Desert Solitaire

I actually finished reading Desert Solitaire about a week ago, but it's taken me some time to really express what I thought of the book. First, let me say that I know Edward Abbey spent a lot of time alone in the Arches, but to be honest most of his book was about his adventures with other people, or cattle wrangling and he didn't spend much time talking about being alone. It's just kind of weird. Other than that nuance, I really liked reading Desert Solitaire. It's like taking Thoraeau and mixing in a healthy dollop of anarcho-capitalist reasoning. Well, maybe not so much the capitalist part because I think Abbey had some far left-leaning positions on economics in general. At least his positions on society, armaments, and the rights of the people are laudable.

And then there's the plants. Abbey spent an awful lot of time describing plants. It's almost a mania; there's just not a ton of life out there, so seeing plant life is like getting that drink of water you desperately need. The paradox of the desert being that the life there is perfectly adapted to exist there. It's just that people aren't. And the desert, like all landscapes is completely indifferent to that fact.

It's that indifference that has attracted explorers, adventurers, and romantics throughout history. Here's where I insert my own opinion on being out in the wilderness; my idea being that if you can find a way to co-exist with the rhythms of nature and ultimately survive being out there you can accomplish anything.  I don't think that's what Abbey had in mind, since he seems to connect to the desert the way that I connect to woods and streams. At the end of it I wanted to see the desert through his eyes, but I knew that I couldn't because my place is elsewhere. Instead I found a sort of kindred spirit, as I understand where he was coming from.

A lot of people give Abbey grief for the way he takes tourists to task. My question is why didn't he take them to task more often? If anything, the penchant for people to be lazy when on vacation has only increased. I'd love it if you had to go 4x4'ing about ten miles and then hike all day in order to see something truly beautiful instead of driving right up to it. Isn't the journey ultimately more worthwhile than the destination? Let people suffer so that they might enjoy the end more. Alas, such is not the way, but in no way was Abbey being spiteful or arrogant for heaping scorn on people that richly deserve it.

I'm revising my scale somewhat; a simple 10 point scale doesn't leave a lot of room for comparison. On a 100 point scale, with 50 being absolutely neutral in all respects, Desert Solitaire is about a 85 or 86. I think Abbey's writing style grates because of his focus on the minutia, but that's just my personal opinion and it may appeal more to others. I think Abbey was a great writer but there was room for improvement. That's all. Still, this book now has a permanent place on my bookshelf, along with Thoreau, Muir, and Crowe. Go buy and read this book.