Best of
Wilderness

2015

Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail


Carrot Quinn - 2015
    The city makes her feel numb, and she's having trouble connecting with others. In a desperate move she breaks away from everything to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be her first long-distance hike.In the desert of Southern California Carrot faces many challenges, both physical and emotional: pain, injury, blisters, aching cold and searing heat, dehydration, exhaustion, loneliness. In the wilderness she happens upon and becomes close with an eclectic group of strangers- people she wouldn't have chanced to meet in the “regular world” but who are brought together, here on the trail, by their one common goal: make it to Canada before the snow flies.

The Road to Hope


Rachael Johns - 2015
    Watching the man she’s always loved marry someone else is the last straw – she decides to get out of Hope. But her resolve is tested when the hot new locum doctor arrives in town.Doctor Tom Lewis also has skeletons in his closet – including a painful breakup and devastating family news. He’s hit the road with his vintage ute and surfboard, to travel the outback and live in the moment.When Tom and Lauren meet the attraction is instant, but for Lauren Tom threatens to be just another fling and Tom has his own reasons for hesitating. Everyone else – their friends and patients – can see how perfect they are together, but just what will it take for them to admit this to themselves?A brand new Hope Junction story of fresh starts and second chances.

Lost on Purpose: Adventures of a 21st Century Mountain Man


Patrick Taylor - 2015
    In October/November 2013, Patrick Taylor crossed the Rocky Mountains alone on foot. He passed through one of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48 to reach and retrace the route of Lewis & Clark in the winter. The sacrifices – vocationally, financially, emotionally – are measured against the benefits by the author in a refreshingly honest, humorous, and inspirational fashion. It is the first book in a 3-part series on the 21st Century Mountain Man.See: https://www.facebook.com/thetexasyeti..."I spent my adult life pursuing all types of adventure all over the world; shark-diving in Burma, caving in Borneo, alpine adventures on big rock and ice, and 'social adventure'​, too. It started in the Marine Corps, blossomed in the international oilfield scene, and matured in the mountains on long solo treks.I crossed the Rocky Mountains alone on foot in the winter of 2013. I spent the next two years immersed in the mountain man way-of-life. I became a stockman and backcountry packer, and learned to leverage my alpine experience to become a self-sufficient trapper. I spent the winter of 2016 alone in an old cabin in the the Frank Church Wilderness, and finished the adventure in early March by walking 33 miles up & over the mountains with nothing more than a tarp, a sleeping bag, and a few bags of instant oatmeal.Leaving my business life behind, I have committed to a life of adventure. I have become an author of non-fiction adventure books. I share my adventures hoping to inspire my peers to challenge themselves and embrace adventure in their lives, too."Patrick Taylor'The Texas Yeti'taylor@thetexasyeti.com

I Burned at the Feast: Selected Poems of Arseny Tarkovsky


Arseny Tarkovsky - 2015
    Philip Metres and Dimitri Psurtsev's translations—succinct and allusive, stingingly direct and yet sweeping, mournful and celebratory—are marvels."—PEN/Heim citation"How does one translate the work of Russian classic, Arseny Tarkovsky? Imagine trying to translate Yeats: high style rhetoric, intense emotion, local tonalities of language, complicated historical background, the old equation of poet vs. state, the tone of a tender love lyric, all meshed into one, all exquisite in its execution—and all so impossible to render again. And yet, one tries. In the case of Philip Metres and Dimitri Psurtsev, one tries brilliantly, with gusto, with passion, with attentiveness that is akin to that of a prayer, with the ear of real poets. The result? The gravity and directness of Tarkovsky's tone is brought into English without fail, it is here, honest and pained, piercing and even shy at times, like a deer that looks straight at you before it runs. Tarkovsky's ambition was to seek us—those who live after him—through earth, through time. He does so in this brilliant translation."—Ilya Kaminsky"Arseny Tarkovsky was ten years old at the time of the Russian Revolution and died six months before the opening of the Berlin Wall. He spent his career as a poet creating elegant and starkly interior transfigurations of simple happiness and pure grief, triumphs of the individual self against the brutal realities of daily life in wartime and Communist Russia. Through this meticulous translation of his work, readers will encounter a metaphysical complex poetry, at once searing and brooding, very much in dialogue with such great Soviet poets as Osip Mandelstam and Anna Akhmatova. Tarkovsky writes of a country where 'we lived, once upon a time, as if in a grave, drank no tea' but still succeeded in making 'bread from weeds,' where the 'blue sky is dim' but nonetheless manages to be the 'wet-nurse of dragonflies and birds.'"—Michael Dumanis

Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival


Dave Canterbury - 2015
    Using the foundation you learned in Bushcraft 101, Canterbury shows you how to completely immerse yourself in the wilderness with advanced bushcraft and woodcraft techniques. He covers crucial survival skills like tracking to help you get even closer to wildlife, crafting medicines from plants, and navigating without the use of a map or compass. He also offers ways to improvise and save money on bushcraft essentials like fire-starting tools and packs. With Canterbury's expert advice and guidance, you will learn how to forgo your equipment, make use of your surroundings, and truly enjoy the wilderness. Whether you're eager to learn more after your first real outdoor adventure or have been exploring the backcountry for years, Advanced Bushcraft will help you take your self-reliance and wilderness experience to the next level.

