Forest Under My Fingernails

Walt McLaughlin

Wood Thrush Books

A celebration of trout streams in northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

River's Edge: A Fly-Fishing Realm

Walt Franklin

What begins as a wilderness dream quickly becomes a gut-wrenching challenge to the author's most cherished beliefs, when the bush plane leaves and he's left alone to fend for his self. This taut narrative recounts one man's two-week sojourn in a harsh yet beautiful place, where brown bears, bald eagles and ravens teach the ways of the wild.

Arguing with the Wind: A Journey into the Alaskan Wilderness

Biographies & Memoirs

McLaughlin, Walt

Memoirs

A brief history of the trail, along with a little natural history and philosophical speculation, are woven into this narrative about backpacking Vermont's Long Trail end-to-end in early summer. In addition to the flora and fauna, the author describes a few of the colorful characters also encountered along the way

Forest under my Fingernails: Reflections and Encounters on the Long Trail

Science & Math

Nature & Ecology

Loon Wisdom brings together the best of McLaughlin's older essays and short narratives about elemental nature with new work that focuses upon the complex relationship between wildness and being human. Drawing from his own experiences in deep woods, along mountain streams, next to pristine lakes and elsewhere, the author explores his own passionate responses to the natural world while ever watchful for philosophical insights.

Loon Wisdom: Sounding the Depths of Wildness

River's Edge is a celebration of trout streams in northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, as well as the landscape through which they pass. In each chapter, Franklin paints an intimate portrait of a stream, recounting his own fly-fishing adventures there while discussing its cultural and natural aspects. Ever watchful for rising trout, the author shares with us his deep understanding of the riverine environment – how fish, fly and all other living things are intertwined, including us. The result is a wealth of knowledge about thirty rivers and smaller waters, underscored by passion, humor and insight.

Sports & Outdoors

Franklin, Walt

Miscellaneous

The 100 Mile Wilderness, located in the immense forest of northern Maine, is the most remote section of the Appalachian Trail. With a German shepherd dog named Matika for company and a heavy backpack tugging at his shoulders, McLaughlin accepts the challenge, reveling in all the hardship that the North Woods has to offer. He reflects upon the evolution of the trail system, as well as the history of the region, while traversing mountain ranges, fording rivers and slogging through bogs. He contemplates his own inclination towards wildness while pressing southward, encountering scores of hardy AT thru-hikers on their final push to Mount Katahdin. The trail twists and turns. The journey holds many surprises. And the beautiful mystery of the natural world prevails.

The Unexpected Trail: Taking on the 100 Mile Wilderness

After flirting with cosmology for decades, speculative philosopher Walt McLaughlin acquires a 4.5-inch telescope then plunges deep into the night sky with all the passion of a seeker on a quest for truth. Viewing is accompanied by intense study as the author teaches himself the basics of astronomy and ventures into theoretical physics in an effort to understand the nature of the universe. The result is an excursion through various beliefs and hard-won facts, from ancient times to the present, punctuated by direct encounters with celestial objects. The Impossible Cosmos is a narrative of one man’s backyard discoveries, as well as a grand tour of cosmic phenomena and the questions they compel us to answer.

The Impossible Cosmos: A Year of Amateur Astronomy and Big Questions

Astronomy & Space Science

THE WORLD ENGAGED is a diverse collection of nature writing. The selections here range from the conventional to the experimental, from the deeply personal to the philosophical. Much of this poetry and prose has been taken from previous publications. Subject and style vary greatly, but it all comes from seasoned writers with keen eyes for their natural surroundings. Past contributors to Wood Thrush Books publications are represented here – Walt Franklin, Jeanne Shannon, Benjamin Green, William Weiss, Helen Ruggieri, Scott King, and half a dozen others – along with new contributors like Stuart Bartow, Susan Cohen, Alan Catlin, Vicki Graham and several more. There’s something in this anthology for everyone who feels the tug of wild nature.

The World Engaged: An Anthology of Nature Writing

A Reluctant Pantheism is one man's lifelong attempt to understand the relationship between God and nature. The conclusions that he draws from his direct encounters with the wild conflict with most of the belief systems he explores along the way. While considering thousands of years of religion, philosophy and science, as well as his own experiences, the author looks for a common thread running through all nature-based worldviews with regard to what is real. Is there a driving force in nature that creates order out of chaos? For some of those who ask this question the door remains wide open to the infinite possibilities of the great unknown.

A Reluctant Pantheism: Discovering the Divine in Nature

Religion & Spirituality

Religious Studies

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Books by Wood Thrush Books

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Wood Thrush Books publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Forest Under My Fingernails

River's Edge: A Fly-Fishing Realm

Arguing with the Wind: A Journey into the Alaskan Wilderness

Forest under my Fingernails: Reflections and Encounters on the Long Trail

Loon Wisdom: Sounding the Depths of Wildness

River's Edge: A Fly-Fishing Realm

The Unexpected Trail: Taking on the 100 Mile Wilderness

The Impossible Cosmos: A Year of Amateur Astronomy and Big Questions

The World Engaged: An Anthology of Nature Writing

A Reluctant Pantheism: Discovering the Divine in Nature