Lost with Directions: Ambling Around America


Rob Erwin - 2016
     Aside from the bipolar hillbillies, unfriendly wild animals, run-ins with the law, a mental breakdown, a bad first date, and a near-death experience . . . things actually went pretty well. Taking plenty of detours along the way, Rob’s contagious and hilarious sense of wanderlust carries him on a whirlwind road trip from the Smoky Mountains in the East, to Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Colorado’s snow-covered peaks in the West. In a refreshing style that brings these incredible wild places to life like no travel guide ever could, on seemingly every page we’re reminded of the one universal truth of travel . . . the best parts of any journey are the adventures we least expect.

The Reluctant RV Wife


Gerri Almand - 2019
    He wanted to go; she wanted to stay. They both learn, grow, and change as a new level of freedom evolves.This book is light-hearted and humorous but at the same time serious. While not a How-To book, it gives lots of basic information about RVing. And while not a travelogue, it touches upon many travel destinations in the United States and Canada. On deeper levels, the book is about marital relationships, retiring and getting old, and finding a new kind of freedom through a minimalistic lifestyle.After reading this book, you’ll never again look at one of those huge monstrosities driving down the road in quite the same way. The book answers questions for non-RVers and triggers chuckles of recognition from experienced RVers.What Others Are Saying:When his RV dream rear-ends her perfectly mapped-out retirement, navigating through their travails and travels - in life and on the road - spins a romantic and humorous adventure. - Doreen Orion, author of Queen of the Road

The Beast of Powder Valley


Christopher Dowdell - 2021
    

Out There


Ted Kerasote - 2004
    But what if your canoeing partner brings along a satellite phone to use in case of an emergency? And, struck by the novelty of anywhere-on-earth communication, he proceeds to use the phone to check in with his law office, his wife, kids, sisters, father, and friends? Noted wilderness traveler and author Ted Kerasote deals with just such a situation as he journeys along the Horton River through the largest ice-free, roadless area left on Earth, a stunning wilderness of grizzly bears, caribou, and migrating birds. Between navigating rapids, slipping around musk ox and grizzlies, and being pinned down by Arctic storms, the two friends prod each other into a finer understanding of love, marriage, parenting, and the meaning of solitude in an increasingly wired world. Contrasting his own experiences with those of the regions earliest explorers--Sir John Franklin and Vilhjalmur Stefansson--Kerasote provides a compelling and humorous take on how travelers from any age adjust to being away from their civilizations and how getting "out there" has inevitably changed but has also remained the same--especially if you shut off the phone.

The Last Ivory Hunter


Peter Hathaway Capstick - 1988
    Wally Johnson spent half a century in Mozambique hunting white gold--ivory. Most men died at this hazardous trade. He's the last one able to tell his story.In hours of conversations by mopane fired in the African bush, Wally described his career--how he survived the massive bite of a Gaboon viper, buffalo gorings, floods, disease, and most dangerous of all, gold fever. He bluffed down 200 armed poachers almost single-handedly, and survived rocket attacks from communist revolutionaries during Mozambique's plunge into chaos in 1975. In Botswana, at age 63, Wally continued his career. Though the great tuskers have largely gone and most of Wally's colleagues are dead, Wally has survived. His words are rugged testimony to an Africa that is now a distant dream.

The Last American Homestead: Living Life In The Last Frontier


David Maranville - 2018
    That first trip to America’s last frontier convinced him he would one day call the state home. With heartfelt honesty and inspirational enthusiasm, Maranville here tells the story of his transition from living within the contiguous forty-eight states to homesteading north of the Arctic Circle. After serving in the US Army in Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic, he decided to file for the grant of a homesite in the Alaskan wilds. Once he’d staked the land, he faced the challenge of fulfilling the five-year land-improvement requirements prescribed by the Homestead Act. While earning his homestead, he encountered new opportunities, amazing adventures—and frightening hazards. Working as a helicopter mechanic, he soon partnered with a helicopter pilot and they began the farthest North helicopter company, Sunshine Helicopters, out of Circle City, Alaska along the Yukon River. He built his family a log cabin in the wilderness along the picturesque banks of the Ambler River, where they confronted bears, extreme cold, dangerous working conditions, and rugged landscape—and survived a devastating flood. Yet the difficulties were worth it. At last, Maranville received one of the final patents granted under the Homestead Act before the act was discontinued.

The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago


Russ Eanes - 2019
    At age 61, not old enough to retire, but old enough to know that it was time to make a change, he left his job as a publisher and embarking on a year of discovery, realized that decades' old dream.

