The must-have field-guide for discovering the natural beauty of northern Indiana and "The Region" Beautiful and pristine, the natural areas of Indiana are perfect for nature lovers with a desire to explore. Featuring more than 140 beautiful color photos, A Guide to Natural Areas of Northern Indiana showcases the region's unique ecosystems and includes descriptions of the flora, fauna, geology, history, and recreational opportunities. For those who want excitement, there is information on hiking, camping, bird watching, horseback riding, boating, and more. Environmental writer and photographer Steven Higgs takes readers to the most exquisite natural areas across the region, including the JD Marshall underwater shipwreck preserve in Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes State Park, the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, the Valparaiso Moraine, Spicer Lake, and many more. A must-have book for the explorer or nature lover, A Guide to Natural Areas of Northern Indianais the perfect resource for travelers who want to learn more about the region's distinctive natural heritage.

The Iron Butt Rally (IBR) is the world championship of long distance, endurance, motorcycle riding. It is held every odd year, and covers all of North America. It is billed as "11 Days, 11,000 Miles" and claims proudly that finishers are "The World's Toughest Motorcycle Riders." As of this writing, since the Iron Butt began in 1984, worldwide there have been 403 people who have finished. The author finished this ride in 2009. He was fifty-seven years old. The motorcycle was a thirty-three year old BMW. It started the 2009 rally with over half a million miles on it. The organizers put them both solidly in the Hopeless Class. This book, which includes 65 photographs and 6 maps, is the story of the author's long distance riding experience, from the time when he considered riding three hundred miles a day an incredible achievement, to his covering over 13,000 miles in 14 days in 2009. The total mileage is 13,000 because after he finished the IBR, he had to travel over 2,650 miles in two days in order to return home and be on time for work. The author rode an average of nineteen hours a day for eleven days to gather points needed to be declared a finisher. One hundred and one riders started the rally in 2009. Seventy finished. Prior to this Iron Butt Rally, the author had been riding motorcycles as his main form of transportation for over forty years. He bought the BMW R60 new in 1976 and it was his only motorcycle for a third of a century. Over that time he decided that riding endless miles was a great way to relax and see the world. Think of the IBR as a giant scavenger hunt covering the forty-nine states and Canada. The riders are hunting for bonuses that are described by the organizers. The harder it is to ride to and from a bonus, the more points it is worth. At the start of each leg of the rally, the riders are given a list of bonuses. Each rider has to figure which bonuses he, or she, can ride to and still be on time at checkpoints. No two riders follow the same route. Bonuses can involve walking across the sea floor at low tide to take a photograph, or a visit to a historical location, or meeting a specific person at a specific time. Wind, rain, desert heat, traffic, illness, or mountain cold does not stop these riders. The author had ridden the same motorcycle in the 2007 IBR, but due to poor planning, inexperience, and dehydration, he lost an entire day during the rally. One can't lose a minute during an IBR, and he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that there was no way that he could be a finisher. However, he developed a route for the last three days that covered over four thousand miles and seven states to try and gain enough points to somehow be successful. The IBR gives no quarter for bad luck or poor health. He was a DNF (did not finish). During the 2009 IBR the author had good days and bad. Some days were spent riding on beautifully paved roads in perfect temperatures. Other miles were done on gravel roads, or in storms that damned well seemed to approach biblical proportions. Riders must be ready for anything. On day five the author stopped for a few hours sleep at eleven o'clock on a Friday night in Mississippi only to find that his footpeg and sidestand had broken loose from the motorcycle. Unable to ride, and knowing that no one would have parts for a 1976 motorcycle, he thought that his rally was over. Three hours later, with the help of a mobile welding service, he was back on the road and back in the rally. This book is written for those who ride motorcycles for long distances, short distances, and for those who have never wanted to ride a motorcycle at all. It's about the adventure that can still be found by pursuing the love of a sport and a dream.

Is a bad day spent outside really better than a good day at the office? This collection of twenty-three short stories, written by twenty semi-intrepid adventurers, aims to answer that question. Alternately laugh, cringe, giggle and feel inspired by our writers as they tell some of the most outrageous tales from the Grreat Outdoors that ypu've ever heard

An inspiring story of fatty to fitty and the power of the mind. Aged 30, Ben had a routine medical and was told he wouldn't see 40 unless he changed his lifestyle. An overweight, sedentary smoker, Ben had a young family and busy career with little time for anything else. 10 years later having completed many of the world's toughest ultra marathons including the Western States 100, the Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc and the Marathon Des Sables, he was hit with life-changing news when one of his daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Ben decided to undertake his toughest challenge yet: to prove to her that anything was possible. One evening, departing from the bright lights of Monte Carlo he headed towards the mountainous terrain behind the Cote d'Azur to run an unsupported 100km / 62.5 miles trail run. For most hardened ultra-marathon runners this would be a feat in itself, but for Ben he had something to prove: choosing to descend the rugged terrain he had already climbed and run the Cro Trail - a 130k / 81 mile mountain trail ultra race. A thrilling and yet down to earth account, detailing a young, working family man's journey to fitness - his love of nature and travel evolves - these stories can only inspire and motivate any reader.

