232 replies to this topic

[generubin]

For the Baja Fans: All the old Erle Stanley Gardner books about his early Baja explorations.

For the South West Fans: All the Ed Abbeys.

For the Alaska/Arctic Canada Fans: McPhee's "Coming Into The Country" (btw: I was married by John Borg in Eagle, AK), Hans Reusch's "Top Of The World" and "Return to top of the World".

And my favorite book of the arctic (I recommend the audio on iTunes) "Kabloona", by Gotran De Pocoins

[ski3pin]

All right everybody, get back to reading!

For you southern Utah explorers, an interesting read is The Mystery of Everett Ruess by W.L. Rusho. Ruess is the young man who disappeared in 1934. His story was written about in an article in the inaugural issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine several years ago.

[chnlisle]

Ditto Ski.

You give a little.
http://adventure.nat...id-roberts-text


And you take it it away.
http://www.denverpos...nes/ci_13613067

Before Reuss there was Bessie and Glen Hyde.
http://www.mygrandca...ttd=103&index=1

[DirtyDog]

That reminds me of a part in Abbey's Desert Solitaire where he high tails it out of Moab into the La Sals to beat the heat; Runs his pickup as far up Mount Tukuhnikivatz as it will go; fries bacon in a pan on the fire for a meal; sleeps under the stars then climbs the mountain on a breakfast of bacon the next day. What's not to love about a guy that lives on bacon, sleeps in bear country smelling like bacon, and does it all to get away from people and into nature?

I'm reading "The Fools Progress" now where Abbey recounts an incident at Arches where he drunkenly wrecks a NPS truck. True story? It's interesting to draw the parallels between Fool's and his earlier works.

The author that first engaged me in man's epic struggle with (and love for) nature was Jack London. Klondike Tales stands out as my favorite work of his.

Funny I had missed this before. Great thread.

Roughing It - Mark Twain.

[clikrf8]

Ditto Abbey's "Desert Solitaire". I read it way back when then again on the plane to Vegas to meet a fellow photographer for a Winter photo shoot in Zion.

Another book on Oregon is "Oregon's Dry Side: Exploring East of the Cascade Crest" by Alan D. St John packed with history, geology, the people and small settlements still there of the area east of the Cascades.

And, for photographers, I highly recommend the series by Laurent Martres:

"Photographing the Southwest: Volume 1--Southern Utah"

"Photographing the Southwest: Volume 2--Arizona"

"Photographing the Southwest: Volume 3--Colorado/New Mexico"

The one on Oregon isn't as thorough and not as good in my opinion but it wasn't written by Martres. There are others to come out soon including different areas of California.

We were in Escalante at the tail end of Everett Ruess days last September. A very fascinating young man and talented artist whose disappearance is yet unsolved. Had he lived longer he would have had many more adventures. Sad he died so young. But, he left a lasting mark with his art.

[ski3pin]

I must bring this thread back to life....................

I received The California Deserts as a holiday gift and am really enjoying it. For those of you who have traveled Dedeckera Canyon and the Steel Pass route, the introduction will capture your interest.

I recommend this book.

[generubin]

I must bring this thread back to life....................

I received The California Deserts as a holiday gift and am really enjoying it. For those of you who have traveled Dedeckera Canyon and the Steel Pass route, the introduction will capture your interest.

I recommend this book.

Thanks for the recommendation, I just ordered it.

[MarkBC]

I received The California Deserts as a holiday gift and am really enjoying it. For those of you who have traveled Dedeckera Canyon and the Steel Pass route, the introduction will capture your interest.
I recommend this book.

Thanks for the tip, ski3pin -- seems like something I should have...
I tend to buy natural history books like this one (such as "Sierra East: Edge of the Great Basin" and "A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert" and "The Sagebrush Ocean: A Natural History of the Great Basin" -- all very-recommended!)...but I don't have this one and it covers an area I'm interested in...I'm sold!

[Smokecreek1]

Books, just about my favorite subject: Lots of good books have been mentioned so far. This book came out in 93 and not many people heard of it but once disco0vered, was soon adapted and read by the whole resource staff of our BLM office; it pushed me into trying to do more of what is called environmental or holistic archaeology. The Desert's Past ,A Natural Prehistory of the Great Basin, by Don Grayson (Smithsonian Institution, 1993). . The guy is a real good writer (unlike allot of geologists/archaeologists) and makes science interesting and understandable to the layman. For example, Chapter 11 is called, Cougers, Cheatgrass, and the Natural landscape -now who couldn't resist reading that? Or try, J. Goldsbourgh Bruff's Gold Rush, the journals, drawing and other papers , Columbia,NY, 1949. A journey complete with drawings of the trip west from Wash.DC to California in 1849-came through Susanville and ended up on the Mendoceno coast-even found some of the places he described and drew-fun to read and brought out again for the California hundred year celebration. Time to go find more book titles to add to the list!

Smoke

[Smokecreek1]

I'll 2x all of the above except Sierra East, which I have not read. McPhee's book on Alaska in the 1970s, Coming into the Country, is also a good read.

Sure was-my old girl friend gave it to me to read in 1979-she was a rafter babe, we always talked about rafting the Kybuck(sp) River like he did-but alas we never did!

Smoke