Good backcountry books

I don't know if this has been done in any older threads, but this site is a great place to share favorite books about backcountry travel. I have many favorites, and I would love some tips on any that I might have missed. To get started, here are a few of my all-time favorites.

Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure by James West Davidson and John Rugge. Harrowing tale of privation during an early exploration of Labrador by canoe.

Winterdance by Gary Paulsen. At times hilarious account of a neophyte training for and running the Iditarod.

Indian Creek Chronicles: A Winter Alone in the Wilderness by Pete Fromm. Another neophyte story, this time overwintering in Idaho.

Although it is not really a backcountry book, I also want to recommend Three Cups of Tea by Greg Relin and David Oliver Mortenson, the story of how a failed attempt on K2 led Mortensen to start a new non-profit career building schools in villages in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border regions. This guy, operating on a shoestring, is doing 1000x more to promote peace in the region than any number of people with big guns and big budgets.

I'm assuming that many of you are already familiar with bestsellers like John Krakauer's superb Into the Wild. For now at least I'm not going into exploration and mountaineering books, but I read a lot in this area so I am also interested in suggestions. And then there's the natural science collection... and good novels that relate to backcountry travel.

If you are thinking of coming to Norway, I'm afraid I have to recommend against In the Fellowship of Ghosts by Paul Watkins. I'll restrain myself and just say that I found it disappointing and uninformed. (The cover photo-composite is also more than a little misleading). Probably one the best books I have read about Norway is Assault in Norway by Thomas Gallagher, IMO the best of at least three books out there about the sabotage of the heavy water plant in Rjukan during World War II, an absolute page-turner. Fridtjof Nansen's Farthest North and By Ski Over Greenland are also well worth reading.

What are some of your favorites?

Try
The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic by Edward Beauclerk Maurice

I can't resist a good book thread.

Great Heart is one of my all-time favorite books too! A friend/co-worker who is an avid paddler recommended it.

I also liked Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson spoke at my alma mater last month, just down the road a bit, but I was out of town that day. He has a kids version of the book out now, Listen to the Wind. I gave it to my son for his birthday.

I've also liked Eiger Dreams by John Krakauer, Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches by Jill Fredston, and Walking with Spring by Earl V. Shaffer.

And in the fiction category, I liked Charles Frazier's Thirteen Moons and Cold Mountain, which aren't strictly backcountry books, but definitely rely on outdoor settings.

There are many more I've read farther back that I could recommend. These are the more recent ones I've thought of. I'd like to pull book recommendations into an actual article/page on this site.

Yes, Snowstruck is really good. I almost added Fredston's Rowing to Latitude to my original list, but IMO it's not quite top shelf, spread a little too thin (she also sort of disses Norway. Hmph.)

I will see if I can track down The Last Gentlemen Adventurer. I often try to interlibrary loan first because we accumulate far too many books (my wife says there's no such thing) as it is. And of course as soon as you look these up on Amazon it puts you on the trail of dozens of related titles, many of which sound good. But that's how I ended up with the Fellowship of Ghosts.

Years ago I read and quite enjoyed a book that might be in the same vein as Gentleman Adventurer: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby. Two very inexperienced Englishmen leave cushy jobs in London to wander aroundin Afghanistan and attempt a 6000 meter peak. It was very funny, but I think also offered some insight into Afghanistan as it was then (1950s).

Three Cups of Tea is a good book!

I enjoy stories (true ones) of personal sacrifice in order to help the oppressed.

Here is the official website:

http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

I would point out that it is unfortunate but very necessary to have big guns and big budgets to push back the iron like rule of the Taliban especially in the South and the East in order for young girls to go to school in Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule young girls are not allowed to be educated, violations result in beatings, torture, and worse.

I do agree with education being a better road to peace, however it takes two to tango.

Is Indian Creek Chronicles a true story?

Unfortunate but true about the big guns.

Indian Creek Chronicles is true.

Anatoli Boukreev - The Climb

A great book. I vowed never to read another Jon Krakauer book after reading the disaster from anothers perspective.

Everyone associates the tragedy that took place when 8 climbers were killed on Everest with Into Thin Air which was one mans Personal Account of the events that took place. When you read accounts from others that were there, you will never look at Krakauer the same... I least I don't.

