Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness

Living in a log cabin in a secluded lakeside woods has probably crossed many people's minds, but in the 60s, LaBastille made it her reality in the Adirondacks.

I loved the details about how her log cabin came together, her daily living situation (gas canisters, truck batteries, cabin upkeep, outhouse situation, meals, dips in the lakes), her initial inexperience with hikes and camping trips (prior to her cabin life) to her later honed expertise, the animals she encounters in and out of her home. It is satisfying to know someone is living the life. I do wonder how different this book would be were it to happen now instead. I wonder about how modern technology (snowmobiles being the height of technology back then) would be utilised by a show more modern-day LaBastille in various situations. I wonder whether there would be more racial diversity in the Adirondacks population (doubtful). I wonder if there is an Australian equivalent.

I did not like the unnatural informercial dialogue (meant to convey the history of the Adirondacks or the author's own ideologies) nor the judgemental tone towards big cities (which is what supports her secluded life with consulting/research work, allows her to break up the loneliness and monotony of the Adirondack winters, and supports employment in the Adirondacks). Many circumstances and life choices had made it possible for LaBastille to live in the Adirondacks wilderness, which I feel could have been expanded upon.

I feel like sometimes when people experience a lot of nature, they start to develop a disregard for the rules of civilisation and their flouting of the rules (set in place for the wellbeing of the general populace and nature etc, not just to police "fun") is excused:
- LaBastille's first (accidental) flouting of the law came when she built her log cabin too close to the shore. She excused it as not having read her contract properly, which is perhaps fair enough, but then the enormity of her anger, turning into daydreams of gleeful violence inflicted on the lawyer who delivered the letter, made me lose sympathy for her;
- The irresponsibility of using the winch as a playground resulting in the hand incident;
- The legality regarding her pets: the cat, the fox which was just released into the wild (which surely is illegal in itself) with no thought to the threat it poses to other creatures/humans, the dog that she smuggled from overseas to avoid quarantine (which made me scream in frustration);
- The questionable ethics of her shooting a bear that was getting riled up by her pet dog and then subsequently feeding bear meat to her friends but not telling them that it was bear meat;
- Her fleeting casual friendships with black people feels more like a defiance to the racism of the Adirondacks in the 60s, less about the actual people she's befriending but more as an act;
- In her retelling of her train-hitchhiking time to Nick, did .. did she at 18yo sit on the 60yo train driver's lap and then roll her eyes at Nick's suggestion that she kissed him? Because it does really seem very suss and unnatural!
- Her complaint about all the city-living people seems very short-sighted. It's like a tourist visiting a tourist-attraction and then complaining about how there's too many tourists about. Not everyone can live in the Adirondacks wilderness, because then it will not be a wilderness but a city, the very thing that she detests.

Still, this will proudly join my small burgeoning collection of nature writing. show less

This was very inspirational. It's conversational and sometimes boring, too. I kept putting it down to add a first aid kit or ax to my wish list, which I think is a great quality in a book.

To be fair, I read this at least 25 years ago. I've never forgotten it and have lately begun reading about wilderness and survival. This is a must read for anyone thinking this is the life they seek. Sadly, Anne LaBastille died of Alzheimer's several years ago.
Excellent read. Really - the cabin had to be moved!!

Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille
After her divorce she bought some land and built herself a cabin to live in.
Love how she is able to survive with her skills. Very descriptive details and you can imagine yourself there in the wild during the different seasons.
Many stories of events that occur...Liked talk of preserving the land and what is done.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

This is a great book about a woman who moves out into the woods and lives in a secluded cabin, alone. She provides lots of useful information along the way as she tells about her experiences, stuff about how to live safely and comfortably in a cabin without modern conveniences, and what mistakes to avoid.

Originally published in 1976.
I really enjoyed the read, but I save the 5 stars for books that draw lots of emotions from me. Unfortunately, this book did not. Little bit of a dry writing style, but great story line.

Somewhat disappointing, but may be my own fault. I love "out in the wilderness" stories. I bought this book because I assumed she was going away on her own (or with her dog), but friends and neighbors are coming and going, and a town is not prohibitively far away. I would feel "crowded" in this situation. I should have checked it out, but someone who is more of a city-slicker may give this 5 stars. It just depends on your viewpoint.