Pacific high : adventures in the coast ranges from Baja to Alaska / Tim Palmer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Palmer, Tim, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Palmer, Tim, 1948---Travel--Coast Ranges.

Palmer, Tim.

Palmer, Tim, 1948-.

Travel.

Mountains--Pacific Coast (U.S.).

Mountains.

Coast Ranges--Description and travel.

Coast Ranges.

Pacific Coast (U.S.)--Description and travel.

Pacific Coast (U.S.).

United States--Description and travel.

United States.

Physical Description:

xii, 468 pages : maps ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Island Press, [2002]

Summary:

"Starting out, my mind and spirit were open to the mystery of foreign cultures, the spareness of aridity, the tension of seismicity, the heat offire, the exuberance of the vast, the abundance of rot and rebirth, the kindness of strangers, the indomitable rules of climate, the triumph of life, the limits of the earth." -from the prologue

On a crisp January morning, the first day of a new year, writer Tim Palme and his wife set out in their custom-outfitted van on a nine-month journeythrough the Pacific Coast Ranges. With a route stretching from the dry mesas of the Baja Peninsula to the storm-swept Alaskan island of Kodiak, they embarked on an incomparable tour of North America's coastal mountains high above the Pacific.

In Pacific High, Palmer recounts that adventure, interweaving tales of exploration and discovery with portraits of the places they visited and the people they came to know along the way. Bringing together images of places both exotic and familiar with profiles of intriguing people and descriptions of outdoor treks on foot, skis, mountain bike, canoe, and whitewater raft, Palmer captures the brilliant wonders of nature, the tragedy of irreversible loss, and the hope of everyone who cares for this extraordinary but threatened edge of North America.

At the heart of the story is author's concern for the health of the land and all its life. Nature thrives in many parts of the Coast Ranges--pristine rivers and ancient forests that promise refuge to the king salmon and the grizzly bear--but with a human population of 36 million, nature is under attack throughout the region. Oil spills, clearcutting, smog, sprawling development and more threaten even national parks and refuges. Yet Palmer remains hopeful, introducing readers to memorable people who strive for lasting stewardship in this land they call home.

Contents:

Prologue: Between the Sea and the Sky ix

Chapter 1 Into Baja 3

Chapter 2 The Volcan and the Mexican Desert 29

Chapter 3 Borderlands and Refuges 49

Chapter 4 Rising Above Los Angeles 81

Chapter 5 Mountains and Fire 101

Chapter 6 A Dream of Condors 133

Chapter 7 The People's Mountains 163

Chapter 8 The North Coast 201

Chapter 9 Kalmiopsis to the Columbia 239

Chapter 10 Olympic Odyssey 271

Chapter 11 The Island of a Different Nation 297

Chapter 12 Northward by Boat 327

Chapter 13 Glaciers to the Sea 347

Chapter 14 The Ultimate Mountains 379

Chapter 15 Across the Icefield 411

Chapter 16 To the Ends of the Earth 421.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 441-454) and index.

ISBN:

1559636491

OCLC:

49610964