I have more, these two are among my all-time favorites:

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson

And now for something completely different, there's The Ascent Of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman, if you can find a copy.

It's a short, 1956 spoof of a mountaineering expedition to climb a 40,000 and a half foot peak. I'd never heard of it before I saw it at our library's annual used book sale several years ago and the cover caught my eye. It's very funny. See if your library can find a copy.

The Thousand Mile Summer by Colin Fletcher is a great book. I just re-read it for about the 20th time. Its about Fletchers walk from the Mexican Border near Yuma AZ to northern California up to the Oregon Border along the mountains and deserts of the area. He walked it in the early 1960's around 63'.

We think that "A ROAD MORE or Less TRAVELED" by Otis & Roberts is awesome!!! It is basically about two friends who decide to and do the AT from Maine to Georgia (sobo)....... I think you should read it!

"I wish all trail book were as well-written as this one." (Linda Patton, booksforhikers.com)

"You'll be so intrigued on one page that you can't read fast enough to get to the next. You'll be laughing so hard on another that you have to put the book down. Then, and it might be the very next page, you'll find yourself crying and will have to take a moment." (Jerry's Literary Review)

It was reviewed by REI.com too!!

Well, we really really enjoyed this and wanted to share it with anyone who enjoys outdoor adventure type reading! It was too good not to share!! Hope you check it out!

Oh one more thing, just got the book out, you can visit the book web site at www.readaroad.com

Thanks, I'll look for it. I also haven't read Bill Bryson's book on the AT, which is also supposed to be quite good.

BigRed said:

Thanks, I'll look for it. I also haven't read Bill Bryson's book on the AT, which is also supposed to be quite good.

'A Walk in the Woods' is a very funny book to read.

Alicia said:

....And now for something completely different, there's The Ascent Of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman, if you can find a copy.

You can buy Rum Doodle on Amazon

There is a short story or book along similar lines by Mark Twain, though I can't remember the name of it right now.

Bill S said:

You can buy Rum Doodle on Amazon

Oh good!

Eric Blehm's "The Last Season", the true story of a ranger that went missing in Kings Cayon NP. Good story.

Also "Ten Million Steps" by M.J. Eberhart, the story of a through hike from the Keys to Quebec.

trouthunter said:

Three Cups of Tea is a good book!

I enjoy stories (true ones) of personal sacrifice in order to help the oppressed.

Here is the official website:

http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

I would point out that it is unfortunate but very necessary to have big guns and big budgets to push back the iron like rule of the Taliban especially in the South and the East in order for young girls to go to school in Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule young girls are not allowed to be educated, violations result in beatings, torture, and worse.

I do agree with education being a better road to peace, however it takes two to tango.

Here's a fresh and informed opinion on this one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html

I read this article twice, as i said before I do agree that education is the best road to peace and prosperity over the long haul. First however you must have security, followed by stability.

The Taliban have not suddenly turned into good little boys who wish to play nice, they are being engaged and pushed back by the military presence there. There is currently no other force (political or otherwise) to push them back. They have already shown what they do if allowed to run amok.

I do not think the military option is a long term solution, ultimately the Afghan people will either stand on their own, or fail.

I see this as an age old battle between freedom and tyranny, education plays a pivotal role in the Afghan peoples chances of success, but without security in the region, they will not have the hope of freedom.

The Afghan people are a battered people, oppressed and downtrodden, they need a hand up. Education does not keep you from being slaughtered, in fact the educated ones are slaughtered first in many cases.

The idea that fighting against evil makes evil stronger, is absolutely retarded. If you have a large hornets nest in your yard close to where your children play, you destroy it. Of course the hornets are probably going to get mad and try to sting you. A bit of over simplification I know, but this is the same reaction the Taliban have, we have them all stirred up. They will try to recruit, re-group, improvise, fight back and hold out, either until we go away, or come up with a solution.

I don't claim to have all the answers for Afghanistan, but I do believe that there are some absolute truths. Tyranny and brutality should never be allowed to flourish just because it's too hard to stop it, or because it's not our problem.

I say hooray for all the schools and God bless all the people who make it happen, now is not the time to give up, now is the time to be decisive.

For a good backcountry book you just cant beat the good old Bible. I never hike without it.

