A Year In The Maine Woods

Download Free (EPUB, PDF)

Escapist fantasies usually involve the open road, but Bernd Heinrich’s dream was to focus on the riches of one small place—a few green acres along Alder Brook just east of the Presidential Mountains. The year begins as he settles into a cabin with no running water and no electricity, built of hand-cut logs he dragged out of the woods with a team of oxen. There, alone except for his pet raven, Jack, he rediscovers the meaning of peace and quiet and harmony with nature—of days spent not filling out forms, but tracking deer, or listening to the sound of a moth’s wings.Throughout this year when “the subtle matters and the spectacular distracts,” Heinrich brings us back to the drama in small things, when life is lived consciously. His story is that of a man rediscovering what it means to be alive.

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 8, 1995)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0201489392

ISBN-13: 978-0201489392

Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #149,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #31 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > New England #230 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Nature Writing & Essays #885 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Travelers & Explorers

To appreciate Bernd Heinrich, you have to be prepared to slow down and look close. After all, the author himself has taken a year's leave of absence from a fast-paced university job to do just that. He wants to spend time in his beloved woods, study the creatures that live there and see where long rambles will take him. It not the sort of book to begin with an agenda in mind.That said, I found A Year in the Maine Woods a quixotic mix of science and human exploits - a glimpse at the lives of a whole host of insects, birds, mammals and plant life I never knew existed, and a chance to share in one person's approach to learning.Examples? Let's take Heinrich's penchant for climbing trees. For a full-grown, adult male he really does spend a lot of time in them, and as a result has some interesting stories to tell. There's the day he finds himself scrambling up a tree to avoid a moose who refuses to yield the right of way on a trail, and the time a doe wanders under the apple tree he is sitting in and proceeds to munch away. No amount of noise or movement on Heinrich's part seems to disturb her until he descends from the tree. Then she's off like a shot!Here's another example. Heinrich loves ravens. He is fascinated by their intelligence, close-knit family systems, their flying ability and survival skills, and is not above combing the countryside for roadkill in order to provide food for them. Heinrich's exploits with a pet raven are both hilarious and revealing. Here is a man who delights in life itself and is willing to put up with a fair amount of discomfort and irritation to learn about it.

Maine Coon Cats. Maine Coon Cat Owner's Manual. Maine Coon cats care, personality, grooming, health, training, costs and feeding all included. A Year In The Maine Woods Maine Coon: Your Definitive Guide to The Origin, Traits & Care Of The Majestic Maine Coon Cat Maine Coon Cats - The Owners Guide from Kitten to Old Age - Buying, Caring For, Grooming, Health, Training, and Understanding Your Maine Coon The Allagash Guide: What You Need to Know to Canoe this Famous Maine Waterway/ Winner of "Legendary Maine Guide" Award Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Maine and New Hampshire: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Maine and New Hampshire Thoreau's Maine Woods Amy's Maine Coloring Book: Book 1, Houses and Environs (Volume 1) Our Point of View: Fourteen Years at a Maine Lighthouse Early Gravestones in Southern Maine: The Genius of Bartlett Adams Just Maine Coon Cats 2017 Wall Calendar (Cat Breed Calendars) Maine Coon Cats 2017 Square 2016 Maine Lighthouses Down East Wall Calendar 2017 Maine Lighthouse Down East Wall Calendar 2015 Maine Lighthouse Wall Calendar 2014 Maine Lighthouses Calendar A Place in Time: The Shakers at Sabbathday Lake, Maine (Pocket Paragon) All Maine seafood cookbook Dishing Up Maine: 165 Recipes That Capture Authentic Down East Flavors Maine Home Cooking: 175 Recipes from Down East Kitchens