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Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks
Many childhood summers, Mark Woods piled into a station wagon with his parents and two sisters and headed to America's national parks. Mark’s most vivid childhood memories are set against a backdrop of mountains, woods, and fireflies in places like Redwood, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon national parks.
On the eve of turning fifty and a little burned-out, Mark decided to reconnect with the great outdoors. He'd spend a year visiting the national parks. He planned to take his mother to a park she'd not yet visited and to re-create his childhood trips with his wife and their iPad-generation daughter.
But then the unthinkable happened: his mother was diagnosed with cancer, given just months to live. Mark had initially intended to write a book about the future of the national parks, but Lassoing the Sun grew into something more: a book about family, the parks, the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave behind.
On the eve of turning fifty and a little burned-out, Mark decided to reconnect with the great outdoors. He'd spend a year visiting the national parks. He planned to take his mother to a park she'd not yet visited and to re-create his childhood trips with his wife and their iPad-generation daughter.
But then the unthinkable happened: his mother was diagnosed with cancer, given just months to live. Mark had initially intended to write a book about the future of the national parks, but Lassoing the Sun grew into something more: a book about family, the parks, the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave behind.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2016
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3212 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
January 19, 2020
Sometimes it's the book, sometimes where one finds themselves while reading, and sometimes the two combine to make a memorable read. This was the first book Iwas able to listen to after being felled by a virus and spending nine days on ventilator, so that alone makes it special. Part memoir, part travelogue, it wasn't all sweetness and light, their is sadness but of the bittersweet nature, because there was also pleny of love.
Love of nature, family, solace and silence. A tour through the family of a man and of the National Parks that need to be preserved. Plenty of John Muir, whonwas so integral to keeping these parks unchanged, unencroached upon. The authors mother sounds like a woman I would have been great friends with, she seemed to cherish the same things I do as well. Stop the mindless chatter and listen to nature, cherish the sounds of water running in a stream, notice special rocks, formations of nature.
Anyway, coming from a very dark place, this book and it's focus on family and nature, spoke to me. I'm currently trying to regain my strength, learn to walk again, looking forward to a time when I might be able again to visit some of the parks mentioned within.
The narrator was Corey Snow and I also give his narration four stars.
Love of nature, family, solace and silence. A tour through the family of a man and of the National Parks that need to be preserved. Plenty of John Muir, whonwas so integral to keeping these parks unchanged, unencroached upon. The authors mother sounds like a woman I would have been great friends with, she seemed to cherish the same things I do as well. Stop the mindless chatter and listen to nature, cherish the sounds of water running in a stream, notice special rocks, formations of nature.
Anyway, coming from a very dark place, this book and it's focus on family and nature, spoke to me. I'm currently trying to regain my strength, learn to walk again, looking forward to a time when I might be able again to visit some of the parks mentioned within.
The narrator was Corey Snow and I also give his narration four stars.
January 31, 2020
A strong 4 star book! So happy I read this for a group read because I probably would never have come across it otherwise. The book was so engaging, maybe because I really enjoy visiting our National Parks and nature; it's informative but not boring. Also enjoyed how Mark Woods incorporated his personal life into the narrative, which brought me to tears in a couple places. Kudos for using quite a few of John Muir's (a personal fave!) quotes. I was pleasantly surprised by reading that his parents grew up and met in Rock Island, IL which is only about 10 miles from where I've lived my whole life.
I've not travelled to very many of our National Parks but this book gives a glimpse of those I have not visited and those I have. What an incredible year long adventure!
I've not travelled to very many of our National Parks but this book gives a glimpse of those I have not visited and those I have. What an incredible year long adventure!
December 26, 2022
“The healing solitudes still existed on Haleakala. I could vouch for that. But if the year taught me anything it was that they still exist all over America. Yes, they’re dwindling and under constant attack, but they’re out there. They can be found in deserts and rainforests, canyons and islands, the stars and the sun. They can be found on the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top of Half Dome. They can be found in a seventeen-ton boulder in a Pennsylvania field and a stone in a child’s hand.”
