3 Questions - 3 Books on the Shelf

[Raven]

Inspired by some discussions on here about Forest and Crag and Chip's poll as well as a recent look through the shelves of my adventure/nature books, three "questions" came to mind. They're below. Only two rules:

1. Books within the adventure/nature/hunting/outdoor/realm only.
2. Only one answer (one book) per question!

I'm interested to see how (and if) these get answered. So take a look at your bookcase and make the hard choices. What book is...

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

One that’s really cool for some reason?

The one if you could only keep one book?

 

[Raven]

OK, I'll go first...

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

No Way Down (Graham Bowley – 2010). The 2008 K2 tragedy where 11 were climbers died. This story was terrifying at times on realizing the situation these climbers found themselves in. I was also disturbed by how careless and nonchalant many of the climbers became on the ascent. Some actually chose not to carry an axe at times. Wow.

One that’s really cool for some reason?

The Dishonorable Dr. Cook (Bradford Washburn – 2001) hardcover that was signed and inscribed to me. Given as a gift from an old friend that had the opportunity and knew I’d really like it. Good story by a great man. It's about a real jerk though.

The one if you could only keep one book?

Desert Solitaire (Edward Abbey - 1968) Ed Abbey quite simply became my hero after reading this book the first time. He’s a fantastic writer with a broad command of rich language without being pretentious. He does come across tough, arrogant, honest, perceptive, observant, and writes from a unique perspective. What a great view of the world.

 

[DSettahr]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

Not so recent, but I think I practically read Apsley Cherry-Garard's The Worst Journey in the World in one sitting. It's the "official" report on Scott's fatal antarctic expedition. Cherry-Garard, however, freely admitted that it contained far too much emotion for an "official" report, but his telling of the story is that much better for it.

One that’s really cool for some reason?

I've always been partial to Excuse me sir, your socks are on fire by Larry Weill. Adventures (and missadventures) of a backcountry ranger in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area in the central Adirondacks in the early 80's. The WCL is one of my favorite spots (I've spent probably close to 100 nights back there!), and it's neat to read about places that I've visited so many times.

The one if you could only keep one book?

This is a tough one. If I have to keep it to the adventure/nature genre, probably Shackleton's South. His own first hand account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. A much better read (greater depth and detail) than Lansing's book.

 

[WBB]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

I would offer a different telling of the race to the South Pole Scott and Amundsen (since released under title The Last Place on Earth) by Roland Huntford. It demystifies Scott and shows the skill and planning that went into Amundsen’s success trip to the Pole and back. The movie from the book appeared on PBS in the early 80’s and is now available on DVD (The Last Place on earth) and is worth viewing once you get past the cheese 80’s sound track.

One that’s really cool for some reason?

Exploring the 46 Adirondack High Peaks by James R. Burnside. I had done some of the peaks while college but had never given much thought to doing them all. This book was a gift from my father and has served as a springboard for myself and one of my sons to work on them together. It has been time well spent.

The one if you could only keep one book?

Adirondack Country by William Chapman White. It is the first book I can remember reading about the Adirondacks as a kid. I reread it just about every year particularly the last section VIII The Adirondack Year. I now have my father’s copy and so I passed down my copy to one of my sons who spent all of last year in Germany on an exchange program. It was one of the only English language books he brought with him

 

[Snowflea]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

The Power of One by Bryce Cortenay... Not really an "outdoors" book although there is a bit of hiking/climbing there, but a really good book! (I have not seen the film based on the book but have been told - as is usually the case - that the book is much better.)

One that’s really cool for some reason?

Meditations from the Breakdown Lane by James Shapiro... An account of a solo (though he was crewed through some of the western states) trans-America run 30+ years ago - well before the current Born to Run craze.

The one if you could only keep one book?

Hiking the Appalachian Trail two-volume set (oops, that's two books)... Classic compilation of several early thru-hikers' stories. Finally snagged these last year and I'm keeping 'em!

 

[Brambor]

my choices

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

One that’s really cool for some reason?

The one if you could only keep one book?

 

[ksearl]

Another great thread idea! Thanks Raven!

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

I would have to go with "A Walk in The Woods" by Bill Brison. Finished it a few months ago and was a really good read. However, I'm reading "Into Thin Air" right now, which has been awesome too! (I know, I just broke rule #2)

One that’s really cool for some reason?

"We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich. She writes about being a school teacher that went to live on Lake Umbagog in Maine in the 20's and 30's. It's a great story. I think it's cool because my Dad and I used to go up there each winter to snowmobile, etc., so I got to see the logging roads, rivers, and landscapes she spoke about in the book. Great story!

The one if you could only keep one book?

Finally, I would keep the "AMC White Mountain Guide", so that I could always find my way around the Whites!

Karl

 

[Silverfox]

Good thread

One to keep: as a unabashed 4k bagger...The 4000 Footers of the White Mountains..Steve Smith and Mike Dickerman

Great read: In Patagonia...Bruce Chatwin

..Real cool to read..and reread..:The Last backpack...Daniel Doan..a classic book about the Mahoosucs

 

[Jason Berard]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

The Last of His Kind. A biography of Bradford Washburn by David Roberts.

