View Full Version : Good Book?
nightcrawler
05-11-2008, 22:55
Going to head down to the library and I am looking for a recommendation for a good outdoors book. Nothing too technical and hopefully easy to get absorbed in.
Thanks
sofaking
05-11-2008, 23:11
check out anything by rick bass
RITBlake
05-11-2008, 23:17
The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey
Cliff Jacobson has some good books on the outdoors.
Feral Bill
05-12-2008, 00:14
anything by Colin Fletcher
ofthearth
05-12-2008, 07:36
anything by Colin Fletcher
second that
RedneckRye
05-12-2008, 08:06
Grizzly Years by Doug Peacock.
Not really an outdoors book, but I highly recommend Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen.
envirodiver
05-12-2008, 10:30
second that
I agree with the Colin Fletcher books. You have to take some of it with a grain of salt and adapt it to your situation, but he is very experienced and tells it well.
the beast in the garden by david baron. about mountain lions in colorado.good read.
bigcranky
05-12-2008, 12:41
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, by Stephen King.
StepChld
05-12-2008, 14:32
World War Z (The Zombie War)...oh wait you said an "outdoor book". Sorry, still a pretty good book. I thought it was going to be really stupid, not really into zombies, then someone I trusted suggested it to me. Couldn't put it down, not what I expected at all. Pretty neat read.;)
but...YMMV.:banana
bloodmountainman
05-12-2008, 14:56
"Our Southern Highlanders" by Horace Kephart.
Great book "The Last Season" regarding a true account of a NPS Park Ranger at Sequoia Kings Canyon who went missing. Lots of John Muir Trail connections. Really a good read for any past or future PCT/JMT hiker.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Season-P-S-Eric-Blehm/dp/0060583010/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210619207&sr=8-1
glacier48
05-12-2008, 16:10
Walking on the Happy Side of Misery
I liked the well known "A walk in the woods" -- by bryson. Also liked "No shortcuts to the top : Climbing the world's 14 highest peaks" by Ed Viesturs
ofthearth
05-12-2008, 17:35
I agree with the Colin Fletcher books. You have to take some of it with a grain of salt and adapt it to your situation, but he is very experienced and tells it well.
Just curious "You have to take some of it with a grain of salt" What part was this?
Great book "The Last Season" regarding a true account of a NPS Park Ranger at Sequoia Kings Canyon who went missing. Lots of John Muir Trail connections. Really a good read for any past or future PCT/JMT hiker.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Season-P-S-Eric-Blehm/dp/0060583010/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210619207&sr=8-1
i read this one also. very good.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen.
sofaking
05-12-2008, 21:14
the life of pi- outdoors, but on the ocean
Rain Man
05-12-2008, 23:23
I'd second several suggestions already made, and would add these two--
The "Endurance": Shackleton's Legendary Journey to Antarctica
by Caroline Alexander
The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
by Slavomir Rawicz
Both well-written, amazing stories!
Rain:sunMan
.
in the heart of the sea - by nataniel philbrick
Walden by Henry David Thoreau -- or better, any light weight book of Thoreau's nature essays that includes "Walking."
I once had a book with just the single essay "Walking," which was ideal for carrying on a trail, since no one has as much reading time as they think they will.
I like Walden because it is filled with interesting ideas with multiple layers of meaning. I've read Walden multiple times over the decades. Each time I discover new insights.
Weary
bigmac_in
05-13-2008, 10:17
When I saw the name of this thread - I thought it would be a conversation on religion.
sofaking
05-13-2008, 10:23
oh, the places you'll go! - dr.seuss, 'great day for up' a close second
Mrs Baggins
05-13-2008, 10:25
The Terror by Dan Simmons (I absolutely guarantee that you will NEVER complain about being cold again - - ever)
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
Both are based on true stories - the first on the search for the northwest passage and the ship that got caught in the ice for years. The second is Fitzroy's exploration of South America and his friendship with Darwin. Both are excellently written in novel form. I preferred the 2nd book only because the 1st one is sort of "things are never so bad but that they can't get ALOT worse" story.
Rain Man
05-13-2008, 13:09
When I saw the name of this thread - I thought it would be a conversation on religion.
Oh but it is... religion out of the box. :)
Rain:sunMan
.
Oh but it is... religion out of the box. :)
Rain:sunMan
.
I'm currently reading Christopher Hitchens "God is not great." It wouldn't be a bad trail book when a paperback comes out. I suspect believers who want to test their faith, won't find a better challenge.
Weary
envirodiver
05-13-2008, 17:38
Just curious "You have to take some of it with a grain of salt" What part was this?
I think the things that he carries sometimes seems a bit much...maybe just different than what I'm more used to. Overall I like reading his books and find them to be informative. "The Complete Walker" was a guide that I used when I first started backpacking.
Undershaft
05-14-2008, 12:59
in the heart of the sea - by nataniel philbrick
Great book "The Last Season" regarding a true account of a NPS Park Ranger at Sequoia Kings Canyon who went missing. Lots of John Muir Trail connections. Really a good read for any past or future PCT/JMT hiker.
These are both really good books.
earlyriser26
05-14-2008, 13:12
Into Thin Air, Touching The Void