This High Wild Country

For centuries, the spectacular landscapes now protected in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park have amazed and inspired us. Historian-naturalist Paul Schullery and artist-illustrator Marsha Karle bring us a new and richly textured portrait of this magnificent region and reveal why Waterton-Glacier is a world treasure. Through Schullery's text and Karle's watercolors and drawings, we crisscross the roads and trails of this magnificent wilderness. We learn its deep geological history and encounter its wild residents. And we discover its ever-increasing value as a barometer of planetary health in today's rapidly changing world. Schullery, who has been described as the foremost citizen of the American national parks, and Karle, whose art is informed by a National Park Service career in some of North America's most beautiful landscapes, combine their talents to create a memorable tale of the beauty, power, and peril of this high, wild country.

Canada’s mountain man shares his best wilderness adventure stories Though Andy Russell has been many things in his life – hunter, trapper, trail guide, wilderness photographer and filmmaker, conservationist, and activist – he is, above all else, a master storyteller. This collection of twenty-four stories, selected and introduced by R. Bruce Morrison, includes Andy’s accounts of growing up on a ranch near the Rocky Mountains; hunting with a rifle, fishing rod, and camera; and encounters with wildlife large and small. He describes the warmth of a campfire shared with loved ones and the feeling of being part of something greater than himself. Andy writes about the animals he has lived and worked with, such as Seppi, his trusty hunting dog; Ace, his courageous trail horse; and Amos, the pack horse with a high I.Q. He also retells the stories of his friends and family, some that will make your hair stand on end, such as the time his father-in-law jumped off a log almost right into a grizzly’s lap or when his son stood eight feet from a grizzly and argued with it until they parted ways… intact. Some of the stories are funny, others are compelling and inspiring. This collection is a testament to over sixty years of living in Canada’s wild places.

Stunning backpacking routes in the Scottish Highlands and Islands are covered in this inspiring, large-format guidebook. 30 routes are described, ranging from 1-4 days, with most suitable for a long weekend. The routes are divided between the Western Highlands and Inner Hebrides, the Central and Eastern Highlands, the Northwest Highlands, the Far North and the Outer Hebrides. They are suitable for those with the experience and self-reliance to navigate proficiently and stay safe in an environment which can easily become inhospitable. Although some routes visit bothies, most call for at least one night's wild camping. Each walk includes overview data, route description and 1:100,000 mapping and they are illustrated with stunning photos. An introduction offers background information about the Highlands' rich geology, plants and wildlife and the historical and cultural context of Scotland's 'wilderness'. There is also practical information on preparing for an incursion and advice for those looking to expand their experience of wild-country backpacking. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are home to the most ruggedly beautiful, expansive and challenging backpacking country in the British Isles. This is a land for those who love open spaces, vast horizons, and the domination of nature.

Shortlisted: 2016 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature '[Wild Country] chronicles not just the mountains [Mark] has climbed, but the part he played in bringing to market a little piece of sporting equipment that revolutionised mountaineering and saved countless lives.' – Sarah Freeman, Yorkshire Post In early 1978, an extraordinary new invention for rock climbers was featured on the BBC television science show Tomorrow's World. It was called the 'Friend', and it not only made the sport safer, it helped push the limits of the possible. The company that made them was called Wild Country, the brainchild of Mark Vallance. Within six months, Vallance was selling Friends in sixteen countries. Wild Country would go on to develop much of the gear that transformed climbing in the 1980s. Mark Vallance's influence on the outdoor world extends far beyond the company he founded. He owned and opened the influential retailer Outside in the Peak District and was part of the team that built The Foundry, Sheffield's premier climbing wall – the first modern climbing gym in Britain. He worked for the Peak District National Park and served on its board. He even found time to climb 8,000-metre peaks and the Nose on El Capitan. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his mid fifties and robbed of his plans for retirement, Vallance found a new sense of purpose as a reforming president of the British Mountaineering Council. In Wild Country, Vallance traces his story, from childhood influences like Robin Hodgkin and Sir Jack Longland, to two years in Antarctica, where he was base commander of the UK's largest and most southerly scientific station at Halley Bay, before his fateful meeting with Ray Jardine, the man who invented Friends, in Yosemite. Trenchant, provocative and challenging, Wild Country is a remarkable personal story and a fresh perspective on the role of the outdoors in British life and the development of climbing in its most revolutionary phase.

Howard Zahniser (1906–1964), executive secretary of The Wilderness Society and editor of The Living Wilderness from 1945 to 1964, is arguably the person most responsible for drafting and promoting the Wilderness Act in 1964. The act, which created the National Wilderness Preservation System, was the culmination of Zahniser’s years of tenacious lobbying and his work with conservationists across the nation. In 1964, fifty-four wilderness areas in thirteen states were part of the system; today the number has grown to 757 areas, protecting more than a hundred million acres in forty-four states and Puerto Rico. Zahniser’s passion for wild places and his arguments for their preservation were communicated through radio addresses, magazine articles, speeches, and congressional testimony. An eloquent and often poetic writer, he seized every opportunity to make the case for the value of wilderness to people, communities, and the nation. Despite his unquestioned importance and the power of his prose, the best of Zahniser's wilderness writings have never before been gathered in a single volume. This indispensable collection makes available in one place essays and other writings that played a vital role in persuading Congress and the American people that wilderness in the United States deserved permanent protection.

At once a stirring adventure tale, a candid memoir, an offbeat natural history, and a smart literary chronicle, The Bear Doesn’t Know is a bear-lover’s book of wonders—rich in the joy, beauty, and inspiration found during a life well lived in bear country.

"Wolf Brother" is an incredible novel about Jonathan, an out-and-out Hawk Apache who returns to his tribe after spending six years in the white man's schools. The amusing characters in this work make it an entertaining read for the young ones.