Under the Stars

Book excerpt: "The definitive book on camping in America. . . . A passionate, witty, and deeply engaging examination of why humans venture into the wild."--Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild From the Sierras to the Adirondacks and the Everglades, Dan White travels the nation to experience firsthand--and sometimes face first--how the American wilderness transformed from the devil's playground into a source of adventure, relaxation, and renewal. Whether he's camping nude in cougar country, being attacked by wildlife while "glamping," or crashing a girls-only adventure for urban teens, Dan White seeks to animate the evolution of outdoor recreation. In the process, he demonstrates how the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, Roosevelt, and Muir--along with visionaries such as Adirondack Murray, Horace Kephart, and Juliette Gordon Low--helped blaze a trail from Transcendentalism to Leave No Trace. Wide-ranging in research, enthusiasm, and geography, Under the Stars reveals a vast population of nature seekers, a country still in love with its wild places.