Animalia

What kind of guy would don a 100-pound pack and hike through the Sonoran Desert by starlight, barefoot, and in full knowledge of the fact that there are rattlesnakes everywhere? A guy like naturalist and author Craig Childs, that's who. As he says himself, "There are times when I get too close to things I should not even approach. I can't tell you what it means. It is an errant foolishness buried like a dog bone in my head." And rest assured that The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild is chock full of just such incidents of "errant foolishness," though it also filled with lyricism, humor, awe, and a deep and profound connection with the creatures with whom we share this fragile planet.

The Animal Dialogues consists of 36 essays, never more than a few pages in length, each of which describes an encounter Childs has had with a particular species such as bears, dogs, northern spotted owls, pronghorn antelopes, smelt, red-spotted toads, wasps, and so on. Within each essay, we learn a little about the animal and also a little about Craig Childs. Though they are collected into generalized groups (such as "Carnivora" and "Aves"), the essays are arranged randomly and can be read in any order without loosing the spirit of the book. Some of the stories are terrifying, like the time he was hiking in the eastern Arizona mountains and suddenly found himself in a close-quarters staring match with a predatory mountain lion. Some of the stories are hilarious, like the time he essentially got beat up by a raccoon that Childs was trying to rescue from a desert sinkhole. Many of the stories focus on the mystical wonder that arises from such chance meetings, such as his description of the communion between himself and a sea lion on a moonlit island in the Sea of Cortez. In all cases, the animals and his encounters with them are described in great detail and with great sensitivity.

One especially interesting aspect of The Animal Dialogues is the way the stories gradually paint a picture of the author, like seemingly random pieces of a puzzle coming together. Craig Childs lives simply...in a teepee, in fact. He likes to tie one on once in awhile. He is fond of physically pushing himself to the limit. He definitely gets around; the essays take place in British Columbia, Washington, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Mexico, and so on. And he positively lives to disappear into the wilderness for long stretches of time.

While I find many aspects of his lifestyle highly appealing, I recognize that I personally am probably not up to it, nor are most us, I dare say. So check out The Animal Dialogues for yourself. It might be as close as you ever get (or perhaps even want to get) to experiencing nature on nature's terms.