In books such as The Complete Walker and The Man Who Walked Through Time, Colin Fletcher has established a reputation as a literate and witty apostle of roughing it. His newest book is a highly personal celebration of solitary backpacking (and day walking, too), in the wild places of the world, and of all the attendant pleasures: of finding a foothold in difficult terrain, of catching a glimpse of an unsuspecting coyote, of healing the wounds that civilization inevitably inflicts on human nature —of simply “mucking about.” Overflowing with fresh descriptions of nature and with the wisdom of a curmudgeonly Thoreau, this book is a must for backpackers and all unconstrained spirits.
At age sixty-seven, Colin Fletcher, the guru of backpacking in America, undertook a rigorous six-month raft expedition down the full length of the Colorado River--alone. He needed "something to pare the fat off my soul...to make me grateful, again, for being alive." The 1,700 miles between the Colorado's source in Wyoming and its conclusion at Mexico's Gulf of California contain some of the most spectacular vistas on earth, and Fletcher is the ideal guide for the terrain. As his privileged companions, we travel to places like Disaster Falls and Desolation Canyon, observe beaver and elk, experience sandstorms and whitewater rapids, and share Fletcher's thoughts on the human race, the environment, and the joys of solitude.
For the first time since 1984, we have a new edition of the classic book that Field & Stream called “the Hiker’s Bible.” For this version, the celebrated writer and hiker Colin Fletcher has taken on a coauthor, Chip Rawlins, himself an avid outdoorsman and a poet from Wyoming. Together, they have made this fourth edition of The Complete Walker the most informative, entertaining, and thorough version yet. The eighteen years since the publication of The Complete Walker III have seen revolutionary changes in hiking and camping equipment: developments in waterproofing technology, smaller and more durable stoves, lighter boots, more manageable tents, and a wider array of food options. The equipment recommendations are therefore not merely revised and tweaked, but completely revamped. During these two decades we have also seen a deepening of environmental consciousness. Not only has backpacking become more popular, but a whole ethic of responsible outdoorsmanship has emerged. In this book the authors confidently lead us through these technological, ethical, and spiritual changes. Fletcher and Rawlins’s thorough appraisal and recommendation of equipment begins with a “Ground Plan,” a discussion of general hiking preparedness. How much to bring? What are the ideal clothes, food, boots, and tents for your trip? They evaluate each of these variables in detail—including open, honest critiques and endorsements of brand-name equipment. Their equipment searches are exhaustive; they talk in detail about everything from socks to freeze-dried trail curries. They end as they began, with a philosophical and literary disquisition on the reasons to walk, capped off with a delightful collection of quotes about walking and the outdoor life. After a thoughtful and painstaking analysis of hiking gear from hats to boots, from longjohns to tent flaps, they remind us that ultimately hiking is about the experience of being outdoors and seeing the green world anew. Like its predecessors, The Complete Walker IV is an essential purchase for anyone captivated by the outdoor life.
Features a guide to the latest developments in backpacking equipment and provides practical information on hiking techniques, clothing, first aid, cooking, and selecting a campsite
We meet a skinny half-starved boy in an English churchyard planting primroses on his brother's grave. We follow John and his long family through a most turbulent century.
Sociology is about society, but what about people? The person in the sight of sociology is all too often a matchstick being. In this original and stimulating book the person is characterized by what is inherent in a social being, and the result is a rich narrative, the story of the person told through events in life. The author holds that for sociological purposes, the person must be seen as perfect: perfectible, perfecting and perfect. He outlines the ‘trialectical’ nature of such a theory, offers a test of it in the making of madness and claims that such a change in vision is appropriate for the sociologist’s critical engagement in the world. It may be claimed that Colin Fletcher has created a new realm of theorizing and a piece of literature for sociology. And, perhaps as important, the reader may catch the rare experience of being spoken with as a person by another person.
Originally published in 1974, this book evaluates and compares three important styles of sociological research: positivism, symbolic interactionism and critique. The book describes and evaluates each research technique as an experience for the researcher, and the author explains what they themselves have learned of sociological meaning from engaging in it. The book traces the main ideas through their last generations of sociologists and asks what future there is in a particular method.
At the opening of this story, a group of farmers market traders a clothier have all survived the Peasant's Revolt, yet still feel threatened by the young king's revenge. A poor widow lost her husband and son in the violence, a farmer's son from White Clyffe swept up in the excitement was arrested in Salisbury at the height of the rebellion and has not been seen since, a clothier abandoned his established business near Bridgewater fearing suspicion of involvement, conspiracy. Their lives, loves and fears are explored among the villages and towns of the West of England. The story moves from rural Wiltshire to the rapidly industrialising city of Salisbury, commercial activity in the Severn Estuary and an escape to Honfleur in France.
A 22-Essay Collection of the Issues. Our choice has never been so crystal clear and so vital. We have reached another defining moment in our country's history. Our future depends on the re-election of President Obama. Do we really want to go back to the years of W. or do we want someone who has and will move us forward into a progressive future. The other side wants to again battle all the fights of the past, and turn back the clock on all that has been gained....We must all work to spread the word.... My 22-essay collection of my perspective.... I am in no way naive enough to believe that this election will be a referendum on the policies of the other party; this election will be an assessment of the policies and vision of President Obama. It is this very reason that I have written these 22 essays illustrating from my perspective why I believe President Obama must be re-elected and given an opportunity to guide us into the future. In the pages to follow I will describe in some detail how I have arrived at my conclusion. I will discuss President Obama as a person, look at his domestic policies and achievements, his foreign policies and achievements, and finally I will provide my opinion on the policies of the other party in more detail.
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