Earth911 Podcast: Wilderness Defender Doug Peacock on Was It Worth It?

Meet Doug Peacock, wilderness warrior, author, and the inspiration for Edward Abbey’s well-known character in The Monkeywrench Gang, George Washington Hayduke. Doug Peacock’s new book, Was It Worth It: A Wilderness Warror’s Long Trail Home, contemplates a life spent in nature as well as the partnerships in wilderness living and defense he had with Abbey and others in the environmental writing world. His 1996 book, Grizzly Years, which recounts his 20-year relationship with grizzly bears, is one of the great books about the misguided relationship people have with apex predator species. Was It Worth It is published by Patagonia; it’s one of the few books that carries an environmental benefits summary — it is printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper, so it’s a book you can feel good about buying.

Doug reads from his latest book and talks about his 50+ years living near and studying grizzly bear around the Yellowstone National Park region. He reflects on how, if one doesn’t try to control and exploit nature, it provides endless magical experiences and the resources necessary for a responsible lifestyle. Doug also discusses the role of indigenous knowledge and the urgent need to respond to the collapse of biodiversity in the American West. You can learn more about Doug Peacock at dougpeacock.net and order the books we talk about at Amazon or Powell’s Books: Was It Worth It (Amazon, Powell’s) and Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness (Amazon, Powell’s).