Beautifully written chronicle about visiting twelve US national parks over the course of a year. The author starts the year at Acadia in Maine and ends in Haleakalā in Hawaii. In the early part of 2012, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, so the book becomes both a travelogue and a reflection on aging and loss. He revisits childhood memories of his parents bringing him to the national parks. His recounts the discoveries of his own children, as they learn to appreciate nature, creating memories that will last a lifetime. He addresses current environmental issues that are impacting the parks.
This book speaks to the beauty in silence. It acknowledges the foresight of earlier national figures in setting aside these lands for everyone to enjoy. Mark Woods has a knack for capturing the sights and sounds of the natural world. The book is also a lovely tribute to his mother.
4.5
Beautifully written chronicle about visiting twelve US national parks over the course of a year. The author starts the year at Acadia in Maine and ends in Haleakalā in Hawaii. In the early part of 2012, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, so the book becomes both a travelogue and a reflection on aging and loss. He revisits childhood memories of his parents bringing him to the national parks. His recounts the discoveries of his own children, as they learn to appreciate nature, creating memories that will last a lifetime. He addresses current environmental issues that are impacting the parks.
This book speaks to the beauty in silence. It acknowledges the foresight of earlier national figures in setting aside these lands for everyone to enjoy. Mark Woods has a knack for capturing the sights and sounds of the natural world. The book is also a lovely tribute to his mother.
4.5
July 11, 2020
Lassoing the Sun is a lovely book about the author spending time across many national parks in the US. The connections to the past and looking into the future of the parks worked very well. The pieces were heartwarming and heartbreaking and simply spectacular at times.
I wish to get to see them in this life time.
Highly recommended read.
I wish to get to see them in this life time.
Highly recommended read.
April 22, 2024
The writing of this book was initiated after the author won a one-year fellowship thet allowed him to pursue a project of his choice. He had fond memories from his childhood of his family’s visits to our country’s parks, and the 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service was coming up. Thus he decided to visit one national park each month, with each “symbolizing a different issue facing the national parks in the next hundred years.”
The resulting book does follow that plan, but it ended up covering much more than that. A number of personal issues are dealt with in the book’s narrative, and most significantly his mother was diagnosed with cancer. His mother died on June 30th (half way through the year). Honoring and remembering her life are part of the narrative through the second half of the year.
In most of the parks visited he has a guide, either from the Park Service, or a devoted civilian, and these people give the book some human interest. The sister of one of the victims of Flight 93 on September 22, 2001 was one particularly poignant companion on his visit to the newly created Flight 93 National Memorial.
One National Park Service location that I had never heard of before when was described in his description of his stay at the campground at Gateway National Recreation Area. The area spans 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City, but the campground he stayed is located in Brooklyn, NYC. At first I thought it sounded like a bargain place the stay while being a tourist visiting New York City. But it’s infested with mosquitoes and located on an abandoned airport with a “post-apocalyptic” ambiance.
Another place I’d never heard of before was Dry Tortugas National Park which is actually an island in the Caribbean off the coast of Florida. Again the camping experience didn’t appeal to me, but I suppose people who like snorkeling and diving would find the place of interest. Another park that sounded less appealing to me was Big Bend National Park in Texas.
He also visited the better known parks in the system (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone). One place that’s maybe not as well known but that I have visited is Haleakala National Park in Hawaii.
But overall the book was interesting, and reading it is easier (and cheaper) than actually visiting all those places. Even at the parks I have visited his description of his experience expanded my knowledge and impressions of the place.
Visiting twelve places within the US National Park Service is barely scratching the surface. There are 429 official units of the National Park System. If you plan to visit them all you need to start while you’re young.
The resulting book does follow that plan, but it ended up covering much more than that. A number of personal issues are dealt with in the book’s narrative, and most significantly his mother was diagnosed with cancer. His mother died on June 30th (half way through the year). Honoring and remembering her life are part of the narrative through the second half of the year.
In most of the parks visited he has a guide, either from the Park Service, or a devoted civilian, and these people give the book some human interest. The sister of one of the victims of Flight 93 on September 22, 2001 was one particularly poignant companion on his visit to the newly created Flight 93 National Memorial.
