Sky's Witness: A Year in the Wind River Range

The books you have read in your life likely fall into one of several classes ranging from extremely poor to unsurpassed worth. On that worthy end of the spectrum, there have probably been those books that caused a pause in you upon reading the final sentence; a pause followed by a nod of thanks to the author for having given you so much pleasure. And then there are those even more rare instances where you reach that final... Read Full Review

I own six copies of this book (four are loaners). My life revolves around literature, and this is one of the best books I've read. It's definitely my favorite. Rawlins uses relatively simple language with a powerful, poetic effect. If you have any kind of interest in the environment, backcountry travel, or the mountains--and even if you don't--read this book. Rawlins' writing is beautiful and intense; overall, I think the... Read Full Review

Anyone willing to endure the physical hardship involved in self-supported mountain travel will appreciate Rawlin's extrordinarilly beautiful soliloquies on the mountain wilderness experience. Example: "But it wasn't the smell of the air that played in me so much as the light. The moon and sun lay opposite each other in the sky, exchanging their gleams, and the country was laid out below all rough and golden. The ridge... Read Full Review

If you want to hike, back pack, and live in the Wyoming Wind River Mountains for one year, C. L. Rawlins will take you there in these 300 pages. You will not find a better companion: his writings proceed in a rythmn -- moving from intricate description of rock, snow, and lake, to insightful and stunning explanations of nature itself, followed perhaps by a down-to-earth philosophical reminder. His humor catches one off... Read Full Review