Travelling in a Box


Mike Wood - 2015
    Parched, tinder-dry fields. There are alien invasions, military maneuvers and toxic waste, and all before the Wood family even start their Alpine caravan adventure. Why? Because it is fun. It is holidays. Travelling in a Box is about a family and their passion for all things camping and caravanning. As they embark upon a pan-European adventure with their thirty-year-old caravan in tow, will their unbreakable tolerance for ‘fun’ be pushed to new limits?

Vegucation Over Medication: The Myths, Lies, And Truths About Modern Foods And Medicines


Bobby J. Price - 2018
     There was a time when food was our medicine, and the farmer our physician. But now industrialization has converted farms into factories, replaced produce for processed foods, and meat comes with just as many warnings as the drugs we are prescribed.  If we continue to embrace the Standard American Diet (SAD diet) and current health care system, this may be the first generation of parents to outlive their children.   The science and medical community are split 50/50 as to why we are so sick. One side is dogmatically attached to the theory that germs cause disease, so sickness is inevitable and can only be treated not cured. The other perspective is that we have a genetic predisposition to disease and that science & technology provide the solution. However, neither of these philosophies actually address the real cause of disease. Vegucation Over Medication bridges the gap by helping us understand the impact of nutrition on our health. Dr. Bobby Price provides actionable advice on how to prevent and even reverse many chronic diseases. The book dispels in shocking detail many of the myths and lies we’ve adopted as truths, such as the use of medications as our primary form of prevention. Dr. Price’s holistic approach to understanding the healing nature of our foods and bodies will empower you to cleanse, nourish, and RECLAIM YOUR HEALTH.   In this book you will learn: • Hidden dangers in foods and medicines • How to minimize or eliminate medications • The connection between disease and nutrition • The secrets of long-term natural weight loss • The real scoop on protein • Powerful natural alternatives to help restore the body • Guide to incorporating a plant-based lifestyle • Tasty plant-based alternatives to your favorite foods • How a plant-based diet improves energy, digestion, and sleep • How to reverse Type 2 Diabetes • Keys to normalizing blood pressure and cholesterol levels

Sharks (Our Amazing World)


Kay de Silva - 2012
    Children are given a well-rounded understanding of this beautiful fish: its anatomy, feeding habits and behavior. The following Sharks are featured:* The swift Black Tip Reef Shark* The dangerous Bull Shark* The resourceful Hammerhead Shark* The feared Great White Shark* The stealthy Lemon Shark* The fanged Nurse Shark* The gentle Whale Shark* The deceptive Wobbegong

The Trail: a novel


Ethan Gallogly - 2021
    Woven in is a back story detailing the origins of the John Muir Trail: a 211-mile trail spanning the rooftop of the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States.The tale begins with Gil, who In the wake of his father’s death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father’s old hiking partner Syd on a monthlong trek on the John Muir Trail. There’s just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike...Former Sierra Club leader Ethan Gallogly takes you on a wild tour across the Range of Light, describing its glorious scenery in vivid detail while introducing you to a diverse cast of characters drawn from his own personal experiences as a hiker.It’s a beautifully crafted book, with 43 maps and sketches by acclaimed mountain illustrator Jeremy Ashcroft, showing the topography of each section in clear three-dimensional renderings and peppered with drawings of the trail’s iconic scenery, like the Muir Hut, the Rock Monster, and Evolution Lake.Whether you’re planning your own John Muir Trail trek, have walked the trail before, or are simply an armchair explorer looking for a compelling story—this book is for you.Praise for The Trail“The author shines in his descriptions of the natural world... A subtle and vivid tale of finding peace in the great outdoors.” —Kirkus Reviews “It’s a fantastic book. Everything rings true. I already have several people I plan to give copies to.” —Elizabeth Wenk, author of the best-selling guidebook John Muir Trail: The Essential Guide to Hiking America’s Most Famous Trail“A Walk in the Woods meets Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” —Peter Snow Cao, Bike China Adventures“Ethan Gallogly has created a wonderful blend of High Sierra history, eloquent descriptions of the range’s glorious scenery, and fascinating vignettes of the diverse characters who roam the John Muir Trail.” —Steve Roper, Sierra historian, mountaineer, and author of Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country“The Trail leaves the reader with a poignant picture of how nature can heal and reconstruct us.” —Alyssa Matesic, ASM EditorialAbout the AuthorEthan Gallogly, PhD (“Po”) has been a leader in the Sierra Club, the Cal Hiking and Outdoors Society (CHAOS) at UC Berkeley, and the Outdoors Club of Southern California. His boots have covered countless miles, including the John Muir Trail, the High Sierra Trail, the Oregon Section of the Pacific Crest Trail, the Tahoe–Yosemite Trail, and the Theodore Solomons Trail. He was a reviewer for the Wilderness Press guides: Sierra North, Sierra South, and Yosemite National Park and has read nearly every book on the history of the Sierra Nevada.Fans of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, Ben Montgomery’s Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, and Eric Blehm’s The Last Season will love this new outdoors novel selected by Amazon as a Hot New Release.

