Favorite books on the outdoors

[jellyfish]

I like nonfiction and can recommend:

Outermost House by Henry Beston is a classic (1928) about his year living on the easternmost edge of Cape Cod. It is one of my favorite books of all time, and I recently learned that it was one of my Grandfather's favorite books. I read this when I need to heal my wounded soul.

I just finished 81 Days Below Zero by Brian Murphy. It is super cool. It is about a co-pilot whose plane went down in Alaska during WWII and he survived on his own for 81 days in the freezing cold and walked out of the arctic alive.

Endurance by Alfred Lansing, about Shakleton's 1914 Polar Expedition. I literally cried my eyes out. It is so so good.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, about how he survived an accident while ice climbing in the Andes, is total suspense thriller.

[TallPaul]

I like nonfiction and can recommend:

Outermost House by Henry Beston is a classic (1928) about his year living on the easternmost edge of Cape Cod. It is one of my favorite books of all time, and I recently learned that it was one of my Grandfather's favorite books. I read this when I need to heal my wounded soul.

I just finished 81 Days Below Zero by Brian Murphy. It is super cool. It is about a co-pilot whose plane went down in Alaska during WWII and he survived on his own for 81 days in the freezing cold and walked out of the arctic alive.

Endurance by Alfred Lansing, about Shakleton's 1914 Polar Expedition. I literally cried my eyes out. It is so so good.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, about how he survived an accident while ice climbing in the Andes, is total suspense thriller.

I'll have to check out your first two recommendations as I like the last two.
I have Endurance on audiobook and have listened to that a couple times. Such a good story.
Also enjoy Touching the Void and some of Joe's other books. Sometimes I'll think man this is a tough trail (or whatever), but then I'll think this isn't Touching the Void tough.

[weaver2469]

If you like the north woods or have ever been to the Boundary Waters, Sigurd Olson is always good. The Singing Wilderness is a good starting point. If you are more of a desert/canyon reader, Edward Abbey is a good choice. Desert Solitaire is great.

[jellyfish]

I'll have to check out your first two recommendations as I like the last two.
I have Endurance on audiobook and have listened to that a couple times. Such a good story.
Also enjoy Touching the Void and some of Joe's other books. Sometimes I'll think man this is a tough trail (or whatever), but then I'll think this isn't Touching the Void tough.

I didn't know that Joe wrote other books. I'll look into that!

I am also thinking that anything by Farley Mowat is stellar, especially Never Cry Wolf, which is one of his non-fiction accounts of his early career as a field biologist in Canada. His book Sea of Slaughter, which is a lament for the oceans, is also very good, but depressing. Some of his fiction books are fun. Lost in the Barrens is written for young boys, but my niece will be getting a copy for her birthday. It is spectacular for young fiction.

[jellyfish]

I love this book: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidd.../dp/0307279189

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Thought the 26.2 miles of a traditional marathon was difficult? Apparently there are extreme marathoners who run marathons totaling more than 100 miles! Christopher McDougall goes into the "underground" world of ultra marathoners and tribes in Africa that hunt via persistence hunting, the worlds oldest hunting method. It involves simply chasing down prey for miles and miles and miles until the prey flat out tires before the hunter does. The author goes on to make an argument using empirical data and physiological evidence that the human body was quite literally born to run. I thought this book so so interesting I couldn't put it down and I recommend it to anymore who even remotely has in interest in running, working out or the outdoors.

Steve


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Born to Run is a great book. McDougall also wrote Natural Born Heroes, which is equally good.

[jellyfish]

I really enjoyed River of Doubt by Candice Millard. It covers a fairly ill-fated exploration by Teddy Roosevelt, post-presidency, of an unmapped tributary of the Amazon. It's a pretty crazy outdoor adventure, non-fiction, and historic which ticks a lot of boxes for me.

https://www.amazon.com/River-Doubt-T...river+of+doubt

Agree! River of Doubt is one of those stories that I keep coming back to and thinking about. So amazing that Teddy accomplished this and endured it all.

[-Sawg]

If you like the north woods or have ever been to the Boundary Waters, Sigurd Olson is always good. The Singing Wilderness is a good starting point. If you are more of a desert/canyon reader, Edward Abbey is a good choice. Desert Solitaire is great.

I have been to the BWCA a few times, it is not too far for me. I will have to check out Olson. I have heard Desert Solitaire is good too.

[StevieBuns]

Born to Run is a great book. McDougall also wrote Natural Born Heroes, which is equally good.

Thanks for the heads up I'm definitely going to check that out. :-)

Steve

[cap624]

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Bob Montgomery

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antartic Expedition by Caroline Alexander

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury, Laney Salisbury

Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan

It's Not About the Hike by Nancy Sporberg

[jellyfish]

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Bob Montgomery

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antartic Expedition by Caroline Alexander

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury, Laney Salisbury

Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan

It's Not About the Hike by Nancy Sporberg

Love the Heart of the Sea. Remember the Essex!!

Love the Cruelest Miles.

Will definitely be checking out these other books on your list.