An incredible book!

One that’s really cool for some reason?

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland, a guide to the natural communities of Vermont.

An excellent reference book!

The one if you could only keep one book?

Keeping only one book is not an option!

 

[mtruman]

Great thread. It's made me go back and examine the collection and reminded me of some that need to be re-read and some that are missing that I really need to get!

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

"On The Ridge Between Life And Death" by Dave Roberts. The last mountaineering book about his own journeys and in my opinion the best book by one of the best outdoors and mountaineering authors ever (and that is definitely an elite group). Thanks to Jason for pointing out "The Last of His Kind". That's now next on my list as Brad Washburn is both one of my favorite people (as well as a favorite author).


One that’s really cool for some reason?

"Galen Rowell: A Retrospective". Just a wonderful book that includes a lot of Galen's best photography but also the story of his (too short) life and the many things that he stood for and worked for to protect the natural world.


The one if you could only keep one book?

I can't imagine being able to keep only one book, but I guess it would have to be "John Muir: The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books". If I could only read about the outdoors and the natural world from the point of view of one man for the rest of my life it would have to be John Muir. Just a bonus that all his best works are collected into a single volume. Might as well get the most bang for the buck.

 

[michael]

Recent one hard to put down?- "Safe Return Doubtful: The Heroic age of Polar Exploration"
A library discard that sat around for a couple years until this winter...A nice compilation from Franklin to Amundsen.

Cool for some reason...
Wenger's "Forestry Handbook"

The One
Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" .... Actually a toss-up between that and "Monkey Wrench Gang" ... I heart Bonnie Abbzug!

 

[erugs]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?
"Recent" at my age is perhaps not recent to someone else's age. My recommendation is "Homelands: Kayaking the Inside Passage". This is not a how-to book but a journal chronicling five months travel by the author, Byron Ricks, and his wife (illustrator of the book), Maren Van Nostrand. Some have called it an "adventure of soul and mind" and a story of "heart and spirit." Anyway, I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. I wondered what the couple was up to now. She's an REI kayaking expert/writer. She also has Soundfalls Institute of Music, which is a program of music, stories, humor available on iTunes.

One that’s really cool for some reason?
"Cool" I'm not sure about, but memorable is "Teewinot: Climbing and Contemplating the Teton Range" by Jack Turner (Exum Guide). I like the calendar-in-the-daily-life-of-an-outdoorsman writing style. Again, it's not a guide book, but a book by someone who guides. You'll feel like you are there, a fly on the wall, and sometimes that is too close to the tarnished insider viewpoint, but mostly the descriptions share the wonders of the landscape through the seasons, along with stories of adventures. I think the author wants it both ways: to keep the area for himself and to share its beauty with others. Turner calls it "more like a painting than a photograph" of words. It's his recollections, but not full of himself. And, you'll never see a Snickers bar again without an image of Jack's book.

The one if you could only keep one book? Too difficult to answer. If I must, I'd have to say "The New England Beach Guide" because I still can't believe I am a published author.

 

[DiamondRidge]

Recently Read and Hard to put down would have to be A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Cool for some reason would have to be the Scudder's Guide

If I could only keep one it'd be the AMC White Mountain Guide, but really, you'd have to fight me hard for the rest of them

 

[Papa Bear]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazer. Brilliant fiction about old war buddies hanging in there for each other in today's world even after one passes on.


One that’s really cool for some reason?

The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. If you love the Red Sox and Stephen King this little gem is a must. Much shorter than the usual King tome, and very little of the supernatural, it's a "closer" for an outdoor adventure. It has the typical King multiple climaxes, another, then another when you thought it was the end, and the last is the best. And King makes very few mistakes that folks like us love to point out.


The one if you could only keep one book?
I can't just pick one. sorry.

 

[JohnL]

A recent one that was just a good story and hard to put down?
In Search of the Old Ones by David Roberts
Nothing grabs your senses more than his description of his walking along a ledge in a Southwest canyon and coming upon a 1500 year old woven basket in perfect condition looking as though it had been dropped there yesterday.
Honorable Mention in this category was Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman about their motorcycle journey around the world.

One that’s really cool for some reason?
The Secret Knowledge of Water by Craig Childs
A wonderfully written book by a man who is really really really in touch with his environment and is also a great story teller. If you are in the desert and need to find water, hope that you are with this guy.

The one if you could only keep one book?
I'd tear the covers off of two books and wrap duct tape around them, count them as one: The Seven Mountain Travel Books by William Tilman and The Six Mountain Travel Books by Eric Shipton. Adventure at its finest with the least amount of fuss from one end of the world to the other. Those guys knew what adventure was all about. And all with typical British understatement, political incorrectness and humor.

JohnL

 

[Billy]

A recent one that was just a good story?

Mountain Odyssey: One Man's Summer in the Canadian Rockies by Brent Lea
Cancer survivor decides to take a summer off from work and backpack through the Canadian Rockies.

One that’s really cool?

Mountain Time: A Yellowstone Memoir by Paul Schullery
Yellowstone Ranger recounts his experiences in the park....also some good info about the history and geology.

If you could only keep one book?

The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher
What this guy did in the Grand Canyon is flat-out amazing.