The author presents a collection of travel and adventure stories, including a chronicle of a whitewater rafting trip in Idaho's Selway River and mountaineering in Washington State and Borneo.

Running such wild rivers as the crocodile-infested Tekaze in Ethiopia, Richard Bangs used to lived for the adrenalin, for the rush of reveling in the misery of hardship and sidestepping death around every bend. Now a respected conservationist, he still travels to demanding exotic environments, but with a new, more sober objective: he wants to save these special places. Bangs' personal experiences of ""witnessing many special places preserved and lost"" led him to write Adventures with Purpose, and the book follows the author to Bosnia, Libya, Panama, the American West, Rwanda, Thailand, and more as he seeks out disappearing cultures, peoples, habitats, and ecosystems particularly rivers so that he can show readers that the loss of these special places will be a catastrophe. Written in the vivid, intimate style that made his earlier books both critical and commercial successes, Richard Bangs Adventures with Purpose is an unforgettable composite portrait of a world in peril and an inspiring guide to rescuing it.

* Introduces a naturalist and explorer who predated Lewis and Clark and John Muir * Examines the historical legacy of the man whose name graces the Steller's jay, Steller sea lion, Steller's eider, and more * Places Steller's journey in context for today, following the impact of his discoveries to the present In 1741, a Russian expedition ship captained by Vitus Bering carried the first scientist to set foot anywhere on the western half of North America. Georg Steller would introduce the world to the staggering wealth and diversity of life of the North Pacific, providing the first European accounts of the sea otter, sea lion, northern fur seal, native Alaskan Chugach people, and more. Steller's Island is a fascinating tale of the rewards and perils of exploration in this era. It is about the courage of scientific curiosity, even in uncharted waters, alien lands, and desperate circumstances, including storms, scurvy, and shipwreck. Steller traveled deep into the wild with little on his back. In the one day Bering permitted him to explore Kayak Island along the southern Alaskan coast, he catalogued more than one hundred previously unknown plants. He was the only European naturalist to see the spectacled cormorant alive and his is our one and only account of the now extinct Steller's sea cow. In accounts of the Chugach and Aleut people, Steller was the first scientist to hypothesize an Asian origin for Native Americans. The crew of the St. Peter credited him with their lives: His novel prescription of wild greens cured their scurvy, and his knowledge of sea mammals and Native hunting techniques meant food for the starving.

Backpacker brings the outdoors straight to the reader's doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world's first GPS-enabled magazine, and the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker's Editors' Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature and product innovation, has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured.

A harrowing adventure that follows a group of Westerners on a paddling trip down the Bashkaus River in Siberia. Ultimately, they find that the river creates a common bond regardless of race, religion, or nationality--a bond in which a group of strangers truly come together as brothers.

Describes the habits and behavior of hippopotamus and relates true stories of their attacks on humans.

In this companion book to the PBS special Morocco: Quest for the Kasbah, renowned explorer and Adventures with Purpose host Richard Bangs explores the concept of the Kasbah—a fortress, a safe haven, and a place to exchange ideas with people from many different backgrounds. Bangs takes us on an insightful journey to beautiful Morocco, sharing his stories, adventures and reflections on why he felt "knocked over with a feeling of being a part of something remarkable and deeply human." Along the way, readers will discover what the modern Kasbah might represent for all of us in today’s fast-paced world: "a place secure in identity and thus unthreatened by those of different creed or kin." Foreword by Peter Greenberg of NBC's Today Show, and featuring an 8-page color photo insert. “A remarkable journey...there are life lessons to be learned here.” – Peter Greenberg, NBC Today Show “If ‘adventure’ isn’t Richard Bangs’ middle name, it should be.” – Rudy Maxa, Host of PBS’ Smart Travels “Richard Bangs is Indiana Jones with a conscience.” – Rich Barton, founder of Expedia.com “Richard Bangs’ quests have evolved from haunting journeys down unknown rivers to new explorations of very old wisdom that just might help all of us with the challenges we are about to encounter.” – Alex Chadwick, NPR