The Nature Instinct

“A captivating guide to finding one’s way in the wild.”—The Wall Street Journal

The culmination of everything Tristan Gooley, New York Times-bestselling author of How to Read a Tree and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, has written so far: How to take what you learn about the outdoors—and make it second nature

Master outdoorsman Tristan Gooley was just about to make camp when he sensed danger—but couldn’t say why. After sheltering elsewhere, Gooley returned to investigate: What had set off his subconscious alarm?

Suddenly, he understood: All of the tree trunks were slightly bent. The ground had already shifted once and could easily become treacherous in a storm.

The Nature Instinct shows how we, too, can unlock this intuitive understanding of our surroundings. Learn to sense the forest’s edge from deep in the woods, or whether a wild animal might pose danger—before you even know how you know.