"If wilderness is outlawed, only outlaws can save wilderness." Edward
Abbey
In a collection of gripping stories of adventure, Doug Peacock, loner,
iconoclast, environmentalist, and contemporary of Edward Abbey, reflects
on a life lived in the wild, asking the question many ask in their
twilight years: "Was It Worth It?"
Recounting sojourns with Abbey, but also Peter Matthiessen, Doug
Tompkins, Jim Harrison, Yvon Chouinard and others, Peacock observes that
what he calls "solitary walks" were the greatest currency he and his
buddies ever shared. He asserts that "solitude is the deepest well I
have encountered in this life," and the introspection it affords has
made him who he is: a lifelong protector of the wilderness and its many
awe-inspiring inhabitants.
With adventures both close to home (grizzlies in Yellowstone and jaguars
in the high Sonoran Desert) and farther afield (tigers in Siberia,
jaguars again in Belize, spirit bears in the wilds of British Columbia,
all the amazing birds of the Galapagos), Peacock acknowledges that Covid
19 has put "everyone's mortality in the lens now and it's not
necessarily a telephoto shot." Peacock recounts these adventures to try
to understand and explain his perspective on Nature: That wilderness is
the only thing left worth saving.
In the tradition of Peacock's many best-selling books, Was It Worth
It? is both entertaining and thought provoking. It challenges any
reader to make certain that the answer to the question for their own
life is "Yes!"
