<i>Not Without Peril</i> by Nicholas Howe

I have trouble with some books like this where the author inserts himself to hike in an area or otherwise give their own opinion on the topic when the rest of the work is focused on retelling the stories from a more historical perspective. Here Howe describes a death or near death experience on Mount Washington then in many cases describes where you can find traces of the incident or describes his own experience going there.

Generally the stories of trouble on the mountain are very interesting. Especially the early ones when there were fewer people in the area and the hikers did not have modern equipment. Reading about how they hiked through fluke summer storms and missed buildings by 50 feet was very engaging and remind me why we carry all that extra gear in our bags.

I could have generally done without Howe's interjections. Particular on the story about Jesse and her fall while ice climbing. That was a compelling enough story on its own. I did not need the author's memories of her to get there.

Overall, an okay read. Good for camping and other times when you are pitted---even slightly---against nature.

6/10

<i>Katahdin: An Historic Journey</i> by John W. Neff

I purchased this book for my dad as a birthday gift. He read much of it while he was sitting on the edge of a lake in Maine. I read much of it while sitting on a bus between Providence and Pawtucket, RI. He enjoyed it, but thought it was a bit repetitive. I have similar feelings.

Neff collected and organized all the stories and histories he could find about Mount Katahdin. This starts with Native American stories and tales of the first explorers to the region. One of the more interesting things to note about this point in Katahdin's history is that the first recorded ascent of the mountain wasn't until 1804. As a comparison, Mount Washington in New Hampshire had its first recorded climb in 1642.

Neff continues from there, including the logging history, the background of every camp trail and road in the area, as well as a summary of the drive of Gov. Baxter to create a park around the mountain for everyone in the state to enjoy (he purchased much of the land with his own money then gave it to the state). He glosses over the holdouts to Baxter's purchases of land (my dad said he can now see why some Mainers aren't too keen on Baxter), choosing instead to show Baxter as an unerring (probably not) and deeply committed (very true) protector of Maine's north woods.

Neff does tend to repeat stories, mostly as a result of the way the book is split into sections and chapters; including history, campsites, trails and "inspiration." Thoreau's trips to Katahdin, for instance, are described at least twice: once in the history and once in "inspiration." The writing also reflected that Neff was gathering stories form all corners of the state: it tended to be choppy and a bit rambling.

All in all, I think this book would be a good companion for travel through the Katahdin area and better as a book where portions are read here and there rather than as a single narrative all the way through.

6/10