Prophets and Moguls, Rangers and Rogues, Bison and Bears: 100 Years of the National Park Service


Heather Hansen - 2015
    The story of the National Park Service is the story of people who fought for the protection of the places that have helped to define our national identity, those places we now hold dear—from the blue hazy mist that hangs over Great Smokey Mountains National Park to the spouting geysers of Yellowstone to the thick, steamy waterways of the Everglades. The NPS founders were the architects of our family vacations, the inventors of icons with worldwide appeal. They battled “progress,” which often masked greed and ignorance, and their story continues with those who molded and grew the NPS through a flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World Wars, and beyond.Prophets and Moguls, Rangers and Rogues, Bison and Bears is the engaging and accessible story of the NPS that brings to life its history and characters. The result of extensive research, dozens of interviews with Park Service employees, and the author’s own experiences at park units she visited all over the country, it’s a highly readable history that connects the dots of past to present and will remind readers of the vast array of public assets administered by the NPS—resources which offer something for everyone and also need every citizen’s support.

John Muir's Book of Animals


John Muir - 2015
    Whether breakfasting with deer, attempting to scare off a black bear, or musing upon the ferocity of ants, Muir looks upon the animal world with amazement and affection, and the power of his words, the freshness of his thinking, the keenness of his perceptions, and the depth of his passion continue to inspire the same in readers today. Drawing from longtime favorites such as Stickeen as well as from less familiar books, letters, articles, and journals, John Muir’s Book of Animals presents us with twenty-seven of Muir’s most compelling stories and vibrant descriptions. Sumptuous illustrations by Lisel Jane Ashlock add to our amazement and delight.

Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places


Larry Libby - 2015
    McKinley, feeling the misty spray of Niagra Falls, scanning the colorful bluebonnet fields in Texas, or smelling the sweet summer roses of Savannah, America is full of beautiful and exciting places to see and experience. Spanning our country’s fifty states, here are 100 favorite places to visit and see up close the miraculous work of God as well as man-made masterpieces. Beautiful photography of each location is accompanied by a short devotion and prayer, nurturing gratitude and peace so often lost in the busyness of life. Perhaps some places will be familiar, bringing renewed excitement from that first visit. But, no doubt, there are new and exciting places not yet seen or even heard of, prompting next year’s vacation destination with new explorations. If you love to travel or dream of traveling, this devotional will take you to places grand or quaint, serene or adventurous. In every corner of America, you can find the handiwork of our amazing and creative God.

Build the Perfect Bug Out: Survival Skills: Your Guide to Emergency Wilderness Survival


Creek Stewart - 2015
    Without the right knowledge, survival gear is useless. Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills will teach you the essential wilderness survival skills you need to endure a bug out situation or prolonged off-grid scenario. You will learn how to meet the four core survival needs - shelter, fire, water and food - with a minimum amount of equipment. Detailed photos and step-by-step instructions will help you master each skill.FEATURING: - Detailed instructions for survival skills that require little gear - an emphasis on primitive tools - Step-by-step photos that clearly illustrate complex techniques like knot tying, shelter construction, fire building and setting snares and traps - Advanced knowledge that could save you and your family during a real emergency

Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man


Jason Mark - 2015
    Collared, microchipped, and transported by helicopter, the wolves are protected and confined in an attempt to appease ranchers and conservationists alike. Once a symbol of the wild, these wolves have come to illustrate the demise of wilderness in this Human Age, where man's efforts shape life in even the most remote corners of the earth. And yet, the howl of an unregistered wolf—half of a rogue pair—splits the night. If you know where to look, you'll find that much remains untamed, and even today, wildness can remain a touchstone for our relationship with the rest of nature.  In Satellites in the High Country, journalist and adventurer Jason Mark travels beyond the bright lights and certainties of our cities to seek wildness wherever it survives. In California's Point Reyes National Seashore, a battle over oyster farming and designated wilderness pits former allies against one another, as locals wonder whether wilderness should be untouched, farmed, or something in between. In Washington's Cascade Mountains, a modern-day wild woman and her students learn to tan hides and start fires without matches, attempting to connect with a primal past out of reach for the rest of society. And in Colorado's High Country, dark skies and clear air reveal a breathtaking expanse of stars, flawed only by the arc of a satellite passing—beauty interrupted by the traffic of a million conversations. These expeditions to the edges of civilization's grid show us that, although our notions of pristine nature may be shattering, the mystery of the wild still exists — and in fact, it is more crucial than ever. But wildness is wily as a coyote: you have to be willing to track it to understand the least thing about it. Satellites in the High Country is an epic journey on the trail of the wild, a poetic and incisive exploration of its meaning and enduring power in our Human Age.

