08/31/2026
“The Golden Spruce” by John Vaillant invites readers into the rain-soaked world of Haida Gwaii, a remote collection of islands off the coast of British Columbia where, on an icy night in January 1997, Grant Hadwin took a chainsaw to a 300-year-old Sitka spruce, sacred to the Haida Indigenous tribe and famous for a unique mutation that resulted in golden needles instead of green. Hadwin left the tree fatally weakened, and two days later it fell. Why would Hadwin, a logger and an anti-logging activist, turn against the most magnificent tree on the islands? Was he insane?
Vaillant uses his formidable journalistic talents to uncover the intertwined stories of Hadwin, the spruce, the tribe, the logging industry, and the land. He pieces together Hadwin’s motivations and follows his trajectory as he hurtles toward the golden spruce and then into the unknown (he vanished days before his trial for cutting down the tree was to begin). Vaillant sets his tale in the greater context of Haida Gwaii and its fierce seafaring Indigenous people and examines the logger’s conundrum: the best loggers love the forest, even as they are in the process of cutting it down.
Brought to you by Susan Munroe
Link in bio to purchase from Hearthside Books and Toys (https://hearthsidebooks.com/book/9780393328646)
🏷️ forestry, forest reading, river reading, book recommendation, bookstagram, support indie bookstores, holiday River expeditions, read with us, support local, white water rafting
08/25/2026
How we help protect the places we love… 🥹💞🦦🛶🌊🌞
Swipe to see a few of the things we do to help preserve the precious places that we love oh-so dearly.
🛶 no motors since 1966
♻️ recycling, even when it’s not convenient
🌞 solar electricity
🚮 leave no trace
👯 support organizations with a mission that we identify with
📸: Amanda | Utah + Virginia Cinematic Photographer
🏷️ protect our public lands, preserve nature, conserve electricity, sustainable companies, giving back, white water rafting, small business, solar energy
08/19/2026
The dog days of summer are heeeeereeee! 🐶🐾
These pups only have suggestions once a year so swipe through to see their advice ;)
Head to the link in our bio for more info!
🏷️ white water rafting, gates of Lodore, ruby and Westwater canyon, cataract canyon, mountain biking trips, book with us, raft Utah, river trip, biking trip, Southern Utah, advice for September, September trips, Utah is rad, river rat life, camping fun, plan a trip for September
08/25/2026
08/19/2026