Overview

"WHEN M. JOHN FAYHEE first arrived in New Mexico's rugged Gila Country, he was a naive 20-year-old who didn't know a javelina from an enchilada. Much has changed in the intervening half century. In this meandering memoir, Fayhee, with his loyal dog Casey at his side, takes us through the heart of the Gila - once the stomping ground of Geronimo and Billy the Kid and home to the world's first legally designated Wilderness Area - as he endeavors to hike every day for a solid year through some of the country's most remote and challenging terrain. ""A Long Tangent"" explores the process of going from wide-eyed young man to crotchety old fart as he comes to terms with his mortality, with the fact that ""There are many more trail miles behind me than there are ahead."" More than that, though. This is the story of the bond between a man and his canine companion as it evolves through deep canyons, across bone-dry mesas in ninety-five degree heat and toward the cactus-covered mountains that rise above the desert lands of southwest New Mexico. Along the way, Fayhee reflects upon rattlesnakes, hiking sticks, bears, exploding rocks, mystery mountains, disorientation, poorly worded religious texts, lost pets, marriage, the relationship between hikers and their vehicles, and a past that slips ever further into the rearview mirror."

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9781958870075

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Reviews

"""The literature of walking is a rich one, from Bruce Chatwin and Paddy Fermor back to Saint Augustine, with his immortal words of Solvitur ambulando (""it is solved by walking""). John Fayhee has penned a worthy addition to the canon, a collection of adventures and memories steeped in sweat and trail dust and cactus spines and the happy reek of his carcass-loving dog-friend Casey. Fayhee was walking deserts and the alpine vastness for decades before he started the hike-a-day project to celebrate his sexagenarian years and defy its limitations. This is a life's chronicle of revelry and ribald tales, with an undercurrent of joy, like looking up from the second beer in a small-town saloon far from home to see an old friend, utterly unexpected, outlined in the doorway by the fierce New Mexico sunlight. These are indeed the good ol' days, as Fayhee tells it, ""because every day is a future good ol' day for someone. Hopefully, me, too."" St. Augustine couldn't have put it better, because St. Augustine missed the American West, the greatest wandering country on this planet. Fayhee missed not a single thing."" - Hal Herring, contributing editor, Field & Stream magazine ""Not just a book for hikers or dog owners, John Fayhee's book is a lovely tribute to nature and friendship with a dash of life philosophy. If you are a dog owner, you can't help but chuckle, gasp, and be in awe of the retelling of John's adventures, seeing yourself in his 'dog dad' reactions. While you see the world through John's eyes, he fully admits up front that Casey is 'the star of the show.' The reader is lucky to have the opportunity to join in on their amazing adventures together. John's book is a lovely read that will have you hugging your own pup and plotting new experiences together."" - Wendy Newell, freelance writer for Dogster magazine ""Drink in this glorious stream of consciousness that is Fayhee's writing at its best. Part hiking story, part love letter to life, 'A Long Tangent' will take you laugh out loud (a lot) and ruminate on why we're all here. It's a sensitive and informed dissection by one of mountain living's classic chroniclers, who's not too proud to admit that he is 'winding down.'"" - Devon O'Neil, correspondent, Outside magazine ""An unforgettable, year-long journey by foot through New Mexico and into the mind of one of outdoor literature's great writers, Fayhee's 'A Long Tangent' is an instant classic, a writer at his best with a faithful canine companion by his side."" - Mike Rogge, editor of the Mountain Gazette ""John Fayhee is an original-creative and hilarious. He is a treasure."" - Alison Osius, former senior editor at Rock and Ice and Climbing magazines, now senior editor in travel at Outside magazine"

Author Information

For twelve years, M. John Fayhee was the editor of the Mountain Gazette. He was a longtime contributing editor at Backpacker magazine. A two-time Colorado Book Awards finalist, his work has appeared in Canoe & Kayak, the High Country News, REI Co-Op Journal, Overland journal, Islands, Adventure Travel, Men's Fitness, New Mexico Magazine and many others.Fayhee has hiked on five continents and has completed the Appalachian, Colorado, Arizona, and Inca trails, as well as the Colorado section of the Continental Divide Trail.Fayhee is, improbably enough, a New Mexico Humanities Council Scholar.He lives in Gila Country with his wife, Gay Gangel-Fayhee.

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