"Cliffs and Challenges is a memoir by Laura White Brunner, who worked and hiked extensively in Yosemite as a teenager in the 1910s. Young and fearless, Brunner defied typical expectations for women at the time to explore the Yosemite backcountry, including hiking barefoot when she couldn't find hiking boots that fit and pinning her skirts when she wasn't allowed to hike in pants. The manuscript includes a largely complete section on the summer of 1915 and more shaggy sections on the summer of 1917 and what Brunner calls 'the interlude' between the two. Although Brunner was an engaging writer and she attempted to have the manuscript published, it languished and eventually came to rest in the Yosemite archives. Jared Champion has given the manuscript a light edit and provides an introduction that covers Brunner's biography, the story of the manuscript and its journey to publication, and some scholarly context on environmental, labor, and gender history. The manuscript is illustrated by historic photos, including several taken by Brunner herself"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents
Cliffs and challenges -- Yosemite 1915 -- The interlude -- Yosemite 1917.
