Desert Solitaire

I was first introduced to the writings of Edward Abbey while in college pursuing a minor in political science.  The Monkey Wrench Gang was one of the books assigned by Dr. Rita Bailey to better understand the ecological aspect in the realm of politics.  TMWG is fiction but spawned the eco-terrorism movement and groups similar to Greenpeace.  Edward Abbey was an extremely talented writer and, therefore, is very interesting reading as he wrote about saving wilderness from civilization.  His uber leftist idealism is where we part ways but I do appreciate his concern for our fascinating wild spaces in the southwest that he wrote about prolifically.  Desert Solitaire was written after he worked for a season as a Park Ranger in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah.  His stories of hiking, backpacking and float trips in and around Moab are wonderful reading and a must for everyone with the M310 mindset and always daydreaming of that next adventure.