To Walk in Wilderness [Hardcover]

John Fielder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

Author T.A. Barron and acclaimed nature photographer John Fielder spent a month exploring the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, Colorado, trekking more than 200 miles through the spiritual heart of the Riocky Mountains. With Fielder's large-format camera and Barron's notepads and pens, the two have recorded what may well be one of the most sensitive and insightful accounts of life in the wild ever published.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A bonanza of insights for hikers and wilderness lovers. -- Stewart Udall-1993

Barron chronicles the joys, trials, and personal inspiration of a glorious month [exploring Colorado's wilderness]. -- Backpacker Magazine-1993

T.A. Barron creates images of alpine country that allow us to see meadows as text, rivers and mountains as guardians of our spirit. Traveling throughout the pages of this pictorial journal reminds me that beauty is not optional. -- Terry Tempest Williams-1993

T.A. Barron's words create a landscape all their own. His insightful narratives weave together a tapestry of time, place, atmosphere and emotions...Barron's gift is a journey through time and a reminder that we are all connected. -- Call Of The Wild-1995

The need to protect nature as a wellspring of the human soul is what Barron's novels are all about. His strength is the depth of his love for the wild country and his skill is making us see the world through that lens. -- Colorado Daily-1993

From the Author

For me, writing is exploring. Whether it's the surprising connections among people, the wondrous patterns of nature, or the mysterious wellsprings of the spirit-the universe beckons. I love to explore it, whether by foot or by pen.

Writing is both the most joyous-and most agonizing-labor I know. And it is by far the best way to travel-in our world or any other. Ever since my youth on a ranch in Colorado, I've felt passionate about nature-and about writing. I wrote and published my own magazine as a kid, called the Idiot's Odyssey, which sold about five copies an issue (including the ones my parents bought). I kept writing during my college years at Princeton, and during my years at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. During that time at Oxford, I composed stories and poems while hiking in the Scottish highlands, while sitting beneath the boughs of an English oak I named Merlin's tree, while backpacking through Asia, Africa, and the Arctic; and while participating in a traditional roof thatching in Japan. Even during my years managing a fast-growing business in New York City, I often rose before dawn to write.

Finally, I followed my dream to write full time. In 1990, I moved back to Colorado and started writing in the attic of my home, with the help of my wife and our five young children.

I am currently writing a five-book epic about the youth of Merlin. This epic gives me a chance to add a new dimension to the rich lore about this enduring figure. Why am I spending almost a decade writing about Merlin? Because he is much, much more than a great wizard. His story is, in truth, a metaphor-for the idea that all of us, no matter how weak or confused, have a magical person down inside-waiting to be discovered. If you would like more information about the epic or my other books, please visit my official tabarron website.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: John Fielder Publishing; First edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565790383
• ISBN-13: 978-1565790384
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Colorado

More About the Author

T.A. Barron is the award-winning author of fantasy novels such as The Lost Years of Merlin epic--soon to be a major motion picture. He serves on a variety of environmental and educational boards including The Nature Conservancy and The Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, and is the founder of a national award for heroic children. Following a life-changing decision to leave a successful business career to write full-time in 1990, Barron has written seventeen books, but is happiest when on the mountain trails with his wife, Currie, and their five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous alpine landscape photography, December 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: To Walk in Wilderness (Hardcover)

If this is the book I think it is -- I believe I read it cover to cover a couple of years ago -- it is an absolutely beautiful book. The author and photographer went into the Snowmass-Maroon Bells wilderness areas of Colorado for 4 weeks, llamas carrying their loads (which I think included a view camera, so the load was considerable). The result is a book filled with jaw-dropping mountain photography -- sunrise, sunset, alpine meadows sprinkled with lakes and snowfields, wildflowers and crystal-clear skies. If you love high places, you'll love this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb CO Rockies book, October 29, 2008

By 

WichacpiHoskila (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Walk in Wilderness (Hardcover)

It's one of the better books at bringing the Colorado Rockies "feel" to the reader, especially among dozens and dozens of books about the Rockies.

My only gripe has to do with a quirk of photographer John Fielder's: literally EVERY photo of running water--without exception--uses that "slightly slow shutter speed" trick to create the effect of smooth, airbrushed water. EVERY one. Thus, every river, creek, or stream has cascades of smooth, cloudy white like veils draped over stones. It's a charming technique, but once in a while actually seeing crystal-clear running water in a mountain stream is nice too, you know?