Inspired by his ranger days in Rocky Mountain National Park more than forty-five years ago as well as more recent rambles, Richard Fleck has created these descriptive essays that take readers from shimmering desert heat to snowy summits. Fleck has expanded his acclaimed book Breaking Through the Clouds (2004) to create a new book that concentrates on the intermountain American West. This edition includes counterpoint experiences in the desert, canyon lands, and dry prairie far below the summits of the lofty peaks, such as Death Valley, Grand Gulch, Grand Canyon, and the Great Sand Dunes. His literary model was Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire and his intent is to involve readers with an equally potent but different kind of natural reality. Fleck says, “After all, do not mountains rise out of deserts and dry lands? Mountains and surrounding deserts should not be separated.” The mountains are a constant source of spiritual renewal for this author, enabling him to become more aware and whole.
By:
Richard F Fleck
Imprint: West Winds Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 12mm
Weight: 307g
ISBN: 9780871089687
ISBN 10: 0871089688
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 17 October 2013
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Prologue: Death Valley Chapter One: Descent into History at Grand Gulch, Utah Chapter Two: Adventures Beneath Desert Rims Chapter Three: Descent into the Grand Canyon Chapter Four: An Alluring, Icy Longs Peak Chapter Five: Steep Trails in Rocky Mountain National Park Chapter Six: High, Wide, and Windy: The Prairies of Laramie Chapter Seven: Where Land is Mostly Sky Chapter Eight: A Scramble up Tabeguache Chapter Nine: Four-Corner High Chapter Ten: A Windy Ascent of Guadalupe Peak, Texas Chapter Eleven: Sand Dunes of the High Desert Chapter Twelve: Climbing High in the Pecos and San Juan Mountains Chapter Thirteen: A Close Call on Mount Princeton Chapter Fourteen: The Solace of Dinosaur Ridge Chapter Fifteen: Rambles Along the Mosquito Range Chapter Sixteen: Multiple Ascents of Mount Evans and Pikes Peak Chapter Seventeen: Paha Sapa Wakan (Sacred Black Hills) Chapter Eighteen: Mountains Over the Desert Epilogue: A Rock on My Desk A Selective List of Informative Mountain and Desert Books About the Author A Note on This Edition Index
Richard F. Fleck is author of many books including Henry Thoreau and John Muir Among the Indians, editor of John Muir’s Mountaineering Essays, A Colorado River Reader, which was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities to be the reader for seven states project 2001-2. He contributed a biography of John Burroughs for the Encyclopedia of New York State. Fleck is also the author of numerous introductions to trade paperback editions including Henry David Thoreau’s Maine Woods, John Muir’s Our National Parks, and Samuel Hall Young’s Alaska Days with John Muir.
Reviews for Desert Rims to Mountains High
Fleck's eloquent accounts of climbing peaks and exploring the intermountain deserts of the American West reflect an intimate firsthand knowledge of and reverence for the region. --Lybrary.com Fleck's knowledge of the history, natural history and literature of the American West enriches his accounts of outings with family, friends and students. With his graceful prose and attentive eye, Fleck captures moments of awe . . . For hikers who share his enthusiasm for the interior West, Desert Rims to Mountains High will replenish a fading storehouse of memories and nurture an appetite for more. --Jane Koerner, COLORADO CENTRAL MAGAZINE This book is a shining example of how to write about the outdoors. --Arlene Shovald, The Mountain Mail
