Pacific High: Adventures in the Coast Ranges from Baja to Alaska

On a promising January morning, the first day of a new year, writer Tim Palmer and his wife set out in their custom-outfitted van on a nine-month journey through the Pacific Coast Range, the ribbon of rugged landscape lining the sunset edge of our continent. With a route stretching from the dry mesas of the Baja Peninsula to the storm-swept Alaskan island of Kodiak, they embarked on an incomparable tour of North America's coastal mountains high above the Pacific.In Pacific High, Palmer recounts that adventure, interweaving tales of exploration and discovery with portraits of the places they visited and the people they came to know along the way. Bringing together images of locations both exotic and familiar with profiles of intriguing people and descriptions of outdoor treks on foot, skis, mountain bike, canoe, and whitewater raft, Palmer captures the brilliant wonders of nature, the tragedy of irreversible loss, and the hope of everyone who cares for this extraordinary but threatened edge of North America.At the heart of the story is the author's concern for the health of the land and all its life. Nature thrives in many parts of the Coast Range - pristine rivers and ancient forests still promise refuge to the king salmon and the grizzly bear - but with a human population of 36 million, nature is under attack throughout the region. Clearcutting, smog, sprawling development, and more threaten even national parks and refuges. Yet throughout Palmer remains hopeful, introducing readers to memorable people who strive for lasting stewardship in this land they call home.