OUTLOOKS : EXPLORING ARID LANDS? `SIERRA CLUB DESERT READER' CAN BE THE ALL-INCLUSIVE GUIDE.Byline: Rich Martin Special to the Daily News The first in a series that focuses on ecosystems, ``The Sierra Club Sierra Club, national organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the world's parks, wildlife, and wilderness areas. Founded (1892) in California by a group led by the Scottish-American conservationist John Muir, the Sierra Club Desert Reader: A Literary Companion'' (Sierra Club Books; $16) successfully explores the mystical appeal of arid climes and probes the nature of the gritty reality from accounts of survival - and death - in areas such as the American Southwest, the Sahara and Mongolia. Editor Gregory McNamee, an environmental writer, has done a good job selecting classical writers' takes on the desert in the 308 pages. Mark Twain curses his adventurousness as he endures (not without complaints) a trek across the Great Salt Desert in Utah. T.E. Lawrence describes his first encounter with the Arabian desert Arabian Desert or Eastern Desert, c.86,000 sq mi (222,740 sq km), E Egypt, bordered by the Nile valley in the west and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez in the east. . Theodore Roosevelt hunts for bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep a tall (up to 3 ft), heavy (up to 300 lb body weight) wild sheep that lives in inaccessible mountain country where it exercises its principal achievement of prodigious leaping and climbing. Called also Ovis canadensis. Several regional varieties, e.g. O. c. in the Taklamakan Desert Noun 1. Taklamakan Desert - a desert in western China Taklimakan Desert Cathay, China, Communist China, mainland China, People's Republic of China, PRC, Red China - a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in in China. Percy Shelley's classic ``Ruins'' (``My name is Ozymandias, king of kings'') evokes the mystery of the region that endures to this day. One of the most engrossing engrossing, in English law, practice of acquiring a monopoly of goods in order to sell them at an inflated price. The offense was ordinarily limited to monopolies of foods. Related practices were forestalling, i.e. accounts is by John Muir, who is better-known for his treks in mountains. His tale of Nevada ghost towns The following is a partial list of ghost towns. Australia
Some accounts are not by writers but by explorers or natives. Jedediah Smith's gritty, decidedly unlyrical account includes a discussion of the comparative sufferings coming from thirst and hunger. He concluded that thirst was more painful, but hunger more long-lasting. A continuing theme in many of the accounts is the power of wind. And so, yes, there is a quote from Raymond Chandler's ``The Red Wind'' on this very subject: ``Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen.'' Something to remember the next time a Santa Ana wind The Santa Ana winds (or Santana winds) are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in Southern California weather during autumn and early winter. Meteorology hits. (McNamee claims that homicide rates double in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. during Santa Anas.) One key figure curiously neglected is Sir Richard Francis Burton Noun 1. Sir Richard Francis Burton - English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890) Burton, Richard Burton, Sir Richard Burton , an explorer of Africa and Arabia, but, all in all, a fine collection of writers. Other notables included are Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 - March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. , Mary Austin, Charles Darwin, Pablo Neruda Noun 1. Pablo Neruda - Chilean poet (1904-1973) Neftali Ricardo Reyes, Neruda, Reyes , Edith Wharton, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Marco Polo, Richard Byrd and Edgar Allen Poe. Our rating: 4 stars. ``Mountain Trivia Challenge'' (The Mountaineers; $5.95) by Ralph Storer might be the perfect book for a hard-core mountain climber who is in the hospital for two months recuperating from a disastrous knee injury and has lots of time to kill. Or perhaps for a backpacker stuck in a snowstorm and waiting for assistance. But then again, maybe not. Readers will find that a hiker who falls through the ice would survive for less than 3-1/2 minutes. It may be useful to know which state has the highest average elevation - Colorado at 6,800 feet. It is mildly noteworthy that the air at the summit of Mount Everest has 26 percent of the oxygen of the air at sea level. And knowing what mountain inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ``The Lost World'' (Roraima in Venezuela) is of some interest. But spending time unraveling anagrams an·a·gram n. 1. A word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain. 2. anagrams (used with a sing. on mountains is something else. Some of the questions are too trivial or arcane even for a trivia book. Mountain men should find something better to do in the winter: Visit deserts. Our rating: 1-1/2 stars ``The Essential Outdoor Gear Manual'' (Ragged Mountain Press; $18.95) has done a yeoman's job gathering materials together for the serious recreationist. There are many good tips for backpackers, kayakers and others planning to spend a lot of time in the wilds. And it lives up to its billing; it reads like a manual - necessary but a bit dull. Still, the advice is sound: tape flashlights into the ``off'' position into packs; use a nylon-adhesive patch and heat from the bottom of a pot of boiling water to repair a punctured self-inflating sleeping pad. One of the most useful parts of this book is the appendix, which notes recommended hiking items, knots, repair services and materials resources. Our rating: 3 stars CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The Essential Outdoor Gear Manual provides many good tips. Bob Halvorsen / Daily News |
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