Books for the days that you want to stay inside

November 30, 10:07 AMMinneapolis Outdoor Recreation ExaminerMarie Malinowski

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A book that will make you take pause 

It has occurred to me, lately, that not everyone wants to be outside this time of the year. That there are days when you want to stay inside and recharge your batteries; perhaps read about people doing the things you like to do. If this is you, here’s a few titles from my bookshelf (I borrowed the rating system from Backpacker magazine):

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

A book everyone should read more than once. Published in 1962, it was a wake-up call that the pesticide industry was killing the planet and every living thing on it. I first read this book in graduate school and was mortified with its words. Still, while my anger made me more aware of the atrocities that we're capable of inflicting on the planet, I also learned how I can reduce my own impact. This book is my Bible.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

If Krakauer scribbled something on a bar napkin that was loaded with typos, grammatical errors, and run-on sentences, and then handed it to me to edit, I’d declare it as brilliant without ever uncapping my red pen. Most of you have heard of this book. If you haven’t, it’s Jon Krakauer’s memoir of his summit of Mt. Everest.

Solo: On Her Own Adventure edited by Susan Fox Rogers

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

This is a collection of true stories written by women who ventured into the wilderness, solo, in search of tranquility and emerged with a new-found sense of autonomy. They’re compelling, empowering, and include adventures such as biking across New Zealand, racing in Iditasport, sailing from California to Hawaii, and sea kayaking the Alaska coastline.

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

There are five things I always put into my backpack before going on an extended trip. This book is one of them. I’ve read this book at least a dozen times and it just gets better and better. Each time I re-read it, I find something I missed in a previous reading and go on to have a bizarre religious experience as a result.

Road Fever by Tim Cahill

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

Just the idea of driving from the southern-most point of South America to the northern-most point of North America causes my saliva glands to work overtime. I had to read this book. Half way through, I made the conscious decision to stop torturing myself. It was about as inspirational as finding a three-ton bale of unused Gold Bond stamps.

Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River by Peter Heller

Scout Hard
Read and Run
Just Portage

This book felt more like a beer commercial than a story. Peter Heller followed seven expedition kayakers to Tibet to write about their first descent of the Tsangpo. He captured the incessant whining of the kayakers with a vividness that would make even Raymond Carver keep turning the pages: “None of us made more than $3,000 last year! We eat beans and rice! We live in our cars! We’re risking our lives so that you can write a book, bank on the royalties, and we get nothing! Waaaahhhh!”

Crybabies. As if they're not getting royalties from the DVD sales.

What the alpha kayaker (Scott Lindgren) failed to understand is that he and his cronies got an all-expense paid trip, top-of-the-line NorthFace jackets, and Sherpa support (with more scrumptious food than beans and rice), to make the first descent of this river. And, they got to see Hidden Falls and Rainbow Falls. Prior to them, only three other Westerners have seen it. That’s some serious bragging rights.

Watch the DVD. Incredible paddling footage on the river and less whining.