In 2003 David Miller, a 41 year-old engineer, quit his job to backpack 2172 miles from Georgia to Maine. His story is told here in Awol on the Appalachian Trail, an outstanding contemporary account of hiking on the A.T. It provides a vivid description of the Appalachian Mountains, the small towns threaded together by the trail, and people met along the way. Abundant photographs complement the book's exacting prose. This book puts the reader into the shoes of the long distance hiker, and draws parallels between lessons learned on the trail and challenges of everyday experience. It is entertaining and funny, insightful and informative. It is about liberation, motivation and perseverance. This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to break free from routine, anyone with a desire for adventure.

An Unabridged, Digitally Enlarged Edition With Original Illustrations, To Include: The Sierra Nevada - The Glaciers - The Snow - A Near View Of The High Sierra - The Passes - The Glacier Lakes - The Glacier Meadows - The Forests - The Douglas Squirrel - A Wind-Storm In The Forests - The River Floods - Sierra Thunder-Storms - The Water-Ouzel - The Wild Sheep - In The Sierra Foot-Hills - The Bee-Pastures

"We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir." San Francisco ChronicleThese astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape -- the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. A stunning tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect the world we love.

The famous conservationist's lyrical, exuberant observations of the awe-inspiring beauty of the Sierra Nevada. Introduction by Gretel Ehrlich. Penguin Nature Library.

"The perfect follow-up to Krakauer's riveting account of a perfect storm."--Miami Herald"Kodas's absorbing description of the narrow moral compass governing human interaction at the top of the world is bound to shock both armchair adventurers and seasoned mountaineers."--Chicago Tribune"(Kodas) discovered more deceit, thievery, and double-crossing among his climbers than you find in a Martin Scorsese gangster film. High Crimes is both an adventure story and an expos of a sport riddled with danger and corruption."--Washington Post Book World"Kodas's descriptions of the struggles confronting even the best-prepared climbers leave the reader breathless."--Dallas Morning News"[High Crimes] is hair-raising and lays bare the excitement and fear that face great explorers at the top of the world. . . . Well written, and as deftly plotted as the finest mystery novel, Kodas brings to life a disturbing picture of society at high altitude."--Austin Chronicle"Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. . . . His narrative is as hard to turn away from as a slow-motion train wreck."--Publishers WeeklyHigh Crimes is journalist Michael Kodas's gripping account of life on top of the world--where man is every bit as deadly as Mother Nature.

As the climbers of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster vanished into thin air, one man had the courage to bring them down alive...On May 10, 1996, two commercial expeditions headed by expert leaders attempted to scale the world's largest peak. But things went terribly wrong. Crowded conditions, bad judgement, and a bitter storm stopped many climbers in their tracks. Others were left for dead, or stranded on the frigid mountain. Anatoli Boukreev, head climbing guide for the Mountain Madness expedition, stepped into the heart of the storm and brought three of his clients down alive. Here is his amazing story-of an expedition fated for disaster, of the blind ambition that drives people to attempt such dangerous ventures, and of a modern-day hero, who risked his own life to save others..

This book was derived from letters, articles and local publications written by John Muir, arranged in roughly chronological sequence. They span a period of twenty-nine years of Muir's life. The chapters describing Nevada, San Gabriel and Utah were written in the field, and have great immediacy, describing Muir's first impressions. Muir was a passionate naturalist, a botanist, a poet and profoundly spiritual. This volume has thrilling episodes of adventure and details a region that was once teeming with life and contained seemingly endless forests.

"This is a first-rate detective story, but it is an even better love story – an account of the love for wild places that animates some of us, leads us ever deeper in and higher up." —Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature and Wandering Home "Like Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man, The Last Season is filled with suspenseful storytelling that synthesizes years of exceptional research. Beyond documenting an intriguing search-and-rescue incident, this is the legendary tale of Randy Morgenson, an unsung witness of wilderness devotion, a true conscience and disciple of the backcountry, whose last wish may well have been to pay off a debt to the mountains and meadows he protected." —Aron Ralston, author Between A Rock and a Hard Place "The story of a wild man of profound vision and sustaining conscience. Blehm has superbly captured that soul and given it voice; it is one we all should listen to carefully." —Page Stegner, Author Outpost of Eden: A Curmudgeon at Large in the American West "At the heart of The Last Season is an inquiry you needn’t have left pavement and hot showers to appreciate. It delves into the character of a man, the story of a marriage, the compromises that make our lives work, and the outcomes of one man’s refusal to make them. I couldn’t put it down." —Jordan Fisher Smith author Nature Noir: A Park Ranger’s Patrol in the Sierra "An intriguing, bittersweet wilderness detective story." —Greg Child, author Over the Edge: The True Story of Four American Climbers' Kidnap and Escape in the Mountains of Central Asia "This is a hell of a story, a tale of lost souls and human frailty and very real sadness, but it’s also a one-of-a-kind look into a truly rarefied American subculture, the specialized world of elite backcountry rangers – their ethics, their techniques, even the motivations that keep them deep in the woods, as the years turn into decades and life flows on by. I have a feeling Eric Blehm’s The Last Season is going to be around for a long time, earning a place in every home library devoted to the California wilderness experience." —Daniel Duane, author Caught Inside and Looking For Mo "Impeccably researched and compassionately told, The Last Season is a compelling story of one man’s passion and pain." —Jennifer Jordan, author Savage Summit A beautifully crafted work that would be a compelling read simply on the basis of a remarkable true story. However, Blehm goes far beyond merely recounting dramatic events and through meticulous research and sensitivity succeeds in getting into the hearts, minds and very souls of his characters. Interest in the out-of-doors isn't required to enjoy THE LAST SEASON, but this book also provides an insightful look into the lives of backcountry rangers˜a dedicated and largely unknown group of defenders and lovers of the American wilderness. —Jim Burnett, author, Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks "The Last Season is an exciting yet tragic saga that follows the mysterious disappearance of wilderness ranger Randy Morgenson. This true story is a "must read" for any serious Sierraphile." —Gene Rose, Sierra author, historian and lecturer "Eric Blehm’s The Last Season is a terrific mystery and a heartbreaking story of one man’s love of wilderness. It will keep you reading into the night, and remain with you long after you have finished." —Nora Gallagher, author Practicing Resurrection "Very artfully written, The Last Season allows the reader a highly-intimate – almost voyeuristic – insight into the life and mysterious disappearance of this enigmatic and, some would say, larger-than-life backcountry park ranger. I highly recommend it." —Butch Farabee, author Death, Daring, and Disaster – Search and Rescue in the National Parks "A mesmerizing tale of one man’s struggle for fidelity – to the woman with whom he enjoined his life, and to the wild world of which he was steward. How many of us have felt in our bones that pull between worlds and the passions they inspire; Blehm sinks our teeth right into the marrow of that conflict." —Amy Irvine McHarg, wilderness activist and author

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton PressIdaho's backcountry wilderness is renowned for its stark beauty.  Remarkably, some of the state's most beautiful sites are easily accessible for the road traveler that is willing to drive the backcountry logging and forest service roads that few have cataloged.  Brother and sister team Lynna and Leland Howard have spent years doing just that.  With over 114 photographs, 33 color maps, 31 detailed expeditiosn complete with GPS coordinates, Backcountry Roads Idaho is an indespensible companion for the road explorer.