The Buckfish Ultimate Outdoor Book Club 2024 Reading List

In the Wilderness of Words

Forget stuffy libraries and hushed whispers – grab your headlamp, a flask of something fiery, and gather around the campfire, fellow trailblazers. The Buckfish outdoor book club is taking it off-grid, trading literary critiques for stargazing and adrenaline-pumping tales spun under the open sky. From breathtaking national park mysteries to heart-pounding Everest climbs, our reading list has something to inspire every type of outdoor junkie. So lace up those boots and dust off those reading glasses, because we’re about to blend the thrill of exploration with the excitement of turning pages.

• The Lost City Of The Monkey God by Douglas Preston – Get ready for jungle fever with this page-turning account of the quest for a legendary Mayan city in Honduras. Buckle up for booby traps, ancient mysteries, and enough plot twists to leave your hammock spinning.
• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: Brace yourself for the raw and chilling story of Chris McCandless, a young man’s search for solitude in the Alaskan wilderness. This one will leave you pondering the call of the wild and the fine line between freedom and folly.
• The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko – The thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever, down the entire length of the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, during the legendary flood of 1983.
• Adrift Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan – The riveting account of a harrowing month spent stranded at sea—an incredible story of one man’s struggle and bravery.
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London: A classic adventure tale that explores the primal instincts of the wild, this book is an essential read for anyone yearning for the untamed.
• Over the Edge: The True Story of the Kidnap and Escape of Four Climbers in Central Asia by Greg Child – Four figures clung to the granite face of the Yellow Wall, Kyrgyzstan, August 12, 2000. Little did they know, as the mountain whispered secrets of sunrise, darkness lurked in the valleys below, whispers of the IMU weaving a tapestry of terror, waiting to snatch their American summit and stain it with the grim hues of fanaticism.
• The Lost City of Z by David Grann – The true story of a legendary British explorer’s deadly quest to uncover the secrets of the Amazon.
• The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey by Derick Lugo – The story of how a young Black man from the city, embarks on an Appalachian odyssey, armed with an optimism bigger than his overstuffed pack and a spirit ready to rewrite the thru-hiking narrative, line by rugged, untrodden line.
• Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel Brown – Let sparks fly with this gripping historical tale of the deadliest wildfire in American history. Brown’s masterful storytelling will leave you glued to the page and yearning for a good long soak in a mountain lake.
• In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick – The incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex – an event as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours, and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick.
• Death on Mount Washington: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness on the Northeast’s Highest Peak by Randi Minetor – Circumstances behind the tragic tales of those who have lost their lives on the mountain.
• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer – The 1996 Everest disaster that shocked the world
• Walking the Himalayas by Levison Wood – Following in the footsteps of the great explorers, walk the entire length of the Himalayas in an adventure of survival and endurance.
• Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast by Daniel Duane – Crack open the ocean’s heart, revealing the intricate mechanics of waves, the artistry of board design, and the vibrant kaleidoscope of Pacific life, seen through the eyes of a surfer who speaks the ocean’s tongue.
• Alive by Piers Paul Read – Sixteen men, seventy-two days, and insurmountable odds—the classic adventure of survival in the Andes.
• Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite by Michael P. Ghiglieri & Charles R. Farabee – Murders, accidents, and mysteries in the national park’s history.
• 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin – the true story of the man who survived fourteen months in a small boat drifting seven thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean.
• Expedition Deep Ocean: The First Descent to the Bottom of All Five of the World’s Oceans by Josh Young – Exploring Earth’s least known realm. The riveting story of the history-making mission to reach the bottom of all five of the world’s oceans.
• Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson – On a treacherous ascent of Siula Grande, two climbers face a life-altering dilemma: one trapped in a crevasse, the other forced to cut the rope, leaving his friend for dead in a desperate bid for survival.
• Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts – How one man survived alone across a frozen desert.
• Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit: Unleash your inner Thoreau with this philosophical exploration of the art and soul of walking. Solnit’s lyrical prose will have you lacing up your boots and hitting the trail, whether it’s your local park or the path less traveled.
• Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed: Hike your soul into shape with Cheryl Strayed’s transformative journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. This honest account of grief, resilience, and rediscovery will have you shedding tears (and packing your backpack) in equal measure.
• Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing: Buckle up for a polar plunge of epic proportions. This true story of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition tests the limits of the human spirit and proves that even when frostbite’s got your toes, there’s always a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau: A classic that needs no introduction. Thoreau’s transcendental journey into simple living by Walden Pond remains a timeless ode to the beauty of nature.
• The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind- And Almost Found Myself-On the Pacific Crest Trail by Dan White – The hilarious and harrowing account of a young couple’s hike along the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail.
• A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson: Bryson’s hilarious account of attempting the Appalachian Trail is a must-read for anyone with a penchant for laughter and a love for the great outdoors.
• Into the Abyss by Carol Shaben – On an icy night in October 1984, four men survived the plane crash. The pilot. A politician. A cop… and the criminal he was shackled to.
• Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey: An eloquent and passionate exploration of the American Southwest, Abbey’s work is a celebration of the desert’s raw beauty and a call to protect it.
• Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett – Hundreds of miles from civilization, two ships wreck on opposite ends of the same deserted island in this true story of human nature at its best—and at its worst.
• Buried in the Sky by Peter Zuckerman & Amanda Padoan – The extraordinary story of the Sherpa climbers on K2’s deadliest day.
• Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder: This biography of Dr. Paul Farmer takes you on a global journey of compassion and the quest for justice, proving that the outdoors isn’t just about mountains and rivers but about the human spirit.

The Final Page Turned, But the Outdoor Book Club Continues

Whether you’re a hiking buff, climbing fanatic, or armchair adventurer, the Buckfish Outdoor Book Club 2024 reading list offers every nature and outdoor enthusiast the perfect forum to share our passion for Mother Earth’s wildest places – one page at a time. Who knows, maybe under the glow of a thousand stars, you’ll not only discover a new favorite book, but also a tribe of kindred spirits who understand the thrill of a sun-kissed summit and the solace of a crackling campfire. Now, grab your headlamp, your copy of The Lost City Of The Monkey God, and let’s get lost in the pages together.