It's no surprise that fatalities occur every year in Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to the sheer number of visitors--more than ten million annually! In these cautionary tales, Bradley recounts deaths and other unfortunate incidents that have resulted from accidents and human folly, including bear attacks, swift water disasters, and mysterious disappearances. Armchair travelers and park visitors alike will be fascinated by the dangers lurking in America's most visited national park and will be better informed about what to do and what not to do the next time they enter its gates.

Adventures in the wilderness can be dramatic and deadly. Glacier National Park's death records date back to January 1913, when a man froze to death while snowshoeing between Cut Bank and St. Mary. All told, 260 people have died or are presumed to have died in the park during the first hundred years of its existence. One man fell into a crevasse on East Gunsight Peak while skiing its steep north face, and another died while moonlight biking on the Sun Road. A man left his wife and five children at the Apgar picnic area and disappeared on Lake McDonald. His boat was found halfway up the west shore wedged between rocks with the propeller stuck in gravel. Collected here are some the most gripping accounts in park history of these unfortunate events caused by natural forces or human folly.

Humans and grizzly bears have been coming into contact in Yellowstone National Park ever since it was founded in 1872. Most of these encounters have ended peacefully, but many have not. In order to most accurately tell the stories of those involved in the more deadly incidents, Kathleen Snow went directly to the source: the National Park Service archives. With help from personnel at park headquarters, Snow has collected more than 100 years' worth of hair-raising stories that read like crime scene investigations and provide hard-learned lessons in outdoor safety. A must-read for fans of Death in Yellowstone and anyone fascinated by human-animal interactions.

The nature writing of Gary Ferguson arises out of intimate experience. He trekked 500 miles through Yellowstone to write Walking Down the Wild and spent a season in the field at a wilderness therapy program for Shouting at the Sky. He journeyed 250 miles on foot for Hawks Rest and followed through the seasons the first fourteen wolves released into Yellowstone National Park for The Yellowstone Wolves. But nothing could prepare him for the experience he details in his new book.The Carry Home is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Ferguson and his wife Jane, who died tragically in a canoeing accident in northern Ontario in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature. Confronting his unthinkable loss, Ferguson set out to fulfill Jane's final wish: the scattering of her ashes in five remote, wild locations they loved and shared. The act of the carry home allows Ferguson the opportunity to ruminate on their life together as well as explore deeply the impactful presence of nature in all of our lives.Theirs was a love borne of wild places, and The Carry Home offers a powerful glimpse into how the natural world can be a critical prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process of saying goodbye.

Written for adventurers and non-adventurers alike, Adventure Inward's collection of quotes and insights will inspire thrill seekers and risk takers of all sorts, encouraging personal exploration and offering insights into the ultimate adventure: inward. Through his own experiences as an avid mountain climber, the author uses quotes to explore the nature of why extreme sports enthusiasts do what they do, and how their risk taking impacts them and those around them. The fifteen topics explored in Adventure Inward offer perspectives on life, death, purpose, and meaning, not just for risk takers and extreme sports enthusiasts, but for people of all walks of life. "Great book with a plethora of inspirational quotes, sayings, and musings. Wunrow's clear and illuminating writing style makes this quote book easily accessible to everyone and anyone, no matter their level of "risk taking qualities. Sports enthusiasts are encouraged to read this " - Bri Bruce, Author of The Weight of Snow." "A wonderful book. Adventure Inward does a great job of explaining may existential issues concerning life, death, and one's purpose. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like extreme sports and also to anyone interested in contemplating life's mysteries." - Avery Griffin, Author of The Demon Rolmar. "I loved this book. It is surprisingly relevant to anyone's life. A good quote can inspire, transcend, counter negative thoughts, help us dream, allow us to escape, validate our thinking and beliefs, and offer basic truths. The quotes, proverbs, and sayings Jonathan Wunrow has collected from people of all kinds during his years of mountain climbing experience can translate to life itself." - Amanda Mac, Something to Ponder About Book Reviews.

You're coming to the end of an epic race. Your chest burns as your lungs fight to suck in enough oxygen and your thighs ache as lactic acid courses through your muscles in a final effort to reach the finish. If this sounds like hell, this isn't the book for you, but if you've experienced similar feelings and the subsequent endorphin rush as you cross the line, Up for the Challenge? will be right up your street. Sports writer Dominic Bliss has scoured the planet to bring you a selection of some of the most intense, hardcore sporting events around and dares you to have a go yourself. With over 60 challenges covering all four corners of the globe and a range of different disciplines, discover events like the North Pole Marathon where competitors run the 26.4 miles in sub-zero conditions or the Atlantic Challenge, a race that sees you and a rowing boat attempt to cross the world's second largest ocean. Then there's the Simpson Desert Challenge, a five-day bike race across the Australian Outback, or the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile, 24-hour horse ride across California's Sierra Nevada mountains - an event where on average only around half the competitors make it to the finish line. Alongside the event profiles, which are illustrated with spectacular photography are interviews with some of the competitors and organisers, explaining what it's actually like putting yourself through some of the most extreme physical tests known to man.

In 1999, Robert Boeder finally finished the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run after three failures. In this first person narrative, he describes the challenges of completing this most difficult of all 100 mile trail races. He also writes about the history of the San Juan Mountains, where the race takes place, and the town of Silverton, Colorado, Hardrock 100 race headquarters. Boeder is the author of Beyond the Marathon: The Grand Slam of Trail Ultrarunning, and two novels, The Chinese Laundry. A Novel of the San Juan Mountains, and Silverton Burning.