, snow-capped peaks and the world’s greatest concentration of national parks and monuments.

The red rock desert is a favorite place for Murray, one that he returns to year after year—a vast undeveloped country in which even the faintest summer stars hang like lanterns. A person can still stand on a cliff and survey a thousand square miles of uncorrupted rock or stand at the bottom of a canyon and touch rocks 1.7 billion years old—one-third the age of the solar system. John Murray also tells us that humans can get into trouble in this demanding landscape, where a wrong turn can lead to disaster. He tells stories of gold prospectors, some who leave bitterly disappointed, others, perhaps with worse luck, discover that finding gold can evoke a fatal greed.

John Murray writes with the sure touch and easy grace of a master at the top of his form, and his stories and essays are sure to delight and surprise readers. For him, the desert is a continual place of happy returning, a vibrant landscape of welcome solace, a pure realm of inspiration for the restless spirit. And he invites everyone to join him on his travels. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A special book about a special place
John Murray is one of the best writers on the West practicing today, perhaps the best. He has authored or edited more than forty books including such classics as Desert Awakenings, Cactus Country, and the highly acclaimed American Nature Writing series.

This book is a collection of fifteen essays and fifteen stories, both fiction and nonfiction, that celebrate what Murray describes as the most beautiful desert in the American Southwest, the Red Rock Desert. It is loosely located in a triangle shape anchored by the Gates of Ladore to the north, the Grand Wash Cliffs to the southwest, and the Zuni Mountains on the southeast. All things considered, a pretty good boundary description for the Colorado Plateau and the four-corners area. Indeed, the twenty-one locations of his stories and essays are in southern Utah, northern Arizona, and western Colorado.

In his incomparable style of graceful prose and lyrical musings Murray takes the reader into the world of form and color that define such diverse locations as Monument Valley, Escalante Canyon, Navajo Mountain, Grand and Coyote Gulch, Wilson Mesa, Professor Valley, the Burr Desert and a host of other locations that form this wonderland of incredible beauty and harmony and time and space. Using the desert as a metaphor the stories tell of life and death, greed, togetherness and separation, hope and despair and a myriad of other conditions that are so like the West itself. The essays describe the ever changing beauty and danger of the rivers and canyons and space, indeed all of the flora and fauna that comprise the Red Rock Desert and reveals Murray's deep affection for, and encyclopedic knowledge of, this special place. The following from the Afterword will give the reader an idea of the special talent of Murray: "I only know this. There are few things as beautiful as the shapes a desert river carves in the rock of a country, or the way a canyon rose holds it wine-colored blossom toward the sun, or the sound of the wind as you climb to the summit of a solitary peak. To have been among these places is to have known a happiness not often found elsewhere in this world."
Truly a special book about a special place.

Red Rock Rhapsody - and Reality
John A. Murray's latest book, "Another Country: Encounters with the Red Rock Desert," is a tour de force. Murray has created a new genre, alternating non-fiction nature writing with gutsy, O. Henry-surprising short stories. A lesser writer might founder with this format, but Murray brings home the goods.

From a touching elegy for his mother ("Sandpainting") to hard-ball, edgy murder and action ("The World Behind the Sun"), the author writes with a deft, sure hand and leaves no false notes.

Tying the work together is the place, the sun-splashed, crimson walls of the Four Corners region, Hillerman country, Abbey country - and, now, Murray country. You can't fail to want to grab your sleeping bag, lace up your boots, and head out for a hike to the Red Rock wilderness after reading this book. And after reading the title story, a gut-wrencher with a surprise ending, you'll also remember to bring along a gallon or two of water.

This book is great stuff. Buy it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nicely done
An excellent value. Beautiful photographs, with concise text on natural history, including geologic formation, human history, ecology, climate, and flora and fauna. A well balanced, informative introduction to the region. I plan on buying more from Wuerthner. ... Read more

Book Description

The Rockies are familiar to everyone in North America, yet few appreciate the true diversity of these mountains. This book covers the Rockies from sagebrush flats to icy tundra, and explores the range’s geological formation; its role in shaping the West; the plants and animals that form its many ecosystems; and the complex relationship between humans and the Rockies. Written in a lively, engaging style, the book features spectacular color photographs, elegant line drawings, and interesting sidebars. ... Read more