Permanent Vacation: Twenty Writers on Work and Life in Our National Parks: Volume 1 The West

Millions of people visit our national parks each year, and some never leave.

Meet the biologist who came to know and understand Six, Yellowstone's charismatic and temperamental elk.

See iconic landscapes through the eyes of bed makers, bridge builders, rangers, and wranglers.

Rip through rapids, disappear inside canyons, and witness personal transformations from petrified forests to permafrost.

Learn what it's like to ditch the mainstream and make a life in our nation's best idea.

The common thread among the 20 essayists who appear in this collection are that they have lived or worked in a national park, some year-round in extreme and beautiful surroundings, while others are vagabonds, addicted to the thrill of a new park, a new season.

Their stories are unique, distinct, and compelling. Editor Kim Wyatt is the founder and publisher of Bona Fide Books; she has a decade of nonfiction editing experience, and also worked in Yosemite National Park for 10 years.