I was selected to read and review Blake Mycoskie’s new book Start Something That Matters . Mycoskie is the leader of TOMS Shoes, not some guy named Tom, and already had an interesting resume before he founded his shoe company that broke the mold by giving away a pair of shoes for every pair that [...]
Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
December 8th, 2011
Review of Start Something That Matters
October 26th, 2011
Trail Etiquette all Children Should Learn
As with driving on a road or walking on a sidewalk, there are some unwritten “rules” of the trail that help soothe the social fabric. As parents, we have an obligation to fellow hikers (and to our own sanity!) to teach our children these basic rules: Let faster-moving parties pass – If hikers are about [...]
August 5th, 2011
New Book Release: Hikes with Tykes
OJAI, Calif. (Aug. 4, 2011) – Day hiking with kids isn’t quite as simple as taking them onto a trail and walking. Many parents have no idea where there even is a trail. They wonder how to keep their kids properly dressed for the wilds and how they’ll ever carry their infant all those miles. [...]
July 12th, 2011
“Over the Top & Back Again” by Brandon Wilson Receives 2010 Book of the Year Bronze Award
Back in October we told you about “Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps,” the latest travel adventure book by Brandon Wilson. Well, we’d like to share some good news. It has been named 2010 Book of the Year Bronze Award winner (travel essay division) by ForeWord Reviews. The announcement was made on June 25, [...]
January 13th, 2011
The Via Alpina: A Trek Among Giants
It all began innocently enough. We heard about new trails crisscrossing the Alps. The Via Alpina consists of five trails stretching from Trieste, Italy on the Adriatic to Monte Carlo. By combining ancient long distance routes, they trace the backbone of the Alps for more than 5,000 kilometers. As seasoned thru-hikers looking for a challenge, [...]
Posted in Book Reviews 
Tags: Adriatic, Alps, hike, hiking, Italy, Monte Carlo, Trieste, Via Alpina 
3 Comments »February 10th, 2010
Book Suggestions for Your Next Trip
So – you are packing all the stuff you need to go on your long-planned hiking trip, and no doubt you have your standard list of essentials. You’ve got your boots, your sleeping mat and your water bottle. You throw in your plate, your mug and your camera. And what with that trowel, headlamp and [...]
January 27th, 2010
Outdoor Book Awards
If you’re looking for some great outdoor books check out the National Outdoor Book Awards website. As I browsed through the site I found myself mentally calculating how much reading time I could squeeze in so I could read as many of these award winning outdoor books as possible. I don’t get outside as often [...]
November 6th, 2009
Review of Gloryland by Shelton Johnson
Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson’s first novel Gloryland is the first person story of Elijah Yancy, an African American raised in post Civil War South Carolina that hikes out of the South to Nebraska, becomes a Buffalo Soldier, and eventually finds himself guarding the new Yosemite National Park in the early 20th Century. Johnson [...]
Posted in Book Reviews Tags: book, glory land, gloryland review, novel, ranger shelton johson, shelton johnson No Comments »March 2nd, 2009
Review of What Tree is That?
A new tree identification book has just been released by the Arbor Day Foundation. I’ve had my copy for a few days and have been very pleased with this handy little book, What Tree Is That?: A Guide to More Common Trees of North America. This tree book is comprehensive enough to help users identify [...]
Posted in Book Reviews Tags: arbor day, book reviews, new books, tree guide, trees, What Tree is That? No Comments »October 1st, 2007
Into the Wild Book Review
I just finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I read Into Thin Air a few years ago and have wanted to read Into the Wild for some time, but never got around to it. Then I heard the movie was coming out and I knew I had to read it soon so that [...]