Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - An exhilarating tale of nature and its seasons

Dillard's evocation of a stretch of Virginia wilderness proves that travel need not be far-flung to be meaningful. Not only can the mindful experience of a single location yield a multitude of perspectives, such perspectives hint at a much richer spiritual realm latent anywhere one takes the time to seek it. "Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we sense them," Dillard writes. "The least we can do is try to be there."