Breaking into the Backcountry
Seven months service as caretaker of a remote mountain cabin in Oregon’s Rogue National Wild and Scenic River preserve was Edwards’ prize for winning a writing contest. In return for performing routine maintenance, his reward would be the time and solitude to work unfettered on his craft. While part of him yearned to embrace this chance to channel his inner Thoreau, another part realized that he had absolutely no survival skills. What does a twentysomething college English professor from Indiana know about living alone in a mountain wilderness? Armed with a healthy fear of bears; a jury-rigged, battery-powered laptop; and the emotional scars from a recent divorce, Edwards plunged into his new adventure with unequivocal trepidation and unbridled enthusiasm. And while this brave and bewildering new world unfolded around him, an equally stunning personal metamorphosis also took shape. Writing with an elegant simplicity and resilient reverence, Edwards proves to be an astute and passionate observer of both human and Mother Nature. --Carol Haggas