Staff Picks
DARRYL BOOKER
director of sales & marketing
Favorite Destination: Cooper Lake or Hoh Rainforest
depending on the season
Bucket List Trip: Fly fishing in Belize off Cay Caulker
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Anything outside with my
family and a tent
Darryl’s Picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Raven's Witness by Hank Lentfer
You rarely read a book that feels like an autobiography when written by someone else. Such was the friendship between Richard and Hank combined with impeccable research, this book honored a life well-lived. I have to give a shout out to Nature Obscura by Kelly Brenner for the unfortunate timeliness of publishing right as lockdown started, in that weird and strange time this book gave a much-needed relief to view the world in the context of your own backyard.
Favorite all-time book: Minus 148’ by Art Davidson
One of the all-time greatest mountaineering stories with no ego just youth and passion, it puts you in the tent and the moment.
Most dog-eared book: 100 Classic Hikes Washington by Craig Romano (1998 version)
I managed to get through about 75. Current book would be Camping Washington by Ron Judd.
Amber Carrigan
development director
Favorite Destination: Grand Park in Mount Rainier National Park
Bucket List Trip: Norway
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Urban hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, skiing
amber’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Peak Nutrition by Maria Hines and Mercedes Pollmeier
Favorite all-time book: Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict by Steve Swenson
Most dog-eared book: Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills 9th Ed
Alison Crabb
Customer service manager
Favorite Destination: Salt Creek Recreation Area near Port Angeles
Bucket List Trip: Everglades National Park
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, camping, and skiing
Alison’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Peak Nutrition by Maria Hines and Mercedes Pollmeier
Recipes are so good!
Favorite all-time book: Nature Obscura by Kelly Brenner
I couldn’t put it down.
Most dog-eared book: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Washington by Tami Asars
Specifically the Snoqualmie to Stevens section.
laura grange
marketing manager
Favorite Destination: Cannon Beach, Oregon
Bucket List Trip: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Camping, gardening, backpacking, and hiking with my two dogs and husband
LAURA’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Journeys North by Barney Scout Mann
I love how this book follows the treks of not just the author and his wife, but others on the trail as well. It was so interesting following these separate stories and how they all weave together on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Favorite all-time book: Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard by Colin McCrate and Brad Halm
I enjoy growing my own food and Food Grown Right has been a valuable resource I turn to time and again when planning my food garden each season.
Most dog-eared book: Best Hikes with Dogs Western Washington by Dan Nelson
We bring our dogs with us everywhere, especially when we go hiking, and this book has been so useful for finding dog-friendly hikes in our area. It's been dog-eared and highlighted to death and we're determined to do every single hike in the book.
tom helleberg
publisher & director of finance & operations
Favorite Destination: Cape Alava on the Ozette Triangle. It’s got everything; coast, forest, sea stacks, wildlife, petroglyphs. The trail is easy enough to be a kid’s first overnight and it definitely has the potential to spoil them for every hike that comes after.
Bucket List Trip: Talking about Bob Marshall does have me thinking about Arctic Alaska, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the top of the list coming out of a quarantine year. I think a cultural destination with more human interaction would come first. If we had shots in the arm today, I’d want to visit family in Copenhagen and explore some new European destinations.
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Backpacking and biking
Tom’s Picks
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The bite-size entries (plus Jeremy Collins’s wonderful illustrations) make it a fun way to sneak a little natural history into a year of unexpected homeschooling.
Favorite all-time book: A Wilderness Original by James Glover and The Big Thaw
I’m going to go with a deep cut here and pick A Wilderness Original, the biography of Bob Marshall. It’s not necessarily the most literary book in the catalog, but I first read it (along with Marshall’s Arctic Village) when I was living in Alaska and frequently in Coldfoot and Wiseman. It’s a little bit of wearing the concert t-shirt at the concert, but I have a pretty indelible association of place with that book. I look at that cover and it reminds me of the Koyukuk River and the view off Atigun Pass.
The Big Thaw is a more recent (and very different) pick from the same territory. It’s difficult to call it a “favorite,” but it is hard to think of a more necessary title in our recent list and the beauty of the photography belies the urgency and importance of the subject matter. If, like me, you love books about Alaska, then you can’t ignore the impact of climate change on permafrost, the Arctic, or the planet.
Most dog-eared book: Camping Washington by Ron Judd
There are some books that live in your heart and there are some books that live in your glovebox. The top of that latter list is without a doubt Camping Washington. Ordinarily, I’m staunchly opposed to dog-ears, but in this case I will make an exception.
janet kimball
managing editor
Favorite Destination: For family time, Salt Creek Campground on the Olympic Peninsula
Bucket List Trip: Trekking in Bhutan
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, camping, and lake swimming
janet’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Nature Obscura by Kelly Brenner
Favorite all-time book: A Sideways Look at Clouds by Maria Ruth
Most dog-eared book: Day Hiking: Central Cascades by Craig Romano
Marissa litak
publicist
Favorite Destination: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (see Hike the Parks: Redwood National and State Parks by John Soares for more info!)
Bucket List Trip: Hike the West Highland Way in Scotland (inspired by Explore Europe on Foot by Cassandra Overby)
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, swimming, camping, learning about our region's flora and fauna
marissa’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: Douglas Fir by Stephen F. Arno and Carl E. Fiedler
Favorite all-time book: Nature Obscura by Kelly Brenner
Most dog-eared book: Swimming Holes of Washington by Anna Katz and Shane Robinson
emily white
acquisitions editor
Favorite Destination: Any National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio’s Holmes County, Tuolumne Meadows
Bucket List Trip: I’d love to paddle the Mississippi River from source to sea.
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Marveling at grass, rocks, and sunshine with my eight-month-old daughter.
emily’s picks
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Favorite book from 2020: This Land of Snow by Anders Morley
I’m a sucker for long, lonesome journeys, wide-open landscapes, the unexpected kindness of strangers, and beautiful writing.
Favorite all-time book:
Hard question! Perhaps Forget Me Not by Jennifer Lowe Anker, Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts, or Crown of the Continent by Steven Gnam.
Most dog-eared book: The High Sierra by RJ Secor
My copy has served as constant companion and campsite pillow on many a star-studded Sierra night.