The Journey Home by Edward Abbey

The Journey Home was written by the acclaimed environmentalist author Edward Abbey. This is one of his many pieces discussing the topic of the wilderness and its incredible perfection. The Journey Home is centered around a few main themes including the preservation of the wild and the effects time has on the world around us. This non-fiction book is an culmination of assorted life stories of Edward Abbey that take place across contrasting environments within the United States, varying from Hoboken, New Jersey; Yosemite National Park, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico and Telluride, Colorado. Edward Abbey is known as a “environmental philosopher,” and this is clearly demonstrated in The Journey Home in which Abbey comtemplates nature around him and the effect that humans have on its health and well-being. I believe this book is a form of a memoir for Abbey, in which he attempts to encompass the adventures throughout his life. The most interesting aspect of The Journey Home in my perspective was Edward Abbey's view on the ever-present change occurring in the United States. This was seen when Abbey returned to both Yosemite and Telluride. In Telluride, he described the transformation the town took with the arrival the ski resort driven by Joe Zoline. This man “tainted” the eccentric, isolated beauty of Telluride and represented the capitalist dominance within the US. Edward Abbey told of the entrance of American middle-class hippies into Telluride and how they permanently changed the atmosphere that the town earlier held. Before it was a refuge for naturalistic hermits, but was then commercialized as a “groovy ski town.” The same cultural demise occurred in Yosemite National Park. Abbey described how he visited the park in it's earliest days as a National Park, and has always planned to return. He was only apprehensive because of numerous accounts he had heard of the drastic decline the park has taken because of a recent influx of hippies and bums. He eventually revisited the park and stayed with a close friend who was, coincidentally, a Park Ranger in Yosemite. While in the park, Abbey shared stories with his long-separated friend and came to realization of the speed at which the United States is moving. Towns are becoming cities, and cities are becoming bigger cities. Abbey claimed that the acceleration of urbanization was one of the reasons he enjoyed the pure and simple life in the wilderness. For seven years, Abbey spent the summer in a isolated cabin on fire patrol. He would watch out for forest fires in the Pacific Northwest, and then report these fires to local firefighters. These summers he claimed were his time of growth, where identified himself personally. I enjoyed The Journey Home and believe that Edward Abbey is an incredible writer in general. The style of his work is very personal and depicts his obvious love for the outdoors. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an interesting read about the wilderness and its entirety. I plan on reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey for my next non-fiction book because he is even more acclaimed for his description and explanation of the desert and it's magnificence. I am eager to be convinced that the hostile and brutal environment of the desert is truly enjoyable and divine.