Olson is best known for his many essays that express the wonder, awe, and peace he found in the wilderness. Olson's popular books, including The Singing Wilderness, Listening Point, and Reflections from the North Country, are beloved by generations of readers, and frequently appeared on best-seller lists across the nation. The lyricism and evocative beauty of his prose became a model for nature writers like Barry Lopez and Annie Dillard. Olson was a recipient of the John Burroughs Medal, the highest honor in nature writing. A Wilderness Within looks beyond the environmental battles and books to reveal the inner forces that drove Sigurd Olson. Backes details Olson's painful path to becoming a writer, and the physical and emotional toll that his activism and writing took from him. For this biography, Backes conducted interviews with Olson's family and had complete access to Olson's papers, diaries, correspondence, and photographs.
