Fly Fishing Book Review by Bob Triggs - Little Stone Flyfisher : Guide

Panic Rising: True Life Survivor Tales From The Great Outdoors By Brett Nunn Publisher: Sasquatch Books Trade Paperback 230 pages ISBN 1-57061-350-8 $16.95

When I heard Brett Nunn recently, reading from his little gem of a book at the Jefferson County Library, I knew that I had found my first title for the Book Review. Brett's lifelong love of the outdoors has carried him to great lengths of adventure here in the Northwest, and beyond. He pursued a Geology career in hopes of making a life in the mountains. That didn't work out. The big problem for Brett was that he is a storyteller at heart, and so he surrendered to the muse and began to write. He has written for Seattle based and national newspapers, magazines and recently published his first book;"Panic Rising". He lives with his family in Port Townsend, Washington.

Some of you may recall that a while back we had a topic on the Forum here at Washingtonflyfishing.com called "Near Death And The Lessons Learned". That topic got a lot of interest and some memorable, if not hair-raising stories were shared. Brett's vivid accounts, excerpted from a handful of true outdoors survival stories from the Northwest, have much in common with the stories our members posted under that topic. In his Introduction to the book Brett says of these moments of near death: &n bsp;

"If you have ever been through a survival situation, it is all too easy to sum up someone else's desperate crisis as the result of pure stupidity. This is far from the truth. It can happen to anyone. Those who are comfortable in their chosen outdoor pursuit may be the most susceptible. The difference between lost and found, between danger and safety, is a thin line that everyone walks sooner or later. Once crossed it is hard to get back, often easier to keep moving forward, and always too late when the seriousness of the situation becomes apparent.

Each of the twenty stories is presented in Brett's unique style of immediacy, first conveying the factual, then the urgent, even the harrowing, while carrying the reader along in breathless detatchment. I knew I was safe in my chair, reading of someone else's fate, yet I found myself riveted in heart-pounding attention to every detail. Finishing every story only left me in anticipation of the next. The one flyfishing related story, "River Wild", telling the adventure of two pontoon-rowing anglers, on the North Fork of the Lewis River in Washington, is worth the price of the book alone. Another account, of some wrong choices up the Elwah, hits close to home.

Aside from the tremendous entertainment of this book, perhaps it's greatest value will be to provide outdoors adventurers; climbers, hikers, skiers, paddlers, hunters and fishermen, in the Northwest with a set of sobering, cautionary tales. Sometimes it is better to learn from other people's mistakes. Reading this book could save your life.

 

Article	035
Created	6-4-2004
Modified	10-4-2005
Author	Bob Triggs
Rating	(None)