A very satisfying read with enjoyable adventure tales taking place in the wilderness areas of south-eastern Utah. It's hard to classify this as either fiction or non, because it seems to be a mix of both. The narrator for the audio version needs to learn how to pronounce "penstemon"! 

Edward Abbey once had his soul "tethered" to that of a Mormon woman. It's interesting that he was only
62 when he died. But an early death may be because when he hiked and explored, he did everything in
a rugged, sometimes, extreme manner. 

I loved his account of trying to find a fast way down a mountain. He chose a slab of rock to ride, and despite being tossed off once, managed to get back on. What took half a day to hike up, took
only half an hour to descend. I skimmed a few passages, but largely enjoyed it. 

To be honest Abbey is a world-class butthole of a person by today’s standards. I finished it because although I disagreed with virtually every social/political point he espoused, he is a spectacular writer when it comes to writing about the Utah desert. 

An American classic in nature writing - with all the implications of latent sexism and racism that accompanies a “classic” written by a middle aged white man in the sixties. Still, that’s part of the importance and even charm - this book is a study in contradiction, all the more because Abbey is intensely self-aware. But is that awareness enough? Abbey would probably say no, as his college self rolls a tire into the Grand Canyon.