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Tatler Asia
2 days ago
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- Tatler Asia
14 books for explorers who love nature and the outdoors
2. 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer Above 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer (Photo: Picador) Through the story of Christopher McCandless, who ventured fatally into the Alaskan wilderness, Jon Krakauer explores the tension between idealism and reality in nature exploration. It offers cautionary insight for independent travellers who are tempted by the idea of total withdrawal into the wild. Part biography, part investigative journalism, the book retraces McCandless's steps through North America, interviewing those he met and reflecting on his own youthful excursions. It raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about preparedness, privilege and romantic notions of 'authentic' nature. 3. 'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage' by Alfred Lansing Above 'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage' by Alfred Lansing (Photo: Weidenfeld & Nicholson) Drawn from personal diaries, this account of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic survival story illustrates nature's brutal indifference and the human capacity to endure it. For those exploring extreme environments, it provides both inspiration and a reality check on the unforgiving character of true wilderness. When their ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in pack ice, Shackleton and his crew survived against impossible odds. Lansing's meticulous reconstruction of their ordeal is suspenseful and unsentimental, a testament to leadership under conditions where nature dominates every decision 4. 'The Salt Path' by Raynor Winn Above 'The Salt Path' by Raynor Winn (Photo: Penguin) After losing their home and facing terminal illness, Winn and her husband walked the entire South West Coast Path of England. For travellers drawn to walking and the idea of healing through exposure to nature, this memoir shows how coastal paths can offer both physical challenge and quiet revelation. What begins as an act of desperation evolves into an elemental lifestyle, shaped by tide, terrain and strangers met along the way. Winn's observations on the coastal ecology, weather and poverty offer depth beyond the standard 'journey of transformation' trope. 5. 'The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben Above 'The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben (Photo: William Collins) Peter Wohlleben offers a science-based yet accessible look into how trees form social networks, communicate and protect one another. For travellers who explore woodlands or ancient forests, this book provides a new lens through which to understand the ecosystems they're walking through, turning any forest trail into a richer, more connected experience. A former forester, Wohlleben draws from decades spent among trees in the Eifel mountains of Germany. He blends peer-reviewed science with anecdote, explaining how trees 'nurse' their sick and warn each other of danger through underground fungal networks. 6. 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer Above 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Photo: Penguin) Blending indigenous knowledge with botany, Robin Wall Kimmerer reframes nature as something to be in relationship with, not just a destination. For those who travel in search of meaning in the natural world, this book offers a new way to approach landscapes—with reciprocity, reverence and curiosity rather than detachment. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a trained botanist, Kimmerer is uniquely positioned to bridge scientific rigour with storytelling. Her chapters cover everything from mosses to maple trees, but the real subject is how to listen to nature's rhythms and responsibilities. 7. 'A Sand County Almanac' by Aldo Leopold Above 'A Sand County Almanac' by Aldo Leopold (Photo: Oxford University Press, USA) Aldo Leopold's land ethic, developed through seasons spent observing nature on his Wisconsin farm, is foundational to modern conservation thinking. For nature-seeking travellers, this book encourages a mindset shift, from passive consumption of scenery to active, ethical engagement with the landscapes they visit. His essays—some lyrical, some philosophical—chart the life cycles of flora and fauna with precision. Leopold's influence can be traced in everything from wildlife policy to sustainable tourism. This is the book that reminds travellers: admiration without responsibility is not enough. 8. 'The Outermost House' by Henry Beston Above 'The Outermost House' by Henry Beston (Photo: ONE) Written in 1928 but enduringly relevant, Beston's account of a year spent in a remote shack on Cape Cod captures the rhythms of tides, birds and seasons with patient clarity. It's a quiet manual for how to be present in nature—a valuable companion for travellers who prefer solitary coastlines and aim to observe rather than conquer. Beston's prose is attentive without being flowery, and his belief that 'we need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals' helped influence the modern environmental movement. It's an ideal choice for those interested in seasonal transitions and the beauty of sustained stillness. 9. 'No Impact Man' by Colin Beavan Above 'No Impact Man' by Colin Beavan (Photo: Platkus) Set in urban New York but deeply concerned with environmental footprint, this memoir chronicles Beavan's attempt to live without producing waste. For travellers trying to navigate sustainability on the road, it offers thoughtful provocations about how to move through nature without leaving damage in your wake. From making his own toothpaste to banning elevators, Beavan's extreme (and often amusing) year-long project is more reflective than prescriptive. He confronts contradictions in eco-living without sermonising, and his lessons translate to choices made on trains, trails and across borders. 10. 'Underland: A Deep Time Journey' by Robert Macfarlane Above 'Underland: A Deep Time Journey' by Robert Macfarlane (Photo: Penguin) Robert Macfarlane travels underground—into caves, glaciers and catacombs—to uncover the stories beneath the surface of the Earth. For the traveller attuned to geology, history or climate, this is an ambitious, haunting reminder that nature isn't always visible, but it's always present. The book spans the catacombs of Paris, Arctic ice cores and ancient burial sites, all connected by the concept of 'deep time'. Macfarlane's poetic style doesn't obscure the science; instead, it reveals how human narratives are shaped by what lies below as much as above. 11. 