Category Archives: Backpacking Adventures

On Randall K. Wilson’s “A Place Called Yellowstone”: Award-Winning History of Yellowstone National Park

Posted on February 17, 2026 by williamjcobb

So as a devoted National-Park aficionado I learned of Randall K. Wilson’s A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park last Spring when it was announced as winner of the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize for the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Backpacking Adventures, books, Yellowstone National Park backcountry trips, Yellowstone National Park kayaking, Yellowstone wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

More Alone than “Alone”: On Adam Shoalts’s “Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell” (2025)

Posted on February 12, 2026 by williamjcobb

So I have great admiration for the hardy, crusty souls who can live and survive well in the rugged outdoors—people like the enigmatic free-style explorer Hubert Darrell, who began life as an Englishman and ended his days in far northern … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Attacks Stories, Backpacking Adventures, Bear attacks, books, Canada's Northwest Territories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“The Salt Path” (2025): An Underappreciated Film That Includes Actual Humanity

Posted on January 24, 2026 by williamjcobb

So my wife and I are inveterate backpackers—the seasoned, often bedraggled kind. We’ve backpacked in many locations from Denali National Park in Alaska (perhaps the “wildest” backcountry) to Yellowstone and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming and many others. But truth … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Salt Path" Film (2025), Backpacking Adventures, books/film, Economics, Film, Raynor Winn's "The Salt Path", Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment