McKenzie Long started climbing like many of us did, indoors, in a midwestern climbing gym, far from the vast landscapes and towering rock formations of the American West. But her love of climbing – and dream of becoming a writer – led her to those places soon enough, and also led her to consider our relationships with those places. Her book, This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments, explores those relationships and their impact.

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Check out this Q&A with McKenzie about her book.

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Hear McKenzie talk more about her book and read selected passages over on the Plug Tone Outdoors channel.

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