“Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia to Zion Journey Through Every National Park” by Conor Knighton (Book Review)

Sometimes I find myself in perplexing conversations:

Me: I really love backpacking in (Lesser Known Park).

Other: I’ve been there, but (Well Known Park) is so much better.

Me: (silent, because I value the relationship)

I’ve backpacked and visited a bunch of places in the Western U.S., including the Well Known Park above, but I keep returning to a few locations that I really like. Why does it need to be a competition?

And as you touched on, there’s much more human history in most U.S. parks, forests, and wilderness areas than we’re taught in school. “Wil-der-ness: an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.” A convenient concept probably invented by colonizers.

Looks like a very interesting book, thanks for the review.

— Rex