One National Park Service location that I had never heard of before when was described in his description of his stay at the campground at Gateway National Recreation Area. The area spans 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City, but the campground he stayed is located in Brooklyn, NYC. At first I thought it sounded like a bargain place the stay while being a tourist visiting New York City. But it’s infested with mosquitoes and located on an abandoned airport with a “post-apocalyptic” ambiance.
Another place I’d never heard of before was Dry Tortugas National Park which is actually an island in the Caribbean off the coast of Florida. Again the camping experience didn’t appeal to me, but I suppose people who like snorkeling and diving would find the place of interest. Another park that sounded less appealing to me was Big Bend National Park in Texas.
He also visited the better known parks in the system (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone). One place that’s maybe not as well known but that I have visited is Haleakala National Park in Hawaii.
But overall the book was interesting, and reading it is easier (and cheaper) than actually visiting all those places. Even at the parks I have visited his description of his experience expanded my knowledge and impressions of the place.
Visiting twelve places within the US National Park Service is barely scratching the surface. There are 429 official units of the National Park System. If you plan to visit them all you need to start while you’re young.
June 13, 2016
This is a Goodreads win review. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. When Mark was a child he and his parents and sisters set out to go to the National Parks. He had very fond memories of those times. When he turned 50 and was burned out on his hectic life he decided to take his mother and daughter to a park not yet seen. But then his mother got cancer and the focus of the book changed. I just loved it.
July 27, 2016
Mark is a colleague of mine at The Florida Times-Union. I have always enjoyed his thoughtful columns, and when I heard he had a book coming out, I was eager to grab a copy to show support. Because the book is about the National Parks, I wasn't sure at first how much I would get out of it since I'm not particularly an outdoorsy person. However, my concerns were misplaced. "Lassoing the Sun" is so much more than a book about parks; Mark does a beautiful job weaving in tales about his family, the emotional loss of his mother and telling the story of his journey without making it feel at all like a typical story about finding yourself after a loss. This book made me want to get outside and explore the National Parks near me and beyond. I highly recommend reading this.
August 10, 2020
“It reminded me that if you spend a few hours in a national park, you check it off a list. If you spend a few days, you develop an attachment that lasts a long time, maybe even a lifetime. If you spend more than that, you become an advocate, a defender, an evangelist.”
Learning about myself: A total mismatch since I am obviously type I and the author is type III. I am someone who enjoys the moment, takes it in - revisit it and be nostalgic about it. I cannot really be interested in second hand epiphany of someone who saw a beautiful sunrise or enjoyed the moment's silence.
The book, though well written, seemed more like a deeply personal memoir to me than something that I would want to read for armchair travel. The author's mother is diagnosed with cancer and here he is visiting to a National Park every month.
He recalls his memories with him mom and dad, his childhood in these national parks - which might be really beautiful for someone who knew them. About the US National park's histories - I learnt a bit, but I had to google them to understand what he is talking about. Maybe had I visited them ever it would have some inkling.
Would have DNFed it, but dragged myself to finish it. I guess it is a good book - but not for me.
Learning about myself: A total mismatch since I am obviously type I and the author is type III. I am someone who enjoys the moment, takes it in - revisit it and be nostalgic about it. I cannot really be interested in second hand epiphany of someone who saw a beautiful sunrise or enjoyed the moment's silence.
The book, though well written, seemed more like a deeply personal memoir to me than something that I would want to read for armchair travel. The author's mother is diagnosed with cancer and here he is visiting to a National Park every month.
He recalls his memories with him mom and dad, his childhood in these national parks - which might be really beautiful for someone who knew them. About the US National park's histories - I learnt a bit, but I had to google them to understand what he is talking about. Maybe had I visited them ever it would have some inkling.
Would have DNFed it, but dragged myself to finish it. I guess it is a good book - but not for me.
July 10, 2020
Review forthcoming. Want to savor the silence that my mind and heart experienced in finishing this book.
May 17, 2017
Some people might think this is gimmicky (twelve national parks in twelve months, then write a book about it!), and others might find it dramatic (this wasn't the get-outdoors book the author expected; instead, it became a coping-with-losing-a-parent-to-cancer book) (I seem to read a lot of those books lately??). Still -- I found myself really enjoying this memoir.
I loved the feeling of bittersweet nostalgia that permeated the book. I found a lot of his grief relatable, and loved that he found healing in being outdoors. I learned a lot about different national parks, monuments, and seashores. I thought there were pieces of prose that were just beautiful. He goes to the parks for both connection with family and for solitude; he goes for hours sometimes and days other times. He goes to the desert and the mountains and the beach and even the city -- it's a thoughtful little portrait of America.
I found myself thinking a lot about this book even while I wasn't listening to it. In our frenzied pace of life, it is such a gift (and a challenge!) to be completely still -- but the parks encourage stillness, if you let them. They encourage us to remember our history. They encourage us to set apart special places. It made me want to go visit a few national parks, or at least to keep learning about them by watching PBS's documentary on them (The National Parks: America's Best Idea).
My only hesitancy in recommending this book unreservedly is that I know there are people who trust my recommendations because they are clean reads, and unfortunately there are a handful of profanities in the "July" chapter ... four or five f-words (more than I usually tolerate) and some s-words. I suppose the author included it because it was from the mouth of a New Yorker and it made him more authentic.
I loved the feeling of bittersweet nostalgia that permeated the book. I found a lot of his grief relatable, and loved that he found healing in being outdoors. I learned a lot about different national parks, monuments, and seashores. I thought there were pieces of prose that were just beautiful. He goes to the parks for both connection with family and for solitude; he goes for hours sometimes and days other times. He goes to the desert and the mountains and the beach and even the city -- it's a thoughtful little portrait of America.
I found myself thinking a lot about this book even while I wasn't listening to it. In our frenzied pace of life, it is such a gift (and a challenge!) to be completely still -- but the parks encourage stillness, if you let them. They encourage us to remember our history. They encourage us to set apart special places. It made me want to go visit a few national parks, or at least to keep learning about them by watching PBS's documentary on them (The National Parks: America's Best Idea).
My only hesitancy in recommending this book unreservedly is that I know there are people who trust my recommendations because they are clean reads, and unfortunately there are a handful of profanities in the "July" chapter ... four or five f-words (more than I usually tolerate) and some s-words. I suppose the author included it because it was from the mouth of a New Yorker and it made him more authentic.
August 13, 2016
Lassoing the Sun follows journalist Mark Woods and his love of national parks. As a kid his parents would take him and his siblings to national parks. On the eve of his fiftieth birthday he decides to take a yearlong trip through national parks, one a month, inviting his mom and family to some of the stops. A few months into the year Woods finds out his mother has been diagnosed with cancer and only has months to live. Ultimately, it’s a story of love, loss and how nature can help heal people. Thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend it to those who like travelogues.
June 30, 2016
I was expecting a travelogue; I got a riveting adventure story. I was expecting the straightforward, rather dry prose of a newspaperman; I got the deft touch of a novelist. Five-star reviews are reserved for classics in a genre, and Woods has created a classic (though to pigeonhole Lassoing the Sun into a genre would be a disservice).
This book is a tear-jerker, a life lesson, an entertaining read and, perhaps most important, a kick in the rear to us all to get outdoors and enjoy all that nature — and life — has to offer.
This book is a tear-jerker, a life lesson, an entertaining read and, perhaps most important, a kick in the rear to us all to get outdoors and enjoy all that nature — and life — has to offer.
January 18, 2019
I gave this book to my dad as a gift, and as he does he read it and gave it back to me. I didn’t know when I bought it how perfect it really was. Mark Woods reminds me of my dad in a lot of ways throughout the book, and just when I think all the similarities are through he goes and brings up It’s a Wonderful Life in the epilogue.
Needless to say it’s a wonderful life, and a wonderful read for anyone who loves our nation’s parks and the lifelong memories they create.
Needless to say it’s a wonderful life, and a wonderful read for anyone who loves our nation’s parks and the lifelong memories they create.
Want to read
December 27, 2022I'd like to read this some day. Currently it is not available for me in audio format. Too bad. Thank you, Diane ad Joy, for being the book to my attention.
January 12, 2020
I was surprised how much I loved this book. I was intrigued when Mark Woods wrote in the introduction that his goal was to visit 12 national parks in one year to focus on the problems of the parks and to see where they will be in the next 100 years. Mark discussed overuse, noise pollution, light pollution and competing interests as just some of the issues facing the parks. But he also discussed his life-long love of nature that developed when he when with his family of trips to the national parks as a young boy. When he learned that his mom was in the last stages of a terminal illness, his love for her and his family became a central theme of his book.
I appreciated Mark's research and his honest views. He admitted that he didn't appreciate the visitors who were complaining about cell phone service on the top of Half Dome at Yosemite. I was moved by his visit to Flight 93vNational Memorial on 9/11 because he focused on Richard Guadagno and his family and on the changes to the landscape in just a few short years. He interviewed the rangers and visitors at each park and obtained insights to the parks that wouldn't be observed by the casual visitor.
I loved the epilogue. It was perfect end to the book. This book made me appreciate all the times that I have visited national historic sites and national parks in my area. I may or may not get to all the glamorous one - Yosemite and the Grand Canyon - but I am glad all the sites are being preserved for future generations. They are worth saving and worth experiencing with family and friends. I wish Mark had added a list of suggested reading at the end. He did refer to quite a few interesting books that he read while researching this book. I added a few to my TBR.
I appreciated Mark's research and his honest views. He admitted that he didn't appreciate the visitors who were complaining about cell phone service on the top of Half Dome at Yosemite. I was moved by his visit to Flight 93vNational Memorial on 9/11 because he focused on Richard Guadagno and his family and on the changes to the landscape in just a few short years. He interviewed the rangers and visitors at each park and obtained insights to the parks that wouldn't be observed by the casual visitor.
I loved the epilogue. It was perfect end to the book. This book made me appreciate all the times that I have visited national historic sites and national parks in my area. I may or may not get to all the glamorous one - Yosemite and the Grand Canyon - but I am glad all the sites are being preserved for future generations. They are worth saving and worth experiencing with family and friends. I wish Mark had added a list of suggested reading at the end. He did refer to quite a few interesting books that he read while researching this book. I added a few to my TBR.
June 27, 2016
I've been lucky enough to read Mark Wood's columns in the Florida Times Union for years. His sabbatical intrigued me and I followed his columns along with the parallel story of his Mom's illness and death.
After attending his post year, Black Creek Outfitters talk, (and no, Mark, we came for the talk first, beer second,) my son and I were excited to hear a book was in the works.
I enjoyed Lassoing the Sun for many reasons. I love being outdoors and try to spend some time outside every day. I also feel a spiritual connection when I hike in the mountains, or stand on the banks of the St. Johns River.
Mark's writing style reminds me of one of my favorite storyteller/writers, the late Charles Kuralt. Lassoing the Sun was similar to Kuralt's A Year in America. They both tell a great story while waking up all of your senses with the beauty of their surroundings.
Highly recommend this book
After attending his post year, Black Creek Outfitters talk, (and no, Mark, we came for the talk first, beer second,) my son and I were excited to hear a book was in the works.
I enjoyed Lassoing the Sun for many reasons. I love being outdoors and try to spend some time outside every day. I also feel a spiritual connection when I hike in the mountains, or stand on the banks of the St. Johns River.
Mark's writing style reminds me of one of my favorite storyteller/writers, the late Charles Kuralt. Lassoing the Sun was similar to Kuralt's A Year in America. They both tell a great story while waking up all of your senses with the beauty of their surroundings.
Highly recommend this book
September 25, 2016
I started this book with the impression that it was about National Parks. Well, it is, but it definitely IS A memoir first. Once I realized (and accepted) that I found myself enjoying it more. I love NP, and I appreciated Mark's journey. Solid 4 stars.
