My good friend and sister in Christ, Cindy R, whom I hike with sometimes, lent me this memoir by Anne LaBastille. Many people never even heard of her but for those of us who are passionate about the Adirondack Mountains and/or are campers, hikers, kayakers, vacationers in the mountains, we know of her. She was born in 1932 so would be the same age as my mother if both women were still alive. This is Book 1 in her Woodswoman series of which there are 4.
SUMMARY
Anne was an ecologist who helped her husband run a hotel in the Adirondacks. When they divorced, she needed to find a place to live. She decided to build her own log cabin on some land that she bought. It was the 1960s. She found an ideal spot on 20 acres in the western Adirondacks. She was actually near Old Forge and Big Moose. She built the cabin on Twitchell Lake although in the book she calls it Black Bear Lake (I'm not sure why!).
It was very primitive. She had an outhouse for a bathroom. She was miles from the nearest town. Neighbors were mostly summer camp people but they all helped each other.
This first book of hers (I believe she wrote over a dozen books about her life in the Adirondacks) plus some scientific articles. She was also a photographer.
She held a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from Cornell University. She was also a part of the Adirondack Park Agency.
This book focuses on her early years in the cabin. She writes about the flora and wildlife she encountered. She depicts how lonely the Adirondack winters can be and how she tried to balance her need for love and friendship with her passion for independence and solitude.
It's a beautiful memoir with several photos of Anne and her adventures.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
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