Rating: 
Summary: Thirty years later, this little book keeps me focussed .
Review: A counselor at a ranch outside of Denver had all of us 16-year old girls find a secluded place to read On The Loose. I remember vividly sitting under a canopy of ponderosa pines being awestruck by the beauty and emotion of the words written by the Russell brothers. From then on, it remained my favorite book, to which I would turn repeatedly for comfort and wisdom as I found myself (unhappily) living in large urban areas. "City life is the scary life, inane, insane, tiny and alone." The book made me cry at 16, and its still does at 45. "Take the road to the roadless area, because it won't be roadless long. Too much demand." Terry & Renny Russell were right. They saw it coming. It breaks my heart to witness the metastasizing of urban sprawl throughout the United States, and the subsequent displacement of our precious wildlife and their natural habitats. No end is in sight. Maybe if Sierra Club reprinted the book, the next generation would be as moved by this book as us of the '60's and '70's. Does anyone know what became of the surviving brother, Renny? I'd like to thank him for giving the world such a priceless gift.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiration of a life time.
Review: Apparently readers of this wonderful life guide all suffer from the same malady;The desire to share this work of art with others leads to unreturned loans. I too have left my copy in the hands of another. "On the Loose" is the sort of uplifting book that like any charitable act can only be appreciated if it is shared. Almost 20 years ago my brother, my best friend died at the age of 22 in an auto accident.In "On the Loose" I found the comfort and courage I needed to eulogize my brother as well as the words to say to help guide others through their grief. I wish that there was some way to replace the copy that has wondered off along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book. Here's how to find a copy.
Review: For all of you who are pining to find a copy, check out bookfinder.com. There are hundreds of copies available (all pre-owned, as far as I can tell) in all varieties of condition and at all kinds of prices. I recently purchased four copies for my husband, for me, and to give as gifts. Good looking!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book. Here's how to find a copy.
Review: For all of you who are pining to find a copy, check out bookfinder.com. There are hundreds of copies available (all pre-owned, as far as I can tell) in all varieties of condition and at all kinds of prices. I recently purchased four copies for my husband, for me, and to give as gifts. Good looking!
Rating:
Summary: What goes around
Review: How ironic it is to see that this book is about to be published once again. I was first given a copy in 1969, my freshman year of college, and it was the first publication I'd ever held in my hands that spoke of wilderness as something that could enlarge and enlighten the inner life of a human being. What interested me most was the fact that the Russell boys were the only people I've yet encountered to go into Glen Canyon before it was flooded to document at least some of all that was about to be lost. Given the unsuitability of the geology of the area, and the Native American sites that present day laws would have protected, it's highly instructive to have this book to illustrate what was drowned before most Americans even knew it existed. I'd certainly never heard of Glen Canyon before I picked up "On the Loose." The merits of the Glen Canyon dam were shakey even in the sixties, but the momentum for building big dam projects could not be entirely overcome by the cautionary minority of long-term thinkers. In the end, Glen Canyon was sacrificed partly so that the Grand Canyon might escape the two dams proposed for it. In the decades since, the creation of a 180+ mile reservoir where once a mostly unexplored canyon complex once stood has proven of far less value than it's more famous cousins Hoover and Coulee, and fallen far short of it's promoters' promises. And now patient Nature, always the eventual winner, is taking her canyons back via drought, evaporation, leakage into the porous sandstones, and every dam's nemesis, siltation. Add in the fact that there is a growing movement to take the dam itself down and let the canyonlands heal as best they can, and you've got powerful incentive to revisit the Russells' little book, to see what once was and may once be again. I hope the surviving Russell brothers have had good lives. Their beautiful book certainly struck a chord in me and a lot of people I know.
Rating:
Summary: What goes around
Review: How ironic it is to see that this book is about to be published once again. I was first given a copy in 1969, my freshman year of college, and it was the first publication I'd ever held in my hands that spoke of wilderness as something that could enlarge and enlighten the inner life of a human being. What interested me most was the fact that the Russell boys were the only people I've yet encountered to go into Glen Canyon before it was flooded to document at least some of all that was about to be lost. Given the unsuitability of the geology of the area, and the Native American sites that present day laws would have protected, it's highly instructive to have this book to illustrate what was drowned before most Americans even knew it existed. I'd certainly never heard of Glen Canyon before I picked up "On the Loose." The merits of the Glen Canyon dam were shakey even in the sixties, but the momentum for building big dam projects could not be entirely overcome by the cautionary minority of long-term thinkers. In the end, Glen Canyon was sacrificed partly so that the Grand Canyon might escape the two dams proposed for it. In the decades since, the creation of a 180+ mile reservoir where once a mostly unexplored canyon complex once stood has proven of far less value than it's more famous cousins Hoover and Coulee, and fallen far short of it's promoters' promises. And now patient Nature, always the eventual winner, is taking her canyons back via drought, evaporation, leakage into the porous sandstones, and every dam's nemesis, siltation. Add in the fact that there is a growing movement to take the dam itself down and let the canyonlands heal as best they can, and you've got powerful incentive to revisit the Russells' little book, to see what once was and may once be again. I hope the surviving Russell brothers have had good lives. Their beautiful book certainly struck a chord in me and a lot of people I know.
Rating:
Summary: I have loved this book for over thirty years.
Review: I encountered this book in 1969, and have reread it many times. I recently quoted from it in a report to the school board in an attempt to encourage continuation of an outdoor classroom that has been established in the district. I recently loaned it to a colleague, and am sad that it is out of print. Perhaps it is time for Sierra Club to reprint this inspiring book.
Rating:
Summary: A book filled with inspiring thoughts.
Review: I fell very lucky to have even seen this book. Sadly it belonged to a friend who was unwilling to "lend" it to me. As a young girl at camp I was introduced to the thoughts and feeling expressed by this book, and they have been apart of me ever since. Someday I wish to own my own copy of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Young and restless
Review: I got this book from my boarding school roomate, who also introduced me to such endeavours as rock climbing and Zen poetry. Obviously, many thanks to him for broadening my world and pushing my limits. Likewise, this thin book does the same. On the Loose is one of the books I keep handy for reading when things get too dark and I need to get out of the city limits. It's a positive idea - two young men, running wild through the west, productive in the sense that they are becoming conscious of Nature, themselves, and the encroachment if 'civilization' on that fragile world, and remains an inspiration to me to hold on to my own wild places I have found. The combination of grainy photos and wonderful quotes, as well as the poetic prose, inspire and center. I have purchased copies for friends, when it was still in print, and jealously guard my copy, although I am pleased to hear that the book will once again become available, as well as a follow-up. I expect it to be as strong of a work.
Rating:
Summary: Young and restless
Review: I got this book from my boarding school roomate, who also introduced me to such endeavours as rock climbing and Zen poetry. Obviously, many thanks to him for broadening my world and pushing my limits. Likewise, this thin book does the same. On the Loose is one of the books I keep handy for reading when things get too dark and I need to get out of the city limits. It's a positive idea - two young men, running wild through the west, productive in the sense that they are becoming conscious of Nature, themselves, and the encroachment if 'civilization' on that fragile world, and remains an inspiration to me to hold on to my own wild places I have found. The combination of grainy photos and wonderful quotes, as well as the poetic prose, inspire and center. I have purchased copies for friends, when it was still in print, and jealously guard my copy, although I am pleased to hear that the book will once again become available, as well as a follow-up. I expect it to be as strong of a work.
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