The Secret Worlds of Colin Fletcher

Author of The Complete Walker , Fletcher vigorously values solitude, so he reveals only that the secret worlds of the walks recounted here are west of the Mississippi. One of them is in the desert, along the Colorado River, repeating a section of The Man Who Walked Through Time ; there are daywalks and a visit to Redwood Creek and the Tall Trees. The chef d'oeuvre of this collection is Fletcher's account of his only wilderness trip to Alaska, a three-week sojourn at a remote lake. It wasn't remote enough, however: infuriated by hunters camping at ``his'' lake, Fletcher deliberately disturbed their game. He conveys the pleasures of solitary walking--the rhythms of movement, a sense of timelessness and heightened sensitivity to his surroundings. Illustrations. (May)