Leave Only Footprints

February 10, 2020
In this lackluster memoir, Knighton, a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning’s “On the Trail” segment, tells of his mission to visit all 59 National Parks in the U.S. in 2016. Post-breakup with his fiancée, Knighton found solace in the writings of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt and decided to experience firsthand the lands they helped protect and conserve. (The book is an offshoot from his CBS segment). Knighton began his travels in Acadia, where he watched the first sunrise over the U.S. on New Year’s Day, then drove across the country, talking to rangers and guides at each park—including Oregon’s Crater Lake, where an ecologist helped him locate the Old Man tree stump, which had been floating on the lake since the late 19th century. His descriptions of his adventures and the local practices—such as visiting the century-old bathhouse in Hot Springs, Ark., or sled dog races in Denali—are intriguing but get lost in digressions into reflections on his childhood and personal life. Nature lovers will find his story to be self-serving, and dedicated fans of his segment may find it lacking in new material.