The Great Wide Open: New Outdoor and Landscape Photography


Jeffrey Bowman - 2015
    So pack your backpack, lace up your shoes don t forget your camera and go. As the rhythm of our hectic urban lives continues to speed up, we are increasingly compelled to leave it all behind and escape far into the quiet depths of nature. In great contrast with the claustrophobic metropolitan environments most of us live in, the photographs featured in The Great Wide Open depict wondrous sites that will take you on a visual journey through faraway lands from Mongolia to Peru, as seen by those who have climbed that mountain and surfed that wave. Through their silent forests, infinite skies, and crystal waters, these photographs capture the feeling of longing behind the growing search for a certain peacefulness that is lacking in our fast-paced lifestyles. Follow this movement by joining a new generation of outsiders who have an unquenchable thirst for adventure, and see what they see through awe-inspiring images of some of the world s most beautiful places. Read about their explorations as they share the stories behind the photographs tales ranging from conquering the unconquerable to preparing good coffee huddled under a pitched tent. Beyond some traditional, timeless landscape photographs, The Great Wide Open features views that are highly personal and full of life.

The Maps of the Wilderness: An Atlas of the Wilderness Campaign, Including All Cavalry Operations, May 2-6, 1864


Bradley M. Gottfried - 2015
    Gottfried's efforts to study and illustrate the major campaigns of the Civil War's Eastern Theater. This is his fifth book in the ongoing Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series. The previous four were The Maps of Gettysburg (2007), The Maps of First Bull Run (2009), The Maps of Antietam (2012), and The Maps of the Bristoe Station and Mine Run Campaigns (2013).This latest magisterial work breaks down the entire campaign (and all related operational maneuvers) into 24 map sets or "action-sections" enriched with 120 original full-page color maps. These spectacular cartographic creations bore down to the regimental and battery level. The Maps of the Wilderness includes an assessment of the winter of 1863-1864, the planning for the campaign, the crossing of the Rapidan River, and two days of bloody combat and the day of watchful stalemate thereafter.At least one--and as many as eight--maps accompany each "action-section." Opposite each map is a full facing page of detailed footnoted text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the story of the first large-scale combat of 1864 come alive. Each cartographic snapshot also serves to unlock everything ever written on the subject. This detailed coverage also includes an order of battle, interview with the author, bibliography, and an index.This original presentation leads readers on a journey through the epic battle that would prove to be the opening salvo in a prolonged fight that would not end until the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. The Wilderness Campaign has two unique characteristics. First, although he did not command the Army of the Potomac, the battle was Ulysses S. Grant's first against General Robert E. Lee. Second, the Wilderness fighting--prolonged, bloody, and inconclusive--is widely viewed as the most confusing action of the entire war. The dense thickets and deep smoke obscured much of what occurred during the two days of combat. Gottfried's book cuts through the confusion to deliver a clear account of the horrendous struggle.Perfect for the easy chair or for walking hallowed ground, The Maps of the Wilderness is a seminal work that, like his earlier studies, belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the Civil War, or in the hands of an avid enthusiast out walking the Hallowed Ground.

Ghost in the Mythe


Jaye McKenna - 2015
    Fragile, beautiful, and silent, Miko remains an enigma, even to those who know him best.Ajhani Guardian Tarrin Rhivana no longer belongs on the world of his birth. Exiled for choosing his clan’s safety over the sanctity of human life, Tarrin attempts to escape aboard a ship belonging to the Sky People who have invaded his world.When Tarrin’s ignorance of Federation technology threatens his sanity and his life, he is saved by a beautiful ghost, and brought to the Institute for Psionic Research. There, he meets Miko and learns that one of the Sky People has bonded to one of the ancient artifacts his people are sworn to protect.As a Guardian, it is Tarrin’s duty to return to his clan and convince them of the danger the Sky People represent. But his fellow Guardians will kill an exile on sight, and Miko may be the only one who can prevent them from executing Tarrin before he can deliver his warning.~104,000 words

Guardians of the Pattern Bundle, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3)


Jaye McKenna - 2015
    The choice is clear: complete the mission or help Miko. Neither option is easy, but only one will allow Cameron to face himself in the mirror.Psi Hunter (Book 1): Sparks fly when ex-lovers Kyn Valdari and Pat Cottrell are ordered to team up on a murder investigation. When they discover an abused, traumatized young psion powerful enough to kill with a thought, they must work together to protect him from being enslaved by the very organization that is supposed to save him.Gremlin’s Last Run (Book 2): When independent freighter captain Rhys Tyler finds Alek McKinnon hiding in his cargo hold, he has a choice to make: help a wounded Federation agent escape from his captors, or shove him out the air lock. One look at Alek’s pretty brown eyes is all it takes to convince Rhys to take a chance on the man. Now they’re both on the run from a shady organization that wants Alek back at any cost.Ghost in the Mythe (Book 3): Exiled from his home world, Tarrin Rhivana stows away on a Federation ship, and finds himself lost in the terrifying place-between-worlds where jump ships navigate. There he meets a beautiful ghost who might be the only one who can help Tarrin save his world from outside forces that would strip it bare.~320,000 words