January 3, 2020
It grabbed me at the first sentence when he pulled off California's Highway 101, crossed the Klamath River, and headed towards Redwood National and State Parks. Why? Because I spend my summers at these same parks and at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon. My best childhood memories with my family and friends. The traveling there was the best as we stopped to and from to get an ice cream snack at Dairy Queen in Cave Junction. Where we passed The Hobbit, a little shop dedicated the J.R. Tolkien's fantasy books other fantasies. And so many, many other memories. I would like to go through every page of this book and write down the titles and authors of the books he references. I also have made a point to take my own kids camping this summer and every summer thereafter. It is so important for our younger generations to get away from their electronics and see these parks.
May 21, 2020
I really enjoyed this book -- maybe it was the state of mind that I was in. I may have normally given this a 3 or 3.5 star rating but.... I am at the point where I am living vicariously thru others journeys as I am camped out in quarantine. I loved hearing about the history of the national parks that Mark Woods visited. His premise that perhaps one of the biggest reasons we are all so nostalgic for the national parks is because many of us have such fond memories because of WHO we went there with does make sense. While writing this book, the author's mother is dying of cancer and the jumping back and forth between her and his relationship with her and their collective relationship to the outdoors rang really true for me. An easy going read.
May 29, 2018
4.5 stars.
This was such an interesting read. As someone who has been to over 40 NPS sites, none of which were in this book, I was excited to read about someones experience within the park system. Woods spoke of the struggles he was facing in his personal life as well as the encounters with the people he came across on his travels. Besides visiting all 50 states before I turn 50 years old, one of my main goals in life is to visit as many NPS sites as possible. This book reminded me that if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish it despite any obstacles you face.
This was such an interesting read. As someone who has been to over 40 NPS sites, none of which were in this book, I was excited to read about someones experience within the park system. Woods spoke of the struggles he was facing in his personal life as well as the encounters with the people he came across on his travels. Besides visiting all 50 states before I turn 50 years old, one of my main goals in life is to visit as many NPS sites as possible. This book reminded me that if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish it despite any obstacles you face.
February 26, 2025
Idk what I was expecting from this book. Probably like very cool reviews of the national parks (I didn’t read any blurbs about the book beforehand). Then I started it and I was like this is actually very sad and we are ruining the national parks and all good things in the world (and his mom is dying ): ) BUT sprinkled in between and everywhere were pockets of optimism and the idea that it’s natural for things to change. You can also tell he really loves nature so I liked the descriptions of each park and pockets of relatable nature moments!
February 1, 2020
“When darkness is at its darkest, that is the beginning of all light.”
“It reminded me that if you spend a few hours in a national park, you check it off a list. If you spend a few days, you develop an attachment that lasts a long time, maybe even a lifetime. If you spend more than that, you become an advocate, a defender, an evangelist.”
This book brought back a lot of memories for me. My parents were determined that we would know something about the country where we lived. Every other year, we would camp somewhere in the United States or Canada. Sometimes we visited state campgrounds in Pennsylvania, Maryland or New Jersey, but we also visited National Parks like the Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains National Park and Yellowstone. There were more, but some of the names are escaping me at the moment. I always packed a large box of books, so some of my remembrances are of the books, but I do recall much of the scenery. I also remember my brothers being a pain in the neck, wet tents, long hikes and other trials. However, mostly these were wonderful trips. I am incredibly lucky to have had these experiences.
Woods made me want to get into a camper and go again. It is winter, but I am ready to go – as soon as it warms up. My husband is not a camper, so actually making some trips is unlikely. If I could get him on the road, I think he might change his mind.
All this is to say that I really enjoyed Woods story. I am sorry that he had to deal with his mother’s death and his grief, but for me it made his tale more personal and more interesting. Woods is an excellent evangelist for the National Parks. I just hope we still have them in ten years.
If you have been to a National Park, you may enjoy visiting them with Woods. If you haven’t visited a Park, I hope that Woods would persuade you to find any nature near you and spend some time there.
“It reminded me that if you spend a few hours in a national park, you check it off a list. If you spend a few days, you develop an attachment that lasts a long time, maybe even a lifetime. If you spend more than that, you become an advocate, a defender, an evangelist.”
This book brought back a lot of memories for me. My parents were determined that we would know something about the country where we lived. Every other year, we would camp somewhere in the United States or Canada. Sometimes we visited state campgrounds in Pennsylvania, Maryland or New Jersey, but we also visited National Parks like the Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains National Park and Yellowstone. There were more, but some of the names are escaping me at the moment. I always packed a large box of books, so some of my remembrances are of the books, but I do recall much of the scenery. I also remember my brothers being a pain in the neck, wet tents, long hikes and other trials. However, mostly these were wonderful trips. I am incredibly lucky to have had these experiences.
Woods made me want to get into a camper and go again. It is winter, but I am ready to go – as soon as it warms up. My husband is not a camper, so actually making some trips is unlikely. If I could get him on the road, I think he might change his mind.
All this is to say that I really enjoyed Woods story. I am sorry that he had to deal with his mother’s death and his grief, but for me it made his tale more personal and more interesting. Woods is an excellent evangelist for the National Parks. I just hope we still have them in ten years.
If you have been to a National Park, you may enjoy visiting them with Woods. If you haven’t visited a Park, I hope that Woods would persuade you to find any nature near you and spend some time there.
July 22, 2021
This was a great read. I love how the author went to parks on opposite ends of the popularity spectrum. Felt like a very large retrospective of the parks but the author's personal story provided a unifying theme. Parts of the author's journey was hard to read given my current circumstances but he was able to tease meaning from his childhood experience.
January 11, 2020
2.5 stars. I didn’t love this like everyone else seems to. I did really enjoy the first half but ultimately it just wasn’t engaging enough for me.
August 29, 2023
Solid book.
January 23, 2024
This was a really sweet story. I liked how the author explored parts of the NPS that usually don't get as much attention as parks like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, such as the Flight 93 Memorial in PA and the more urban Gateway in NY. The way he wrote about grief, loss, the meaning of silence, and the future of the NPS was all very moving.
May 25, 2025
An entertaining travelogue to several National Parks and monuments. I enjoyed it.
January 8, 2017
Very interesting read. In 2012, author travels to sites throughout National Park Service to reflect on future of park system. But his year changes dramatically when his mother is diagnosed with cancer & given only months to live. I'm not a fan of camping, but I do want to travel to many of these national park sites - and I do want to show them to Jake. (Own)
January 14, 2020
Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks turned out to be a engaging group read selection.
It seems that for many people, the appeal of the book is as a reminder of family trips to the major western parks taken as children. Perhaps because I didn't share that experience, I had more appreciation for Woods' reflections on the merits of the different types of National Park experiences, and the challenges facing the parks in future years.
Sadly, the concerns Woods articulated in 2016 seem minor in comparison with today's reality, when the age-old balance between preserving and exploiting public lands seems to be tilting away from preservation.
It is sad to contemplate what Woods' mother, his muse and a Parks enthusiast who died during the year he spent researching this book, would make of the threats to her beloved wild areas.
It seems that for many people, the appeal of the book is as a reminder of family trips to the major western parks taken as children. Perhaps because I didn't share that experience, I had more appreciation for Woods' reflections on the merits of the different types of National Park experiences, and the challenges facing the parks in future years.
Sadly, the concerns Woods articulated in 2016 seem minor in comparison with today's reality, when the age-old balance between preserving and exploiting public lands seems to be tilting away from preservation.
It is sad to contemplate what Woods' mother, his muse and a Parks enthusiast who died during the year he spent researching this book, would make of the threats to her beloved wild areas.
January 1, 2021
I only give 5 stars to books I plan to read again (after turning 65 that doesn't happen often) or that I wholeheartedly recommend. This is the later. Mark Woods takes a year to visit various National (and state) parks. He plans to visit one each month, generally camping (as in a tent) and he meets with park employees to discuss the challenges the park faces. He grew up in a family that didn't have a lot of extra money but they did go camping and visit parks so he was revisiting some parks and making a first visit to others. Some of his choices surprised me but he told a good story about all of them. One of the perspectives he pursued in talking with employees and other visitors is what the park (and park system in general) will look like in 100 years. Mark Woods also referenced a number of books in his narrative that I found of interest so I my reading list is that much longer!
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