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Into a Desert Place: A 3000 Mile Walk around the Coast of Baja California Paperback – April 17, 1995
"I had never been particularly good at anything except catering to my own comfort and safety," begins Graham Mackintosh with cheerful frankness in this engaging, suspenseful, and finally stirring travel adventure.
An Englishman, Mackintosh fell in love with Baja California on a visit and, despite a glaring shortage of both experience and money, determined to walk its entire coast. Into a Desert Place is his account of how he equipped himself, what he saw and learned, and how he survived on this harsh and beautiful journey. The book was first published in England and then by Mackintosh himself in the United States; this is its first appearance in paperback.- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateApril 17, 1995
- Dimensions6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
- ISBN-100393312895
- ISBN-13978-0393312898
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Like Tolkein's Bilbo Baggins, running down the road toward adventure without a hat or coat, Mackintosh set off to Baja without a tent or sleeping bag, hitchhiking his way around the peninsula until his money ran out. By that time, he'd fallen deeply in love with the harsh environment and was determined to come back and explore it more thoroughly. Into a Desert Place is his account of what he saw and learned on that second trip, and how he survived.
Review
― Coast Book Review Service
"What has resulted from [Graham Mackintosh's] unsuspected determination and stamina is a truly uplifting account of what one person alone against the world can accomplish. It is also one of the finest pieces of travel writing of recent times."
― Irish Independent
"[A] 'can't-wait-to-turn-the-page' story."
― San Diego Log
"An engagingly humorous and ultimately inspiring chronicle of high adventure."
― Stockton Record
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company (April 17, 1995)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393312895
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393312898
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,392,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #567 in General Mexico Travel Guides
- #2,658 in Pacific West United States Travel Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Graham Mackintosh was born in London in 1951 of a Scottish father (Inverness)and an Irish mother (Kilrush, Co. Clare), he grew up in Slough, Berkshire, and received a BA Hons degree in Sociology from the University of Leeds.
In 1983 he was a lecturer at a college in England teaching social sciences and special education to unemployed teenagers. Hoping to show his students that a shoestring expedition could be the adventure of a lifetime, Mackintosh, who described himself as the "least adventurous person in the world," set out to walk around the beautiful but dangerous coastline of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
The near two-year, 3,000-mile trip changed his life. When Mackintosh emerged from the cactus-strewn wilderness, he returned to England to write Into a Desert Place and there received the prestigious "Adventurous Traveller of the Year" award.
After years promoting Into a Desert Place in the UK, the US and Baja California, in 1997 Graham Mackintosh elected to walk down the rugged, mountainous interior of Baja, visiting many of the old mission sites along the way. Journey with a Baja Burro, his second book, was the result. It describes his arduous thousand-mile journey with a pack burro from the US border to Loreto - a trip that began exactly 300 years after the October 1697 founding of the Loreto mission, the first permanent European settlement in the "Californias".
In the summer of 2001, he camped for four months in Baja's highest mountain range, the Sierra San Pedro Mártir with two street dogs, Penny and Pedro, and that became the subject of his third book - Nearer My Dog to Thee.
His fourth book, Marooned With Very Little Beer, appeared in April 2008, and tells of his two months kayaking and hiking the second largest island in the Sea of Cortez - Isla Angel de la Guarda.
In 2020, he published six photographic Kindle books. Paddy's Huggy Adventures... and Paddy's Further Adventures... and Kayaking to La Paz, stages 1-4.
He has so far published in 2021 - Paddy and Lavender's Christmas Adventures... and Guardian Angel Island.
Graham Mackintosh now lives in San Diego, California and Baja California. He continues to give lectures and slide shows on his adventures, writes articles on Baja and has guided tourists south of the border on various trips.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They praise the writing style as well-written and understandable. The book provides an enlightening and educational experience with its descriptions of wildlife and nature. Readers appreciate the author's humor and charm.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and fun to read. They say it's a must-read for Baja enthusiasts.
"...Again this is wonderfully written and a great story, well worth reading several times." Read more
"Great book. We’ll written in an engaging style." Read more
"This book is a great book for anyone that loves nature, adventure, wild life, the outdoors… it’s very suspenseful… well written… it’s just amazing..." Read more
"...- He had more enthusiasm than good sense - He is an excellent writer Interested already? You should be...." Read more
Customers enjoy the adventure story. They find it thrilling and entertaining, describing it as an adventurous walk in one of the world's hidden places. The author does an excellent job relating the story in a simple and understandable way.
"A great travel book and a fun adventure. Having just read 3 of Graham Macintosh's other books I can now see how much he and his writing has matured...." Read more
"Having been to Baja many times . I simply loved and enjoyed this story...." Read more
"This book is a great book for anyone that loves nature, adventure, wild life, the outdoors… it’s very suspenseful… well written… it’s just amazing..." Read more
"...Was my first thought as I started this awesome adventure. I've heard so much of Graham through the years, about his books and travels...." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style. They find the story well-written with descriptive language without going overboard. The author explains the story in a simple and understandable way, as if the writer were talking.
"...Again this is wonderfully written and a great story, well worth reading several times." Read more
"Great book. We’ll written in an engaging style." Read more
"...The writing style is wonderful, he is funny, I felt like I made a new friend. His descriptions of the land and the love of the people are spot on...." Read more
"...He is qualified to write this work because: - He had never done anything like this before - He was not a hiker and has red hair and..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's insights into nature, adventure, and wildlife. They find it educational and entertaining, with interesting stories about locals, tourists, and creatures.
