{"product_id":"2940148806776","title":"Best of Backpacker 2008: True Tales of Outdoor Adventure","description":"The backcountry is full of great stories, and we’re proud to bring you this collection of some of our favorites. From an award-winning tale of a daughter confronting her family’s dark past to a tongue-in-cheek romp through the one of the country’s oldest outdoor stores, these stories exemplify the power of quality writing and the transformative experience of the outdoors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTable of Contents:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m Hiking With Stupid\u003cbr\u003eA Buddy Story\u003cbr\u003eBy Steve Friedman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSecret Agent Man\u003cbr\u003eAnimals can’t talk, but Ed Newcomer can. As an elite U.S. Fish \u0026amp; Wildlife detective, he goes undercover to protect threatened raptors, bears, even butterflies—and bring poachers and smugglers to court. Inside the agency’s latest covert operation.\u003cbr\u003eBy Bruce Barcott\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(Don’t) Pay at the Pump\u003cbr\u003eGas prices are soaring. glaciers are melting—what’s a conscientious hiker to do? Take the bus, says our reporter, who did just that to escape downtown L.A.\u003cbr\u003eBy Dan Koeppel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWalking the Talk\u003cbr\u003eFirst, John Francis stopped riding in cars. Then he stopped talking. More than three decades, two continent-spanning hikes, and countless trail miles later, he’s still following his remarkable path of protest—only now he’s not alone.\u003cbr\u003eBy Bill Donahue\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLive Earth\u003cbr\u003eThe planet’s most dynamic landscape is full of bubbling hot springs, steaming geysers, and kaleidoscopic lava flows. Hike Iceland’s epic Laugevegur Trail, and join the action. \u003cbr\u003eBy Michael Lanza\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Source of All Things  (winner of the National Magazine Award)\u003cbr\u003eWhat if your favorite place in the world was ground zero for your greatest strengths and your deepest fears? What if that place was deep in one of North America’s most remote and beautiful wilderness areas? The author and her father trek into Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains to grapple with a tragedy that has haunted them for decades.\u003cbr\u003eBy Tracy Ross\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e24 Hours of L.L. Bean\u003cbr\u003eIt’s the gear world’s ultimate endurance event: a full day and night roaming the aisles at Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, Maine. Will our man survive?\u003cbr\u003eBy Dan Koeppel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRescue Me\u003cbr\u003eOn a snowy night in New Hampshire, a Congressional candidate crashed his car, wandered into the woods, and collapsed. Twenty-seven hours later, rescuers carried him out. And then the real drama began.\u003cbr\u003eBy David Howard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Hardest Miles\u003cbr\u003eSurvivors of the Bataan death march overcame one of history’s most grueling walks. What kept them on their feet? And could you do the same? Every year, more than 4,000 people hike through the New Mexico desert to find out.  \u003cbr\u003eBy Evelyn Spence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI Will Survive\u003cbr\u003eFlesh-eating bears.  Dive-bombing eagles.  Can a regular guy escape certain death armed with only the clothes on his back and the skills he’s learned on T.V.?\u003cbr\u003eBy Steve Friedman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Onion vs. Mr. Magoo\u003cbr\u003eCompetition boils over during a 5,600-mile footrace on the country’s hardest trail.\u003cbr\u003eBy Andrew Tilin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShock and Awe\u003cbr\u003eYou think climbing Rainier is tough? Try it blind. Or with one leg. Then see who you pity.\u003cbr\u003eBy Michael Perry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDestination Nowhere\u003cbr\u003eThe most remote spot in the Lower 48 is inside Yellowstone National Park. It’s also the goal of our correspondent, who travels deep into the ancestral home of grizzlies, wolves, and elk to gauge the state of wilderness in our nation’s first preserve. What he encounters—and what it says about the solitude backpackers treasure—will surprise you. \u003cbr\u003eBy Mark Jenkins\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Backpacker Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47084397822192,"sku":"2940148806776","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148806776_p0.jpg?v=1763708493","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148806776","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}