A few days back I summarized my 12 favorite running books. Since trail runners and ultrarunners have a sense of adventure that often extends beyond running, here is a list of my 20 favorite outdoor adventure books (in no particular order), in case anyone is interested. There are so many great ones out there, it was hard winnowing the list down. Feel free to add any others. No Short-cuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs – Viesturs is the first person to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without bottled oxygen. This book is about his journey to those peaks, but in my opinion, provides outstanding insight into the alpine climbing community and culture. Very inspiration as well. What I enjoyed about this book is that Viesturs is a more level-headed adventurer (not a go-for-it guy), and his insight into danger and risk was interesting. The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise by Ian Baker – Baker explores the Tsangpo River by foot seeking a mythical falls buried deep in the Tsangpo Canyon. An excellent memoir of his journeying through one of the most remote regions in the world. Baker is a Bhuddist scholar and the book is a mediation on our relationship with nature. The Hard Way by Mark Jenkins – Jenkins used to write an outdoor adventure column for Outside magazine, and this is a collection of those essays. He’s one of the best outdoor writers out there, in my opinion. The essays are heavy into climbing but also touch on some personal issues and lesser journeys done locally. A Man’s Life is the sequel which is just as good a read. Some more memorable essays from these books are one where he does a 3-day mountain bike ride around Wyoming with $20 in his pocket and little else; how is gym teacher once made him run steps as punishment and he’s been running trails and climbing ever since; and what it’s like leaving your family behind on travel. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen – A wonderful account of Mattiessen’s spiritual quest to sneak a peek at the elusive snow leopard in the high Himalayas. He wrote this as a student of zen Bhuddism and you can just feel the sacredness of the prose. Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee – McPhee is the best creative non-fiction writer around and this is probably my favorite of his books. The book is in three sections, each a journey into a wilderness area while accompanied by a pro-developer figure (ie, a mineral engineer, a resort developer, and a dam builder). On each, they are joined by David Brower, a fierce conservationist. The discourse between these figures as they travel through wilderness areas is magnificent. Long Distance by Bill McKibben – McKibben usually writes about environmental issues, but in this book, he decides to spend a year training with the USA cross country ski team. Great insight into different aspects of fitness and training (and aging). The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz – true story (maybe) about six prisoners who escape from a Soviet labor camp in Siberia in WW2 and trek thousands of miles home. One of the great hardship tales. Chasing Che by Patrick Symmes – Symmes is a good writer who decides to trace the path that Che Geuvara made around South America on his epic journey as a youth. The Wild Trees by Richard Preston – Another fantastic writer, Preston explores the largest trees in the world (in northern CA) and the subculture of people who climb them. I love well-written books about arcane subjects and this is certainly one of them. The Last of his Kind by David Roberts – a biography of Brad Washburn, an old school climber based in Alaska who was instrumental in defining the sport and transforming the ideal of wilderness. He was also an outstanding nature photographer. A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins – the classic. Written plainly but with great heart. It’s the tale of Jenkin’s journey wandering the backroads of America and finding the true spirit of this country. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer – Another true war-prison-escape story. In this one, Harrer escapes, wanders 21 months though the most remote mountains in the world, and ends up in Lhasa, Tibet, where he befriends the Dalai Lama. Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis – Davis holds the speed record on the Appalachian Trail, but this book is about a previous through-hike she did. Magnificently captures the spirit and culture of the AT. I usually don’t love books about hiking the AT (they are often, um, unexciting) but this one was great. Into Thin Air – no explanation needed – one of the best. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey – this is my nature bible, maybe the best book of its type ever written. Abbey was way ahead of his time with his thoughts about wilderness and conservation. This is one to read again and again. Good Morning Midnight: Life and Death in the Wild by Chip Brown – In 2000, naturalist Guy Waterman climbed Mt. Lafayette in New Hampshire during a snow blizzard, laid down on exposed rocks, and froze to death in one of the more unique suicides ever. This book backtracks and explores what led to this event. Very eye-opening tale. Beyond the Horizon by Colin Angus – this may be my favorite hard-core adventure tale. Angus sets out to circle the globe under his own power by trekking, rowing, biking, etc. Brutal adventure but oh so captivating and motivating. Should be a must-read by anyone who wants to attempt and grand adventure. Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox – this is a biography of one of the greatest endurance athletes of all time and her amazing marathon swims. What’s fascinating to me is seeing how endurance swimming is so different in many ways from endurance running. Explorers of the Infinite by Maria Coffey – one of my all-time favorite books, this one delves into the spiritual side of endurance athletes. It looks at suffering, near death experiences, and moments of transcendence. Thought-provoking stuff. The Amateurs by David Halberstam – this book was written in my youth but is one of the most motivational books I have ever read. Halberstam spends a year with Olympic rowers, sharing their training and racing and level of commitment. An eye-opening book about athletes striving to reach their goals.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 18:47:50 +0000
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