Before the cold of winter sets in, you might be looking to get outside for a few more hikes or outdoor adventures. When it gets too cold, there’s always the option to experience the outdoors through reading.
Real-life and fictional stories about the natural world help us to appreciate our environment and learn about the world around us.
Even if you have to stay in, get outside with a few of these recommendations.
Rachael Stark, NEPA Program Manager at Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Book: "The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America"
Author: Timothy Egan
Part of (the book) tells the story of the 1910 Big Burn, which was one of the biggest wildfires in American history, but a good chunk of the book talks about the conservation legacy of Gifford Pinchot.
If you're thinking "I've heard that name before," it's because Gifford Pinchot was from right here — Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was essential in shaping our country's conservation ethic, and he was the first chief of the United States Forest Service.
This book shows how his ideas about protecting forests were put to the test during that fire, and how his leadership still influences how we care for public lands today. There's a lot of really great history in it, some really crazy drama that went on during these fires, and some really great information about conservation.
And it's also a reminder that someone from here, Northeastern Pa., helped shape the way that our nation thinks about nature. Give it a read.
Lynn Closterman, Safari Farm Petting Zoo & Sanctuary
Book: "The Earth Beneath My Feet: A 7,000-Mile Walk into the Heart of Wild Nature"
Author: Andrew Terrill
It's a real life story about Terrill's 7,000-mile solo trek on foot from Italy to Norway.
It's part memoir, part history lesson and part geography lesson while he opens up about his insecurities, confronting and overcoming them, which is a valuable lesson for all of us.
Sarah Scinto, WVIA Morning Edition Host and Reporter
I thought I would introduce some fiction to the mix this week, and a middle-grade fiction too. If you grew up surrounded by woods or enjoy survival stories of any kind, “My Side of the Mountain” is a perfect pick.
The story follows 12-year-old Sam Gribley, a boy who runs away from his family’s cramped New York City apartment to live in the wilderness of the Catskills near his great-grandfather’s abandoned farm. He uses survival skills he learned from a library book and befriends a peregrine falcon who he names Frightful.
I first read this book in middle school. Growing up surrounded by the woods of New England, Sam’s story gave me even more appreciation for the natural beauty around me - and gave me an obsession with falcons and raptors. It’s a classic story of self-reliance and survival that will always transport me back to the woods.
That’s all for this week’s edition of Bookmarks! Join us again on Nov. 22, we’ll talk about your favorite books that have made the leap from page to screen.