The Banff Mountain Book Festival annually awards prizes to the best new mountain and adventure books. They jury just announced the 2009 winners:

http://www.trailspace.com/articles/2009/11/03/2009-banff-mountain-book-festival-winners.html

Thats a lot of reading Alicia, maybe it will give me something to do besides run my mouth.

Yep....my wife Susan is nodding!

Hmmm...better get busy on those new bookshelves.

My dad is way ahead of me, he has so many books he's threatening to issue library cards to the family. No late fees though....yet.

I understand, Trouthunter! My own reading list is far longer than my reading time.

The Washburn bio and the Norwegian explorer one sound the most interesting to me of the Banff selections, though I can imagine reading any of them, given unlimited time to do so.

I was in Kepler's Monday (superb independent "local" bookstore) and picked up Dave Robert's Washburn bio. I almost took it to the cash register, but choked on the price. So I stood there for a loonnng time reading selected sections. Roberts is an excellent writer, but the book spends a lot of time on topics related to and background for understanding Brad, but are not really directly part of the bio. Still, a fun read (got about 1/3 of the way through, though in sections of interest, not a continuous straight-through read).

I also enjoyed The Accidental Adventurer, Barbara Washburn's memoir. For those who don't know, she was Brad's wife and the first woman to climb Denali.

I am currently reading Colin Fletcher's "Thousand Mile Summer" I also like his books "The man who walked through Time" and "River". His three guides to backpacking, whose names slip my mind at the moment are also good.

Also all of John Muirs books and those by Ray Jardine & Edward Abbey.

Hey Gary,

Thousand Mile Summer.....is that the one where he hikes through the dessert & Sierras. In the late 50's or so?

I think its the early 60s when he was in his late 30s. Yes he starts at Yuma following a Mexican "Wet Back Trail" and go up to the Oregon border.
He just crossed Death Valley and is the Paramints now. I am on about chapter 4.

Thanks Gary,

I read part of that one on a hiking trip, it was a buddies book. I didn't get to read it all of course, but I would like to.

I'll loan it to you after I finish reading it again, its been a while since I have read it. Send me your address? garyclaytonpalmer@yahoo.com

That would be great Gary, I'll get in touch tomorrow or Saturday!

Well said, friend. IMHO you couldn't be any more on target. BTW, I saw you mention Rock Spring, Soddy, and couple other places in another post - lol - I live between Flintstone and Chickamauga, used to live off Glass Mill about a mile from Straight Gut, as the crow flies - what a small world, uh, internet I mean

Years ago I read and quite enjoyed a book that might be in the same vein as Gentleman Adventurer: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby. Two very inexperienced Englishmen leave cushy jobs in London to wander aroundin Afghanistan and attempt a 6000 meter peak. It was very funny, but I think also offered some insight into Afghanistan as it was then (1950s).

I was just thinking about it, A short walk is a great book.
If you like that one than you should also look into: The Places in Between by Rory Stewart. The guy walked all the way through central asia and describe himself as the first tourist to Afghanistan.

I just finished reading John Geiger's The Third Man Factor: Surviving the impossible. There is a phenomenon that has long been known to be experienced by mountaineers, polar explorers, and solo sailors that in stressful situations, the presence of an additional member of the party is sensed. Under survival situations, this Third Man is often a benevolent figure, who may or may not be familiar, who provides guidance and assurance that helps get the person or party through to survive. A number of famous explorers and climbers have experienced the phenomenon - Reinhold Messner and Shackleton, among others. In many of the reported cases, the felt presence is just as real as the actual companions.

There is a large controversy about the cause and source of the phenomenon, with explanations ranging from the metaphysical and religious to evolutionary survival mechanisms stemming from various hormonal and brain structure functions. The term "Third Man" comes from the T. S. Elliot poem, The Waste Land, in a line "Who is the third who walks always beside you?", although Elliot's reference is to Ernest Shackleton's description of his experience, which involved 3 people experiencing a fourth presence ("three" is more poetic, I suppose).

Most of the book is about mountaineering, polar exploration, and sailing. But there are sections where Geiger relates it to religious visions, guardian angels, and visitations by saints and ancient gods. That section, plus the one where he tries to link it to a physical/physiological source by discussing hallucinations seen by mental patients, is the weak part of the book, in my opinion.

Still in all, the topic is of interest to anyone who spends time alone in the outdoors with the potential of getting into survival situations.