'The Lost City of Z' by David Grann Above 'The Lost City of Z' by David Grann (Photo: Simon & Schuster UK) This gripping blend of biography and jungle expedition traces British explorer Percy Fawcett's doomed search for a hidden civilisation. For travellers drawn to remote regions, especially rainforests, it's a sobering look at how nature resists conquest and how myth can cloud perception of the natural world. David Grann follows Fawcett's footsteps into the Amazon, weaving in his own treacherous fieldwork alongside colonial ambition and scientific misjudgement. What emerges is a cautionary tale about hubris, obsession and the dangers of projecting Western fantasies onto ecologically complex landscapes. 12. 'Desert Solitaire' by Edward Abbey Above 'Desert Solitaire' by Edward Abbey (Photo: William Collins) Edward Abbey's unfiltered reflections from his time as a park ranger in the Utah desert cut through sentimentality and reveal the stark, political and ecological truths of wilderness preservation. Travellers exploring arid or protected regions will find it both a provocation and a defence of leaving nature wild. First published in 1968, the book is at once a celebration of desert landscapes and a polemic against industrial tourism. Abbey rails against the encroachment of roads and air-conditioned buses into sacred terrain, arguing that real wilderness demands discomfort, risk and solitude. 13. 'In Patagonia' by Bruce Chatwin Above 'In Patagonia' by Bruce Chatwin (Photo: Vintage Classics) Bruce Chatwin's fragmentary, literary portrait of southern Argentina and Chile is more inquiry than itinerary. For travellers curious about how geography shapes myth, identity and history, it's a vivid mental map of a place where nature still exerts a narrative pull. With obsessions ranging from Welsh exiles to prehistoric fossils, Chatwin reveals Patagonia as a psychic as well as physical space. His style—elliptical, indirect, literary—may frustrate conventional travel writing fans, but it rewards those open to seeing landscapes through cultural and mythic dimensions. 14. 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers Above 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers (Photo: Penguin) Though a novel, Richard Powers' sweeping narrative treats trees not as setting but as protagonists in a centuries-long ecological drama. For nature travellers who seek narrative depth in the environments they walk through, it's an invitation to consider the living history around every root and branch. The interlocking stories span time, continents and species, with scientific precision and emotional power. Powers incorporates real-world forestry research and activism, challenging readers to see trees not as background, but as dynamic, central forces in human history and fate.
Globe and Mail
26-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
Summitting the twin peaks of human achievement
People who attempt to climb Mt. Everest often try to wrap romance and meaning around what is essentially a pointless exercise. Jon Krakauer wrote in the best-seller Into Thin Air about seeking in the suffering 'something like a state of grace.' Early explorers were more prosaic. George Mallory, who died near the peak, had a simple reason for trying to climb Everest: 'Because it's there.' A generation later, Edmund Hillary was low-key after determination brought him and Tenzing Norgay to the top, telling others on the team, 'well, we knocked the bastard off.' This month a group of former special forces soldiers from Britain set out for the mountain with some of the old brusqueness, aiming for speed of ascending more than transcendence. Their goal was audacious: to be away from London only seven days, lightning fast for a trip that can take months. They pulled it off, reaching the summit early Wednesday and cutting by two-thirds the record for a door-to-door ascent. It was a triumph of human ingenuity, though one that comes with asterisks. Better gear has made modern Everest expeditions much faster than the days of Mallory and Hillary. But they still involve weeks of acclimatization to prepare for the Death Zone – above 8,000 metres – where the body begins to break down. Most fatalities on the mountain occur in this area. Controversially, the British team's preparation included breathing xenon gas, an anesthetic, in what their medical adviser believed was a way to counter the effects of altitude. The approach has divided the mountaineering community and raises a host of questions. On a philosophical level, there's the risk that this could turn the sublime – the awe, wonder and danger – of Everest into something mundane. The value of a journey lies in more than the destination, and an epic quest should be a triumph of both determination and intellect. Still, one concern that can be set aside immediately is the idea that these men somehow cheated. Few climbers follow the example of legendary Austrian mountaineer Reinhold Messner. He believed that adventure had to involve danger and exposure, so he used 'as little equipment as possible.' This culminated in a 1980 solo ascent of Everest without oxygen tanks, a feat he called 'endless torture' that left him physically and emotionally wrecked. Most climbers see no reason to spurn advances in technology, clothing and gear that make their passion both faster and safer. Better weather forecasts, for example, help narrow down the least risky moment for a summit attempt. For the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, though, xenon is too dangerous to be used casually. Experts within the medical and climbing communities differ on whether xenon is even effective in this context. There's a chance that people get into trouble in the Death Zone, believing incorrectly they are protected from the most dangerous forms of altitude sickness. It may also be unnecessary. On Friday a climber claimed a different speed record, getting from sea level to summit in only four days. He did not use xenon. The British team counters criticism by saying that xenon was just part of its preparation, which also included months of sleeping in low-oxygen tents. They argue that people can still take longer journeys, if they choose, but that shortening the time on the mountain minimizes risk by leaving climbers less susceptible to rockfall and other dangers. Speedy ascents also reduce the amount of garbage and human waste produced by climbers. Though that effect could be negated if this approach opens up the mountain to more visitors, putting pressure on heavily used routes. However, beyond the concerns, it's worth recognizing that this team follows in the footsteps of amateur adventurers whose daring pushed the limits of human potential. The Montgolfier brothers pioneered hot-air ballooning in the 18th century, never dreaming that two hundred years later cheap commercial flights would connect continents. Breathing pure oxygen restricted how deeply early divers could go. But eventually researchers discovered gas blends that let humans descend hundreds of metres. Determination and intellect are the twin peaks of human achievement. Paired with a willingness to take risk, they are why people now soar like birds and swim like fish. They let humans exist in hostile terrain, right to the top of the world.
