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A Wild Path
A soul-satisfying journey through the wilderness that uncovers hope, healing, and the abiding grace of wild things
A Wild Path is author Douglas Wood’s highly anticipated followup to the critically acclaimed memoir Deep Woods, Wild Waters . He again leads readers along a meditative path through a wilderness of many dimensions—from the lakes and islands of his beloved Canoe Country to rugged ocean coasts to a mountain chasm, from camping on the Canadian Shield to listening to the soft strains of Beethoven in the pines, and from the pain of childhood wounds to appreciation for a life rich with nature. As on every good journey, there is plenty of laughter, warmth, and humor on the trail. With the generosity and compassion of a good wilderness guide, Douglas Wood welcomes readers to accompany him as he navigates his life-path from struggling student and “worst reader in the class” to prolific writer and best-selling author. He offers courage and hope to those who feel different or left behind, and he shares how he found, through the counsel of rocks, trees, and waters, his own way toward joy and wonder and an unshakable sense of belonging. Exploring the meanings of myriad outdoor experiences, Wood seeks to understand the importance and existence of beauty, the emotional poignancy of a wilderness sunset, and the realization of dreams, while also honoring his outdoor and literary mentors, including Sigurd Olson and Aldo Leopold. Traveling across continents, over oceans, and through the landscape of time, A Wild Path ranges from solitary shorelines of introspection to peaks of triumph, finding rest and tranquility in a simple cup of jasmine tea, sipped by a campfire under the stars.
A Wild Path is author Douglas Wood’s highly anticipated followup to the critically acclaimed memoir Deep Woods, Wild Waters . He again leads readers along a meditative path through a wilderness of many dimensions—from the lakes and islands of his beloved Canoe Country to rugged ocean coasts to a mountain chasm, from camping on the Canadian Shield to listening to the soft strains of Beethoven in the pines, and from the pain of childhood wounds to appreciation for a life rich with nature. As on every good journey, there is plenty of laughter, warmth, and humor on the trail. With the generosity and compassion of a good wilderness guide, Douglas Wood welcomes readers to accompany him as he navigates his life-path from struggling student and “worst reader in the class” to prolific writer and best-selling author. He offers courage and hope to those who feel different or left behind, and he shares how he found, through the counsel of rocks, trees, and waters, his own way toward joy and wonder and an unshakable sense of belonging. Exploring the meanings of myriad outdoor experiences, Wood seeks to understand the importance and existence of beauty, the emotional poignancy of a wilderness sunset, and the realization of dreams, while also honoring his outdoor and literary mentors, including Sigurd Olson and Aldo Leopold. Traveling across continents, over oceans, and through the landscape of time, A Wild Path ranges from solitary shorelines of introspection to peaks of triumph, finding rest and tranquility in a simple cup of jasmine tea, sipped by a campfire under the stars.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published January 28, 2025
11 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Wood
93 books88 followersComposer, recording artist, wilderness guide, and self-taught naturalist-Douglas Wood is perhaps most widely known as the highly acclaimed author of OLD TURTLE, a 1993 ABBY Award winner and an International Reading Association Book of the Year. Author of several books for readers of all ages, Douglas says he is always seeking themes that are universally significant to both children and adults. His first book for Candlewick Press, GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH-winner of the Christopher Medal for "affirming the highest value of the human spirit"-quietly explores the theme of grief and healing while celebrating a human connection to the natural world and the enduring spirit of love. Douglas Wood kept in mind someone very special to his own life when writing GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH. "I feel I've been getting ready to write this book all my life, for it is about my wise and gentle hero, my Grandad. It's a prayer and a thank you, a walk in the woods, and a remembering smile; and it is for anyone who has ever had a woods to walk, a prayer to whisper, a hero to love."
Douglas Wood lives with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
Douglas Wood lives with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 5, 2024
If you love the outdoors, adventures, and nature this is a must read. Reminded me of Sigurd Olson’s books.
January 8, 2024
From the little girl stopping to smell a flower on a busy street in China, to moments sitting around a wilderness campfire, Douglas Wood offers us many moments and thoughts in an interesting "wild path" through life. Off comes the mask most of us are content to wear as he describes his personal issues, from his childhood through the tripping while carrying a canoe on his island in the Minnesota wilderness. I would suggest his writing puts Wood on par with his heroes of Sigrid Olson, Aldo Leopold and the like. He weaves us through moment of his life lyrically. It's too bad his "A Wild Path" wasn't a few tales longer, that there isn't one more cup of Jasmine tea to sip, or another handful to twigs to drop on the flames.
October 20, 2024
I like to read something gentle and life affirming before bed. This fit the bill. The overall message is how much we need and benefit from time spent in nature. Wood's work is an inspiration to Minnesotans to value and preserve the beautiful wild areas that make up this state. Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters are exceptional areas that need our protection.
November 29, 2023
Interesting. The author is definitely a deep thinker. I found myself jotting down some of his thoughts, they really resonated with me. For example, at several points he is talking about trees, and the lessons we can take from them. Like a tree, "when life is hard and you're not sure what to do, reach. Reach up for the light. Reach down for where you're rooted. Reach out into the world around you. Survive and endure". As well as, "stand tall but bend when you need to. Grow from the bottom up, and from the inside out. Grow where you're planted."
There's a multitude of these kind of thoughts and suggestions throughout the book. It's the type of book that you will want to take a lot of time with, just to absorb and reflect what the author is telling you.
It's a good read for a cold, wintry day in front of a fireplace with a dog curled up at your feet.
There's a multitude of these kind of thoughts and suggestions throughout the book. It's the type of book that you will want to take a lot of time with, just to absorb and reflect what the author is telling you.
It's a good read for a cold, wintry day in front of a fireplace with a dog curled up at your feet.
August 31, 2025
Our 82nd Retirement Read Aloud, very good.
November 28, 2025
Very good book, similar to Rooted. Gives great personal experiences and adventures in the outdoors and gives life lessons along the way. Great nature writing book, gives lots of life wisdom.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews