Woodswoman III: Book Three of the Woodswoman's Adventures

The trilogy of "Woodswoman" has gone one step further by allowing the public one more look into Dr. Anne LaBastille's unique wilderness life. One might get the feeling that after dozens of conservationist and environmental oriented books that Dr. LaBastille might tire of letting the public peer into her private life. Fortunately for us, this didn't happen.

"Woodswoman IIII" is more than just another tapestry of stories and events of these last five years. It marks an abrupt change in the life of a woman who cannot live without a tough balance of serene isolation and public duty. It is a mix of wilderness ideologies and humorous, but tough modern realities.

The reader is always treated to nearly mystical stories of the woods. These include retreating from the remote cabin on the last day of winter thaw as six inches of water cover her remote lake. The ice cold winter water bubbles up through holes from the weight of the ice as she passes over. It is harrowing. The romanticism of the mountains is revealed through generations of bold and gregarious wild loons who seem to recognize their neighbor without fear, even seeming to welcome her.

Danger is also not lacking, as Anne tells of a southern camping excursion where she and a companion where shot at and chased through an Appalachian valley, hiding overnight, cold, wet and terrified. Her ever faithful dogs put her to the test as they get older and desperately try to protect their lifelong companion, while she cannot bear to see their inevitable mortality.

The reality of life as a writer and lecturer continue, however, and the reader learns hard but humorous facts about the complex and harried life of a writer who decides to publish her own books. Her "miserly book factory" is an essay on the realities of making a sparse living from writing of your endeavors. It's hard to believe she uses no computer and the one telephone line is only shared with a FAX machine.

This latest edition in the "Woodswoman" series contains a more modern note than the previous, but that may be the point. Society moves on and one can only ignore the madness of progress so far before your life becomes less meaningful. The last chapter called, "Trust" seems to embody Anne LaBastille's philosophy about her lifestyle. It is touching, moving and without regrets. This edition lives up to its remarkable predecessors.

Dr. Anne LaBastille wrote the foreword to Christopher Angus' new book, "The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty". Her book also includes photos by Gary A. Randorf, photographer and author of "The Adirondacks: Wild Island of Hope".