A Sand County Almanac turns 75

It's no small thing to have your writing join the pantheon of literary classics. A Sand County Almanac has continued to speak to people for seventy-five years for a multitude of reasons such that it was considered a classic before I had even encountered a trout stream for the first time. The writing is elegant, if not beautiful, and the message is simple, yet powerful. As a fisherman, the timeless writing speaks to the thrill of nature in simply being nature.

I love that Leopold's writing has a way of reminding me that there is so much more to enjoy in the world beyond the beauty of a trout stream where I like to spend my time whenever I can. Too often I find myself in need of reminding, Leopolds writing does so in the simplest of fashion. I believe that is what makes it so powerful.

Just before Christmas my 75th anniversary edition of a A Sand County Almanac arrived in the mail.

I was first introduced to the writing of Aldo Leopold during my first community ecology course while attending the University of New Hampshire. Like many, my first copy was a beat-up, dog-eared paperback copy I found at a local used bookstore.

A Sand County Almanac, 75th Anniversary Edition

A dozen years later I still find myself pulled to the prose of A Sand County Almanac. The simple, beautiful words still feel like poetry to me as Leopold walks us through the seasons at his quaint cabin. Leopold's description of life in each month of the year reminds me of my own outdoor childhood and grounds me in thoughts that I need to try harder to keep my own children connected with the natural world that is too easily hidden behind digital screens, concrete, asphalt, and a false 'busy' of modern life.

It's with good reason that Aldo Leopold is considered the father of ecology. His words of wisdom about the world we inhabit ring true in a timelessness that has allowed his writings to become a classic in the fullest sense of the word. If you've never read the short work, I highly recommend it. If it's been awhile since you last joined Leopold at his cabin, I think it's time for a visit. I promise you won't be disappointed.