"This book is a great book for anyone that loves nature, adventure, wild life, the outdoors… it’s very suspenseful… well written… it’s just amazing..." Read more
"...I lived in Baja California for about five years and there is a mystic to the area that comes to those who have lived or camped there for more than..." Read more
"...His stories of his encounters with locals, tourists and wildlife are enlightening and entertaining...." Read more
"...and evocative descriptions of the astonishing land, sea, people, creatures, and history of Baja...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's wit and charm. They find the writing style enjoyable and find the humor amusing.
"...The writing style is wonderful, he is funny, I felt like I made a new friend. His descriptions of the land and the love of the people are spot on...." Read more
"...I loved the wit and charm that flows from the authors pen...." Read more
"...encounters with locals, tourists and wildlife are enlightening and entertaining. If you’re a Baja enthusiast you will love this book." Read more
"...He left Baja, returned to LA, returned to Baja... still amusing, but not quite the incredible feat I was expecting." Read more
Customers find the book's visuals vivid and compelling. They appreciate the author's descriptions of the scenery that immerse them in the experience. The pictures are wonderful, capturing the natural and spiritual beauty of the surroundings.
"...the final rise above Bahia de Los Angeles and saw the amazing beauty of the Gulf of California. I need to get back there...." Read more
"...manner invites the reader into the book and his word pictures let the reader feel the hot sun, the thirst and the stinging nettles that were the..." Read more
"...The author described the scenery perfectly and kept me excited to hear about what was around the next corner of his adventurer." Read more
"Great book, descriptions and pictures are wonderful. Lots of gasps and laughs too. Makes me want to go back to Baja!" Read more
Reviews with images
Into and out of trouble in Baja.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024A great travel book and a fun adventure. Having just read 3 of Graham Macintosh's other books I can now see how much he and his writing has matured. This book, his first book is a monumental foundation and is the first steps toward his other books. Again this is wonderfully written and a great story, well worth reading several times.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024Having been to Baja many times . I simply loved and enjoyed this story. It reminded me of a trip where I ended up stranded for a week in Scorpion bay after hitching a ride on a Trimaran from Arbrejohos. The generosity of this one mexican family just blew my mind.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022Great book. We’ll written in an engaging style.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023This book is a great book for anyone that loves nature, adventure, wild life, the outdoors… it’s very suspenseful… well written… it’s just amazing what he went through …incredible…
- Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024I've traveled to Baja just a few times. Mr. Mackintosh's book has me yearning to return as soon as possible. Once I started reading I was transported back to the first time I crested the final rise above Bahia de Los Angeles and saw the amazing beauty of the Gulf of California.
I need to get back there. But first I am downloading the rest of Graham's books.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2021"I regret not reading this 30 years ago!" Was my first thought as I started this awesome adventure. I've heard so much of Graham through the years, about his books and travels. I always thought to myself, why would I need to read about someone else's adventures in Baja when I am enjoying my own!?? Baja has been a part of my life since I was just born. My parents loved Baja and would spend all their free time in the 60s and 70s exploring, looking for untouched beaches and desert. My first road trip to Baja Sur was when I was 2 years old and I kept going every year (sometimes more) for the rest of my life. Even to a seasoned traveler, this book was hard to put down. The writing style is wonderful, he is funny, I felt like I made a new friend. His descriptions of the land and the love of the people are spot on. The story even 35 years later is still inspiring.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019Found this book in a free library in Baja, had to buy a copy. Baja is a place that true adventurers find never disappoints. I love the entire peninsula, and each new place is more beautiful than the next. When I found this book, it spoke directly to that spirit. There are a few passages that I found presumptive, mildly offensive, and dated (in particular stating "facts" about the lifestyles of the native peoples of baja and other cultures) but on the whole this is an engrossing adventure story that still holds up.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2012A TOP RATING from me. I have met and spoken with Graham Mackintosh at one of his slide shows. He is qualified to write this work because:
- He had never done anything like this before
- He was not a hiker and has red hair and fair-skin (bad in Baja)
- He had no money
- He did not know Spanish (bad news when in Baja)
- He had more enthusiasm than good sense
- He is an excellent writer
Interested already? You should be. Graham hiked thousands of miles around Lower California alone with almost no resources. He did take pictures and kept a careful diary: thus the book.
I will not tell you about the hoard of blue crabs (in the initial stage of his journey) and how he almost died at their hands (claws?). You will have to read the book.
A bonus is that Graham gives us his thoughts and emotions during the journey, as well as the unique people, sights and scenes he encountered. His reactions and how he handles them powerfully convey the loneliness and starkness of the Baja setting. It is a landscape all its own, truly larger than life as we may know it.
I don't recommend readily - this book I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Top reviews from other countries
- WadeReviewed in Canada on February 11, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book.
I really was drawn into this book, and enjoyed the whole process the author followed as he trekked around the Baja. He was a bit crazy-a real risk taker, and a little too smug about his views on life and interacting with th local, but the book is still a fabulous, quick read.
- Tatiana U.Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Gutsy adventurer
Surprisingly brilliant read. A page turner.
- J. SheedyReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book about a very special place
I've read this three times now and it is such a great description of the magic of the Baja peninsular, a place in Mexico that is changing so quickly due to an influx of development, that sadly much of this wild nature will already be gone much too soon. A classic tale of adventure by a red headed white men beating the odds of surviving and even thriving in the desert. I would hope that everyone who has ever been to Baja, or is thinking of going there, would enjoy reading this.
- MovingStuffReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars A journey of exploration
An unlikely adventurer is seized by the idea of an impossible walk through desert and mountains. He does it and lives, having learned to survive hardship and danger, and to accept the kindness of strangers, with humility and gratitude. As well as the bushcraft, Mackintosh learns to trust and accept the gifts and provisions that come to him, just as he needs them, like a biblical wanderer in the desert.
A moving story of faith and fortitude, and stubbornness.
- Kenton Lane CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and swift delivery
Great book!