2015 Spring Book Preview
From alpine obsession to the search for Abbey's grave, here are six new books for every backpacker's reading list.
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Henion, a new mother awash in personal turmoil, takes readers around the world in her lovely, lyrical memoir. (Penguin; March 2015) Buy it.

Veteran travel writer Arnold channels his own experiences into this collection of eight harrowing short stories, all linked together by quiet terror and an unquenchable thirst for the mountains. (Counterpoint Press; March 2015) Buy it.

Paddock, the first man with cerebral palsy to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, recounts his lifelong struggle to overcome his physical disabilities. (HarperOne; March 2010) Buy it.

Speaking of Kili, Kara Richardson Whitely wasn’t about to let her weight stop her from conquering the roof of Africa. Her triumph as a plus-sized hiker is as inspiring as it is refreshing. (Seal Press; April 2015) Pre-order it and read an interview with the author.

As any real backpacker knows, walking is one of life’s great pleasures. In his wide-ranging investigation, Rubinstein explores why humans moved away from our feet—and why we need to go back more urgently than ever. (ECW Press; April 2015) Pre-order it.

Edward Abbey’s renegade spirit is alive and well in this road trip memoir that finds author Sean Prentiss traveling cross-country in an effort to find the author’s illegal desert grave. (University of New Mexico Press; May 2015) Pre-order it.
Snowblind: Tales of Alpine Obsession
by Daniel Arnold
Veteran travel writer Arnold channels his own experiences into this collection of eight harrowing short stories, all linked together by quiet terror and an unquenchable thirst for the mountains. (Counterpoint Press; March 2015)
Buy it
Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World
by Leigh Ann Henion
Henion, a new mother awash in personal turmoil, takes readers around the world in her lovely, lyrical memoir. (Penguin; March 2015)
Buy it
One More Step: One More Step: My Story of Living with Cerebral Palsy, Climbing Kilimanjaro, and Surviving the Hardest Race on Earth
by Bonner Paddock w/ Neil Bascomb
Paddock, the first man with cerebral palsy to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, recounts his lifelong struggle to overcome his physical disabilities. (HarperOne; March 2010)
Buy it
Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds
by Kara Richardson Whitely
Speaking of Kili, Kara Richardson Whitely wasn’t about to let her weight stop her from conquering the roof of Africa. Her triumph as a plus-sized hiker is as inspiring as it is refreshing. (Seal Press; April 2015)
Pre-order it and read an interview with the author.
Born to Walk: The Transformative Power of a Pedestrian Act
by Dan Rubinstein
As any real backpacker knows, walking is one of life’s great pleasures. In his wide-ranging investigation, Rubinstein explores why humans moved away from our feet—and why we need to go back more urgently than ever. (ECW Press; April 2015)
Pre-order it
Finding Abbey: A Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave
by Sean Prentiss
Edward Abbey’s renegade spirit is alive and well in this road trip memoir that finds the author traveling cross-country in an effort to find the author’s illegal desert grave. (University of New Mexico Press; May 2015)
Pre-order it