What begins as a journey and an education of the great outdoors ends as a journey and an education of the deep indoors and a close look at what makes us up and influences our decisions. When Ed and some friends set off for an overnight backpacking trip near Mt. Whitney they expected that they were in for a great adventure. They found themselves discovering many interesting facts and practical tips about the wilderness, nature and ecology. As they climbed further up the mountain, however, a mystery is revealed to them and they decide to extend the outing to discover the meaning behind the mystery which leads them to learn much more than they could have imagined. Unknown to them, this makeshift group of seven hikers produce a combination of personalities that would unlock the mysteries of the natural universe, provide them with the blueprint for sustained happiness, grant them extra-natural gifts and expose personal shortcomings of human nature which serve to unlock a philosophical tone ripe for introspection, self evaluation and self improvement.

This is a book on high-altitude trekking in the magnificent Himalayan range in Himachal Pradesh, India, and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. It is also much more. The treks described in such detail are pegs on which the author has draped the entire tapestry of the mountains the life of local communities, their unique customs, mythology, the challenges of development in ecologically fragile landscapes, the politics of environmental conservation, the rapid transformation overtaking these remote regions which, unfortunately, are not exempt from the effects of progress as we define it in its limited way. The book covers four enthralling treks through the Great Himalayan National Park in Kullu district, inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2014 perhaps the first time that this unique nature reserve has been depicted in such faithful and loving detail. Eight other treks in the districts of Chamba, Kullu, Kangra, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla, and Kinnaur complete a fascinating account spread over 20 years. Contents: Introduction; Treks in Shimla District-Srikhand Mahadev; Treks in Kinnaur District Raldang Kora Parikrama of the Kinner Kailash; Treks in Kullu District Dhela; Thatch; The Heart of the Great Himalayan National Park; Tirath The Glacier and the Blue Sheep; Rakti-Sar The Glacial Womb; Jivanal; Hamta Pass; Chandrakhani Pass to Malana; Treks in Lahaul and Spiti District Pin Parbat - A Tale of Two Rivers and a Pass; Chandratal to Baralacha Pass; Treks in Kangra District Chhota Bhangal; Bara Bhangal - The Forgotten Valley; Acknowledgements; Index.

A complete guide to hiking and traveling in Eastern Oregon, including the Wallowa Mountains, Steens Mountain, and the high desert country east of Bend.

Stories about off-trail hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mainly stories to entertain, but if you'll pay careful attention, you'll learn about some great, out-of-the-way places in the park: Cat Stairs, Jumpoff, the "real" Charlies Bunion, Porters Creek manway, The Gorge of Raven Fork, and plenty of others.

Family Walks and Hikes is an exciting new series of books written specifically for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. These accurate, attractive guides feature expertly curated routes, informative maps, and colour photographs. The Lower Mainland's first entry in the series introduces readers to a wide range of trails that North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and the Howe Sound Islands have to offer. With routes ranging from neighbourhood walks to backcountry adventures to rugged mountain vistas, Family Walks and Hikes of Greater Vancouver's North Shore has something for everyone. Trails include: Mount Artaban Kennedy Falls/Big Cedar Lynn Canyon Park Whyte Lake Goat Ridge De Pencier Bluffs Lower MacKay Creek Mount Seymour Yew Lake Eagle Bluffs Hollyburn Mountain Goat Mountain Maplewood Flats Lighthouse Park Cypress Falls Ranging from charmingly easy to moderately challenging, all of these hikes are accessible from reliable roads and popular staging areas. In addition, each hike is accompanied by a clear, colourful map, step by step directions, and full-colour photographs. Each route includes: detailed directions to trailheads colour maps and photographs seasonal information round-trip distances trail commentary difficulty ratings

Noted northern traveller Hap Wilson shares accounts of his lifelong involvement with wilderness living within the Canadian Shield. A park ranger, canoe guide, and environmental activist, Wilson takes the reader on a journey through natural settings ranging from austere to mysterious and breathtaking.

