There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse: Misadventures of a Mountain Man Wannabe

This is a wonderful book and if you are familiar with backcountry anywhere you can appreciate it. I had a racoon in my chimney which was gotten rid of useing moth balls. Years a go we had an "outhouse" three sides canvas and the fourth open to the elements. We had no neighbors. We came up one weekend to find that a porcupine had eaten part of the seat. We were much more careful after that.

This was my first adventure into the world of author Michael Tougias and I haven't looked back. I admit, the title is what prompted me to pick this book up since I'd not yet had the pleasure of reading anything by this author. I sat down to read and was up until 2am finishing the last page. It'll have you laughing right out loud! I felt as if I were there sharing in all the antics of Mike and his friends through his delightful descriptions. This is one of those books I'll go back and read again and again.

Michael Tougias's latest book, There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse, is a well-written, humorous account of some his adventures (and misadventures) surrounding his rustic camp in northern Vermont. Tougias bought the small A-frame when he was only 22 years old. Over the years, with the outdoors world as his teacher, he learns to live with nature, rather than by asserting dominance and control over it. Middle-aged suburbanites, such as myself, will readily see aspects of their own youthful development in Tougias's stories.Don't expect the eloquence and introspection of a Thoreau. Tougias's style is light and very engaging. Also, as a bonus, the book is filled with great recommendations for further reading about naturalists and mountain men. The pages turn very quickly, which is unfortunate, since there are only 160 of them, including lots of porcupine filler. I found myself wanting more after the tales came to a rather abrupt ending. Further development of the three characters might have added to the tales. Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely.

After putting my three year old to bed for the night, I collapsed into my favorite chair, picked up "There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse", and found myself welcoming the morning sun with a smile on my face, memories my own misadventures, and thoughts of childhood friends. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book. Michael Tougias has the uncanny nack of combining an extensive knowlege of the outdoors along with Wit and heart of a great storyteller. I found myself longing for my own special place, and to share adventures with Michael, Boomer, and Cogs as they learn about the great outdoors and themselves. I will return to this book over and over to share their stories.

Michael Tougias, a well-respected outdoor writer, has written a wonderful book about his growth from a young novice outdoorsman to a competent expert. "There's A Porcupine in My Outhouse" is funny portrait of one man's experience learning about the natural world. After I finally stopped laughing, I realized that I had even learned a lot in the process of reading his book.