High Country News

The end of something really big

The chance to see a huge dead whale draws "carcass tourists" to the California coast

by Michelle Nijhuis, Oct 31, 2005
To die fighting: a review of Jesse's Ghost: A Novel

In Frank Bergon's new novel, a young man in California's Central Valley is haunted by the memory of his best friend, whom he murdered.

by Tara Rae Miner, Oct 30, 2011
The loneliness of the redneck environmentalist

Drew Pogge is caught between two cultures: the redneck good ol’ boy gearheads of his youth, and the holier-than-thou environmentalists of his present.

by Drew Pogge, Mar 31, 2008
River Town

Flagstaff, Ariz., may not really have its own river, but to many of its residents it is a true river town.

by Christa Sadler, Jun 26, 2011
We're not all Right in Idaho

Being one of the few liberals in a conservative Western city requires tolerance and a love of community that transcends political divisions.

by Steve Bunk, May 18, 2011
Friends in high places

In the essays gathered in Breaking Through the Clouds, Richard Fleck weaves in history, humanity and poetry to tell the stories of the mountains he climbs

by Pete Warzel, Mar 06, 2006
Those buck-tooth dammers are back, big-time

Beavers return to northern Colorado, improving aquatic diversity.

by Chuck Bolsinger, Oct 05, 2011
Winter Prayer

Snowshoeing alone at night in the forest, a woman thinks – and prays – about the friends she loves, and the families they worry about.

by Kathleen Dean Moore, Feb 05, 2007
Starry Eyes

When it comes to perfect starry nights, the West is always the winner

by Terri Likens, May 30, 2005
Saving the Sierra, tale by tale

Independent radio producers Catherine Stifter and jesikah maria ross are trying to help the Sierra Nevada by preserving the stories of the people who live there

by Jane Braxton Little, May 14, 2007