My favorite is The 1000-mile Summer, probably because I have been in a lot of the places he passed thru and wrote about...

Schwert,

Thank you for the link to your excellent review of Colin Fletcher's works.

I also found your review of Mors Kochanski's 16 Bushcraft Pamphlets very informative and when my credit card cools down a little, I will be purchasing those also.

I enjoy your articles and particularly the photography.

Mike

"On Your Own in the Wilderness" by Townsend Whelen/Bradford Angier"

Hey, that's a favourite in my library! Not a common item these days.

No matter how clever you are, how sweet the hardware you can buy and carry, there's no substitute for the experience of someone who's gone out there and done it.

Opposite styles? Whelen/Angier and Fletcher? I bet if you set these gents down, who have spend the prerequisite hundeds/thousands of solo hours in the bush, and are military men to boot, with a bottle of 12-year-old MacAllan, they would be on the same page, in every practical matter, from start to finish. And you'd be priviledged to be a witness.

Geez, where do I sign up for that? There are precious few heroes these days.

Betcha Cody L. would be proud to be bartender at such a meet.

Hey Doug,

I also like reading many of the older outdoor books, without the high-tech influence found in writing today. I heard about "On Your Own In THe Wilderness" from somewhere on the web (maybe from you) and ended up importing my used copy from California.

I think it was Bradford Angler's book, "The Art and Science of Taking To The Woods" that sparked my early interest in camping/hiking and my first survival kit was built around a copy of his "How to Stay Alive in the Woods".

After reading 98.6* and short passages of The Complete Walker (Thanks Schwert), I figured Cody Lundin and Colin Fletcher would have greatly different writing styles? But time will tell as both are on my reading list, with over a 1000 pages between them I should be done by next spring.

Addition: Yes Doug, I too would have enjoyed meeting/learning from, the great outdoor writers/adventurers of the past.

Mike

I found it amusing that Colin would tell you how using a catch to resupply was illegal and then go ahead and do it himself, and then admitting he would never go back to pickup the container he stored things in. I guess being an earth friendly person is fine if it doesn’t mean too much work.

The only caches I have done in the past were cans or barrels of vehicle fuel, lubricant or tree-marking paint, in remote locations. Bears were a problem, biting into the plastic chainsaw bar oil jugs. In my case everything was removed at the conclusion of the job.

Mike

Thanks. Doing some of these reviews is pretty easy when you have good authors to quote.

Fletcher is definately a "must read" author. It is too bad he has passed, but fortunately for a couple of generations of walkers he provided not only a manual of equipment but even more importantly the inspiration to walk.

I remember reading one of the Complete Walkers back in the 70's. I think it might have been the "New..." version, but I can't remember. It was a fun read. Not just for the hiking/backing info it contained, but because it was just plain 'ol entertaining. I still have my copy somewhere. I'll have to dig it out and give it another read.