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9780700627974

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Cliffs and Challenges is an engaging story of a girl discovering the beauty and adventure of the natural world. Working at a tourist camp in Yosemite National Park during the early twentieth century, Laura White Brunner learns to hike and climb as she makes friends with kindred spirits among the camp workers and the guests. Brunner's sense of humor, lively appreciation of life, and ability to capture vignettes of camp life and of her companions make this book a pleasure to read. Reading Brunner's words a century after she wrote them, I feel that I would have enjoyed her company on those backcountry trails. --Ellen Wohl, author of Rhythms of Change in Rocky Mountain National Park Laura White Brunner made the beds and swept the floors at Camp Curry, and her remembrances bring to life the unheralded hard work required to keep our national parks functioning in the early twentieth century. But Brunner also shares the joy of exploring Yosemite on her time off, climbing its most challenging cliffs--including the formidable Half Dome--with her skirts pinned together between her knees because she was not allowed to wear pants. Her experiences as a worker and mountaineer are a remarkable story for today's readers. --Diane Smith, author of Yellowstone and the Smithsonian: Centers of Wildlife Conservation

Cliffs and Challenges is an engaging story of a girl discovering the beauty and adventure of the natural world. Working at a tourist camp in Yosemite National Park during the early twentieth century, Laura White Brunner learns to hike and climb as she makes friends with kindred spirits among the camp workers and the guests. Brunner's sense of humor, lively appreciation of life, and ability to capture vignettes of camp life and of her companions make this book a pleasure to read. Reading Brunner's words a century after she wrote them, I feel that I would have enjoyed her company on those backcountry trails. --Ellen Wohl, author of Rhythms of Change in Rocky Mountain National Park Laura White Brunner made the beds and swept the floors at Camp Curry, and her remembrances bring to life the unheralded hard work required to keep our national parks functioning in the early twentieth century. But Brunner also shares the joy of exploring Yosemite on her time off, climbing its most challenging cliffs--including the formidable Half Dome--with her skirts pinned together between her knees because she was not allowed to wear pants. Her experiences as a worker and mountaineer are a remarkable story for today's readers. --Diane Smith, author of Yellowstone and the Smithsonian: Centers of Wildlife Conservation Laura White Brunner's memoir of her summers working, hiking, and climbing in Yosemite is filled with humorous anecdotes, sly observations, and astonishing feats. She brings the early days of Yosemite to life with her dry wit and direct writing style. Cliffs and Challenges is a must-read for anyone interested in Yosemite history, the origins of California climbing, or the challenges faced by working-class single women in early twentieth-century California. --Jen A. Huntley, author of The Making of Yosemite: James Mason Hutchings and the Origin of America's Most Popular Park

Cliffs and Challenges is an engaging story of a girl discovering the beauty and adventure of the natural world. Working at a tourist camp in Yosemite National Park during the early twentieth century, Laura White Brunner learns to hike and climb as she makes friends with kindred spirits among the camp workers and the guests. Brunner s sense of humor, lively appreciation of life, and ability to capture vignettes of camp life and of her companions make this book a pleasure to read. Reading Brunner s words a century after she wrote them, I feel that I would have enjoyed her company on those backcountry trails. Ellen Wohl, author of Rhythms of Change in Rocky Mountain National Park Laura White Brunner made the beds and swept the floors at Camp Curry, and her remembrances bring to life the unheralded hard work required to keep our national parks functioning in the early twentieth century. But Brunner also shares the joy of exploring Yosemite on her time off, climbing its most challenging cliffs including the formidable Half Dome with her skirts pinned together between her knees because she was not allowed to wear pants. Her experiences as a worker and mountaineer are a remarkable story for today s readers. Diane Smith, author of Yellowstone and the Smithsonian: Centers of Wildlife Conservation Laura White Brunner's memoir of her summers working, hiking, and climbing in Yosemite is filled with humorous anecdotes, sly observations, and astonishing feats. She brings the early days of Yosemite to life with her dry wit and direct writing style. Cliffs and Challenges is a must-read for anyone interested in Yosemite history, the origins of California climbing, or the challenges faced by working-class single women in early twentieth-century California. --Jen A. Huntley, author of The Making of Yosemite: James Mason Hutchings and the Origin of America s Most Popular Park

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Jared N. Champion is assistant professor of writing and interdisciplinary studies at the Penfield College of Mercer University.

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