No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey To Kayak The Grand Canyon

By Erik Weihenmayer and Buddy Levy (Thomas Dunne Books)

Weihenmayer, the first blind man to summit Mt. Everest, tackles a new challenge: paddling a one-man kayak down all 277 miles of the Colorado River that course through the Grand Canyon.

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

By Florence Williams (W.W. Norton & Co.)

A Colorado resident and Outside magazine contributor investigates why nature makes our brains feel better by reporting on, among other things, forest-healing programs in South Korea and eco-therapeutic treatments in Scotland.