The Exploration of the Colorado River by John Wesley Powell.
First published in 1875, this account of the first journey down the treacherous Colorado River is from the journal of Major John Wesley Powell, who led the expedition. BR 1239, WOD 169.

Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.
A journalist’s first-hand report on the ill-fated Mount Everest expedition of May 1996 in which a freak storm claimed the lives of nine adventurers. Describes the grueling ascent of the climbers, their sense of elation at reaching the peak, and the tragic events that followed. Strong language. RC 44525.

Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft by Thor Heyerdahl.
Relates how six hardy young Norwegians made a perilous but successful voyage from Peru to Tahiti on a raft of balsa logs. This venture tested the author’s theory that the original settlers of Polynesia might have come from South America by following the ocean currents. RC 22841.

A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Lucy Bird.
An intrepid traveler’s account of her sojourn in Colorado in 1873, as she was returning to England from Hawaii. Journeying alone, without a gun, Miss Bird describes the American West, mining towns, isolated cabins, and the people she encountered--especially the desperado "Mountain Jim" Nugent. RC 48842.

The Man Who Walked through Time by Colin Fletcher.
A narrative account of the author’s walking expedition through the Grand Canyon, with observations on the dangers of the feat, the varieties of animal life prevalent in the seven-million-year-old gorge, and the necessity of preserving the canyon from any future development. RC 31845.

Roughing It by Mark Twain.
A humorous account loosely based on the celebrated author’s life during the years 1861-1867. Mark Twain tries his hand at prospecting, speculating, laboring, and, more successfully, reporting. His exaggerated adventures take him across the frontier plains to California and then to Hawaii. BR 16169, RC 12437.

A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold.
The "father of wildlife conservation" in America describes his family’s relationship to their Wisconsin acreage in this collection of sketches and essays. A forester by training, Leopold calls for land reform and conservation. He examines the ethics of ecology, and urges protection of wildlife and respect for the environment. BR 1846, RC 52718.

Savage Summit by Jennifer Jordan.
Journalist profiles the first five female mountaineers to summit K2, nicknamed "Savage Mountain" for its reputation as the world’s most dangerous and second-highest peak. Portrays the background, abilities, motivations, and remarkable climbs of three women who died descending K2 and two who perished on other mountains. Some strong language. RC 60346.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.
The author criticizes man’s large-scale use of chemical insecticides and weed killers, warning that such a policy jeopardizes the environment and damages wildlife. BR 11887, RC 20184.

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen.
Account of a journey that began in September, 1973, when the novelist-explorer set out with field biologist George Schaller to the Crystal Mountain across the Himalayas on the Tibetan plateau. Schaller wished to observe the rutting of the blue sheep, and Matthiessen, a student of Zen Buddhism, hoped to find the Lama of Shey. RC 14615.

South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage by Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton.
Shackleton’s 1914-1917 account of how his plans to lead the first trans-Antarctic expedition became a survival saga after his ship, Endurance, was blocked and finally crushed by pack-ice. Describes the courage of men facing extremely harsh conditions. Covers Shackleton’s valiant 800-mile trip in an open boat to bring back rescuers. RC 48292.

Walden, or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau.
Autobiographical record of the author’s experiment in essential living at his Walden Pond retreat in the 1850s along with detailed observations of nature and his commentaries on world problems. His essay "Civil Disobedience" is a protest against government’s interference with individual liberty. BR 12576, RC 50835.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
Epic tale of two-and-a-half years of exploration and survival in Antarctica as recounted by the youngest member of Scott’s last expedition to the South Pole. Describes the difficult crossing of the Beardmore Glacier, Cherry-Garrard’s scientific mission to obtain emperor penguin eggs, and his discovery of Scott’s body. RC 58594.