Customer Reviews

On the Wild Edge: In Search of a Natural Life

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

33 years ago, John Denver first sang a warning about Colorado developers trying "to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more: more people, more scars upon the land." Dave Petersen issues a similar lament in the final chapters of ON THE WILD EDGE. But that's after we have spent a great deal of time in the woods with this likeable and contemporary disciple of Edward Abbey and Aldo Leopold, listening intently and eagerly grabbing every observation he tosses in our direction.

In standard natural history narrative style, Petersen shares a sample year with us. He and his wife Caroline live as simply as possible in a mountain cabin near the city of Durango, Colorado. They raise or find their own food, with Dave the hunter providing meat from a single elk each year. While this lifestyle has immeasurable benefits -- like witnessing a screen-door nose-touch between a bear cub on the porch and the family dog standing inside -- it is not without its pitfalls. Ranking high on that list are the lack of medical insurance and the near-constant verification of the stupidity of mankind. It's not as easy to "simplify" today as it was in Thoreau's time.

Page after page, Petersen teaches us much about the natural world of the Rockies. As far as plants, insects and stars are concerned -- well, their numbers are so many that he admits he doesn't know much about the individuals among them. Give him mammals -- the bigger, the better -- and he can rattle off every one of their habits and preferences. Deer, elk, and bears are among his favorite fellow creatures. And though he hunts, he's conscientious when it comes to aiming his arrow. His behavior and choices mirror that of any other wild predator.

Reading and thinking about this lifestyle provides great environmental joy, but it's also a double-edged sword. This is the kind of book we read and say, "YES! That's the life I've always wanted to lead." But if we all lived it, it would no longer be unique, and the wilderness -- the very thing we'd want to get close to -- would be destroyed in the process. The intelligent tactic for us, then, is to let folks like Dave and Caroline Petersen be the forest dwellers. Let them be the reporters, and we will wistfully read their stories and live vicariously through their experiences. <sigh> It's a difficult but environmentally-conscious choice.

What a treat! I bought this from Amazon back when it first came out in hardcover, and it has resided on my to-be-read shelf all this time. We now have snow here and, in a wintry mood, I was prompted to pick this one up after finishing Vardis Fisher's excellent THE MOUNTAIN MAN and watching the Robert Redford movie based upon that book.

What a dustjacket! It says here that Caroline Peterson, the author's "permanent wife," took that photo. If the gorgeous, dustjacket art especially appeals to you--as it does to me--then you might also enjoy looking inside at these marvelous tales of David and Caroline Peterson in their natural surroundings.

This author will resonate to those who love the nature writings of Emerson and Thoreau, Doug Peacock and Edward Abbey. Peterson writes with the practical common sense of Wendell Berry mixed with an almost mystical be-here-now sense of wonder. He sees the Great Spirit in things.

We found this a delightful, gorgeous edition to our personal library of naturalism. This author edited A. B. Guthrie's enviromental essays and wrote the afterward to Guthrie's marvelous autobiography. I can't say if this is Peterson's best book because I've yet to read several of his others. They are now moving up on my list.

David Peterson writes very well and has a great ability to engage the reader and make them feel as if they are part of the forest where David writes. I am only about half finished with the book and have enjoyed his views on simple living and self sufficiency. However, his subtle and not-so-subtle interjections about politics totally distract from the beautiful writings about nature. If I wanted political commentary, I would read a book about politics, not a book about nature and simple living.

This has got to be one of my favorite books of all time. Dave Petersen seems to have figured out early on how to get his priorities in order. That money and 'things' are fleeting and empty acquisitions. That what really matters are great relationships with those you love, be it your spouse, friends or even your dog, and that being debt free is a power all it's own. Dave freely admits that he doesn't have a lot of money, but, he is most definitely the captain of his own ship, truly able to call his time and what he does with it his own. How many of us can say that? It is a great wake up call and definitely motivates you to get your own priorities in order. Dave finds more value in the treasures of nature, the wild animals that call it home and the ability to know how to appreciate it than in 'filthy money' as he so rightly puts it. I happen to love his political rants about the state of our world, he is dead on most of the time, and thank goodness doesn't sugarcoat it one iota!! This is a must read if you love the mountains, snow, wildlife, and unlike so many Americans who seem to only be able to follow the herd, have the ability to think for yourself.

I read Dave's book, along with several other good reads, during the dead of winter this season. Time well spent. I found myself consuming the book each evening, and it was finsihed in short order. Following Dave from season to season, reading about his everyday experiences and thoughts, mulling over his political views, sharing his pains, exultations, celebrations of life, and observations of his natural world, I finished the book feeling quite satisfied. This should be required reading for any environmentally-aware hunter-naturalist, or anyone else who loves the outdoors, for that matter. I like it.

I received this book as a suggestion from Amazon.com and what a mistake. I suffered through it to get my money's worth but that cost was awash for the nonsense I read. This book is about a latter-day hippie and his wife who have withdrawn from society, complains about society's encroachment and when serious illness befalls his loved one, complains there is no universal healthcare available. He and his family according to the book contribute nothing to society, demand everything from it and the book wasn't worth the sacrificed trees it's printed on.

I couldn't get into this as an adventure story. Somehow it was a weak combo of environmentalism and philosophy. It won't go in my library, but to the give away stack.

I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for all ages that enjoy the out of doors.

Mr. Petersen is a far left liberal hippie. Throughout the book (I actually only made it about halfway through before I could no longer force myself to read anymore) he is always interjecting his misinformed political views, always saying how bad the humans are compared to the animal kingdom, (especially American humans), but yet he seems to enjoy his car (which he says it always smokes a lot when it is running), electricity to run a few house hold items, (radio, well pump, hot water heater), and the gas to run his chainsaw and his car. He is not too divorced from the "evil civilization", considering he does have a road that goes to his cabin.