The Pine Barrens

I live out west now. I just returned to the east for a visit. I drove down to the NJ Pine Barrens and I camped out one night in the Plains (the dwarf forest), no doubt in violation of millions of New Jersey rules and regulations. The benign peacefulness of the place, the smell of the pines, the sound of the wind, all swept over me. I used to live in Manhattan. I'd often make the 2 1/2 or 3 hour drive to hike and canoe and camp in the Barrens. I love that magical forest, the dark bogs, the open plains, the pure rivers, the endless sandy roads. John McPhee's book truly captures the atmosphere of this very special place in the world.

When I was growing up in New Jersey, people occasionally spoke of "The Pines", a mysterious forest to the south that was home to an asylum where escapees roamed and murdered unsuspecting travelers. McPhee not only explains the origins of this half-myth, he also divulges numerous other secrets about the the New Jersey pine barrens and their fascinating inhabitants, affectionately known as "Pineys." This remarkable and enormous wilderness area lies directly between New York and Philadelphia and, incredibly, remains undeveloped, but it's full of history and a wealth of extraordinary flora and fauna. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to New Jersey-ites and anyone else interested in unique natural places.

Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]

I'm a big fan of McPhee (I think the "Curve of Binding Energy" is his best work) and this is one of his absolute best. I lived in New Jersey for most of my life but was unaware of what the Pine Barrens had been. McPhee's description of the natural wonders of the place is compelling and I was utterly fascinated by his stories of the pre-colonial settlers there. After reading the book, I've taken the long drive down Route 202 to visit and it is an other-worldly place to this day. Just as he described it years earlier, I found myself swimming in crystal clear, deep burgundy spring water, turned red by the rich iron deposits in the soil.

Do yourself and favor and read this book.

While John McPhee's best known bit of nature writing is his tribute to Alaska, "Coming into the Country", before it he wrote "The Pine Barrens". The Pine Barrens were a chunk of New Jersey (!) that was mostly unspoiled sandy woodlands in 1968. Filled with colorful folks, and even more colorful tradition, the Barrens were a retreat for those who knew to escape to them from the cities that surrounded it. Now, alas, development has slunk deep into the Barrens, were there was once dirt roads and craftsmen still making bark canoes, now there are commuter suburbs with cutesy names like "Piney Haven". Please don't think that the book isn't worth your time, just because most of what it describes has passed. The genius of McPhee is that his prose is so wonderfull and timeless, that the people and places of the Pine Barrens still live in the book. Read it, and resolve to maintain the little slice of nature near you that is still there. Don't know where it might be? This book will inspire you to find it, around the corner and back behind something. When you find it, you'll know it, and you'll want to help it survive.