The McCandless Mecca: A Pilgrimage to the Magic Bus of the Stampede Trail


Ken Ilgunas - 2013
    The Magic Bus is becoming a national shrine, a holy pilgrim site, a modern-day Mecca. And I was determined to see it, too." So writes author and adventurer Ken Ilgunas, who, in the summer of 2011, moved up to Alaska and, like thousands before him, embarked on pilgrimage to explore the storied bus of the Stampede Trail, the very bus in which Chris McCandless of "Into the Wild" died twenty years before. What was supposed to be little more than a "literary tour" to a bus from a book that Ilgunas had "merely enjoyed" would become a humorous, enthralling, and, at times, treacherous journey, leading him to the very heart of Alaska.

Two Million Steps: BAND-AIDS, COCKTAILS, AND FINDING PEACE ALONG SPAIN'S CAMINO DE SANTIAGO


Patrick Devaney - 2017
    He has a loving family, a successful career, and good friends. He is fortunate in many ways, and he knows it. But Pat also knows one other thing. Negativity had seized him; his life’s glass always seemed half empty. Despite the blessings of a prosperous life, Pat lives with a sense of dissatisfaction. He’s haunted by a feeling of purposelessness for which he cannot seem to find a solution. When a fateful phone call puts Pat on the proverbial edge, he knows he needs answers even if he doesn’t know the questions. Pat recalls hearing of the Camino de Santiago—the five-hundred-mile spiritual path through France and Spain that ends at the traditional burial site of James the Apostle. In his state of unrest and longing, Pat makes the bold decision to embark upon the ancient pilgrimage on foot. Two Million Steps captures Pat’s incredible journey of self-discovery along his trek through Europe and the places, people, and events he encounters along the way. For Pat, physical pain becomes a badge of honor, and every step he takes leads him closer to healing his soul and to becoming a new person.

Appalachian Fail: What I Learned from My Failed Thru-Hike


John Desilets - 2018
    Those who can't, write a book outlining their many failures." John Desilets was an unlikely candidate to be a thru-hiker. As a video game industry veteran and reclusive homebody, nothing about him screams "backpacker." Nothing about him screams at all. He appreciates reasonable volumes. Nevertheless, he attempted to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2017. He failed. Spectacularly. John is no stranger to failing and is happy to add the Appalachian Trail to his impressive resume of failures. He hopes to help others realize there's no shame in failing. Appalachian Fail is a compilation of lessons learned from months of hiking the Appalachian Trail. It contains entertaining stories about trail experiences and useful wisdom for on or off the trail. You might wonder how failing to finish the Appalachian Trail qualifies John to give anyone else advice. People say you learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. John experienced so much failure he's buried in learnings. If you follow John's advice, you might be successful thru-hiker one day. Or even better–a failure.

Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks


Q.T. Luong - 2016
    After Congress viewed photos of Yosemite, President Lincoln was moved to sign a bill that paved the way for the U.S. National Park Service, which was founded in 1916 and is now celebrating its centennial. In Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks, photographer QT Luong pays tribute to the millions of acres of protected wilderness in our country's 59 national parks. Luong, who is featured in Ken Burns's and Dayton Duncan's documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, is one the most prolific photographers working in the national parks and the only one to have made large-format photographs in each of them. In an odyssey that spanned more than 20 years and 300 visits, Luong focused his lenses on iconic landscapes and rarely seen remote views, presenting his journey in this sumptuous array of more than 500 breathtaking images. Accompanying the collection of scenic masterpieces is a guide that includes maps of each park, as well as extended captions that detail where and how the photographs were made. Designed to inspire visitors to connect with the parks and invite photographers to re-create these landscapes, the guide also provides anecdotal observations that give context to the pictures and convey the sheer scope of Luong's extraordinary odyssey. Including an introduction by award-winning author and documentary filmmaker Dayton Duncan, Treasured Lands is a rich visual tour of the U.S. National Parks and an invaluable guide from a photographer who hiked - or paddled, dived, skied, snowshoed, and climbed - each park, shooting in all kinds of terrain, in all seasons, and at all times of day. QT Luong's timeless gallery of the nation's most revered landscapes beckons to nature lovers, armchair travelers, and photography enthusiasts alike, keeping America's natural wonders within reach.