( 9 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 12 2009
Through the eyes of personal experience, Jim Burnett brings us a literary blooper reel from our National Parks. His idea was to use humor to explain dangers one might face in the wilderness. We can read dozens of books about tragedies and life-altering last-minute rescues, all good for drama's sake and tales that certainly should be heeded. But what the author has done with this title is show that, yes, people do put themselves in dumb positions in the wild and that sometimes it takes the involvement of luck to get out of those situations alive or without major injury, but that common sense and planning can go a long way to a successful resolution to such problems.
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Posted: Feb 19 2009
Overall, it's a great book. I would have given it 4.5 stars if possible because it really is better than just a 4 but it's not quite a 5. Close, though. The book is broken into short chapters of roughly 3-5 pages, perfect for reading one chapter a day. It's written in a conversational style that makes it easy to read for all ages. For the kid who wants to get ideas on how to get in trouble during their next camping trip and for the adult who wishes they were a kid again. This book is what you'd expect; fun, light-hearted stories about life in national park. Provides for good conversation around a fire next time you go camping. It was interesting to hear these stories from the viewpoint of a ranger, especially considering I've been on the other side of many of the stories. Any one who has gone camping a number of times is bound to relate to at least a couple of these stories. Who hasn't left food inside their tent or camped next to loud neighbors? Many of the stories, however, were specifically about the life and times of a ranger, i.e. duties involved and living situations. Being a member of corporate America and living in New York City, it was fun to compare and contrast our jobs and living situations. The book is organized by parks. So, there's typically an introduction to the park followed by a couple stories that happened at that specific park. I'm sure glossy photos would drive up the price of publishing, but it would really be great to see more of the locations discussed. I'm looking forward to reading Hey Ranger 2. I'm definitely looking forward to my vacation this summer at Lake Powell!
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 1 2008
I've always enjoyed visiting national parks and camping, so this book appealed to my interests. The stories turned out to be a lot of fun, and I've given copies of the book to several friends. If you want a really good laugh, (especially you ladies)don't miss the boat ramp tale about the "L.A. Launch." "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!" is my other favorite chapter, followed closely by "Don't Feed the Skunks." It is truly amazing what antics visitors to national parks are capable of. Mr. Burnett is a natural storyteller and this is a fun read. It was also featured as one of the fun bedtime reads on "The Price is Right" when they had a bedroom suite to give away.