A cultural “biography” of Robert Frost’s beloved poem, arguably the most popular piece of literature written by an American “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood . . .” One hundred years after its first publication in August 1915, Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget that it is, in fact, a poem. Yet poetry it is, and Frost’s immortal lines remain unbelievably popular. And yet in spite of this devotion, almost everyone gets the poem hopelessly wrong. David Orr’s The Road Not Taken dives directly into the controversy, illuminating the poem’s enduring greatness while revealing its mystifying contradictions. Widely admired as the poetry columnist for The New York Times Book Review, Orr is the perfect guide for lay readers and experts alike. Orr offers a lively look at the poem’s cultural influence, its artistic complexity, and its historical journey from the margins of the First World War all the way to its canonical place today as a true masterpiece of American literature. “The Road Not Taken” seems straightforward: a nameless traveler is faced with a choice: two paths forward, with only one to walk. And everyone remembers the traveler taking “the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.” But for a century readers and critics have fought bitterly over what the poem really says. Is it a paean to triumphant self-assertion, where an individual boldly chooses to live outside conformity? Or a biting commentary on human self-deception, where a person chooses between identical roads and yet later romanticizes the decision as life altering? What Orr artfully reveals is that the poem speaks to both of these impulses, and all the possibilities that lie between them. The poem gives us a portrait of choice without making a decision itself. And in this, “The Road Not Taken” is distinctively American, for the United States is the country of choice in all its ambiguous splendor. Published for the poem’s centennial—along with a new Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Frost’s poems, edited and introduced by Orr himself—The Road Not Taken is a treasure for all readers, a triumph of artistic exploration and cultural investigation that sings with its own unforgettably poetic voice.

Join Steamboat Springs photographer Jim Steinberg and naturalist Susan Tweit on a journey through many remote and less-traveled parts of Colorado. From the Eastern Plains to the remote Talamantes Valley in Northwest Colorado, this book looks at places that many people have never seen. With 148 beautiful, full color images, maps, driving directions and a lyric text, this is a book that every Coloradoan should own. According to Dean Singleton, publisher of The Denver Post, Colorados hidden beauty is also its most magnificent splendor. These roads less traveled portray a collective view of the real Colorado. The name Colorado brings to mind images of the Rocky Mountains, but the state has many other faces, from forbidding deserts to oceans of prairie to wide-open parks, Colorado Less Traveled journeys through the lesser known and less crowded, but no less awesome and beautiful parts of Colorado. This book is for the explorer inn each off us who wants to get away from it all, whether literally or simply through these pages.Photographer Jim Steinbergs tendency to take the roads others didnt has led to some of his finest photography and inspired this book, a celebration of Colorados other landscapes. From Prairie grasses to foothills canyons, from snow-dusted peaks to painted badlands and desert rivers, these images reveal Colorado in its entirety, a state of captivating in its moods, landscapes, and diversity of life, both wild and human.Susan j. Tweits lyric essays give voice to Jims evocative photographs, telling the stories of the rocks, lichens, wildflowers, wildlife and people who inhabit these landscapes. Raised by naturalists and educated in science, she weaves history, ecology and geology to bring Colorado to life. Her words and Jims photos together evoke a world we want to know.Open these pages and prepare to be dazzled by Colorado not often see or appreciated. Journey with us to less-traveled landscapes that will enlarge and enrich your view of this breathtaking state.

PATHS LESS TRAVELED By: Gordon DuBois Many a fascinating tale is told in this outstanding collection of hiking columns penned by avid tramper Gordon DuBois. Paths Less Traveled takes the reader along trails – and sometimes off-trail - far and wide across the Lakes Region, the White Mountains, and the lonesome North Country. Within these pages you’ll find vivid narratives of treks to peaks, ponds, waterfalls, old logging railroad grades, abandoned villages, big trees, little-known conservation lands, and many other interesting destinations. The trips range from family-friendly strolls to epic bushwhacks and daunting rock scrambles. Along the way the author provides a generous helping of local historical lore. Also included are useful tips on safe hiking in summer and winter, leave no trace principles, senior fitness, and a canine perspective from Reuben, the author’s faithful trail companion. Paths Less Traveled will be a treasured addition to any New Hampshire hiker’s bookshelf. Steven D. Smith, Co-Editor of the AMC White Mountain Guide Paths Less Traveled describes several trails in Meredith complete with details on how to find them and what to expect when I get there. I am a novice hiker with a young dog and Gordon's book has helped us to get started on adventures without feeling overwhelmed by trails that are too challenging or too crowded for us. Erin Apostolos, Director Meredith Public Library If you are an explorer who likes to seek out destinations that are a bit different or are off the radar away from the crowds, Paths Less Traveled is for you. Author Gordon DuBois draws upon his extensive experience hiking throughout New England to bring the reader to some locations that are more well-known and many that are not, some by trail and others by bushwhack. Peppered with personal anecdotes and interesting historical narratives, Paths Less Traveled is a captivating read and will appeal to both the experienced and novice hiker. Ken MacGray, Co-Editor of the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Edition