Encounters with the archdruid
by John McPhee · first published 1971
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The narratives in this book are of journeys made in three wildernesses - on a coastal island, in a Western mountain range, and on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The four men portrayed here have different relationships to their environment, and they encounter each other on mountain trails, in forests and rapids, sometimes with reserve, sometimes with friendliness, sometimes fighting hard across a philosophical divide.
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agreed, mcphee is excellent. encounters with the archdruid left an indelible impression on me.
on “Self Sabotage: The Swiss History of Rigging Vital Infrastructure to Explode” ↗In the same vein, have a look at John McPhee's Encounter with the Archdruid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_with_the_Archdruid A third of the book follows David Brower (Executive Director of the Sierra Club; Glen Canyon Dam opponnent) and Floyd Dominy (US Bureau of Reclamation director) as they float the pre-dammed Colorado…
on “Glen Canyon Revealed” ↗In the further reading category: "Encounters with the Archdruid" by John McPhee, about David Brower, former director of the Sierra Club, and his advocacy for preserving wilderness areas "untouched" by humans. "Forests: A Very Short Introduction" by Jaboury Ghazoul,…
on “Nature’s Ghosts: The World We Lost and How to Bring it Back” ↗His 'Encounters with the Archdruid' was on the reading list on my Environmental Literature course. Funny enough, I had already read it a few years prior after grabbing it off of my father's bookshelf. If you are in any way interested…
on “Built to Last: John McPhee's Way of Seeing” ↗In Encounters with the Archdruid Charles Park is described as believing that “if copper were to be found under the White House, the White House should be moved.” I've struggled with that idea and gone back and forth on how I stand about…
on “What it's Really Like to be an Alaskan Truck Driver” ↗