Upcoming activity
Meet the Author: Michael Cooper – “Miscalculated Risks”
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Start date: 03/14/2026
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Start time: 12:00 PM
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End date: 03/14/2026
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End time: 2:00 PM
Description:
SPECIAL EVENT: Meet the Author Michael Cooper for a book talk, readings, Q&A, and book signing at the Obsidians Lodge
Join us for an afternoon with award-winning author Michael Cooper, whose memoir "Miscalculated Risks: Attacked, Crippled, Paralyzed, Drowning, Unconscious and Freezing in the Wild (Just Not All at Once)" chronicles a lifetime drawn to the wildest, most unforgiving places on Earth. Both action-packed and darkly funny, the book recounts Cooper’s near-fatal adventures in sun-scorched deserts, a remote Mexican jungle, storm-lashed rivers, and rugged mountain ranges, told in vivid, firsthand detail.
An Obsidian member from 1987 to 1998, Cooper will share stories that resonate with fellow Obsidians, including a climb of Mount Jefferson and a hair-raising winter rafting trip on Oregon’s Owyhee River, reading excerpts from select chapters. He will also read from and discuss a chapter recounting one of his most ambitious desert expeditions—an entirely off-trail backpack across the shadeless Pinto Basin and through the remote Coxcomb Mountains of Joshua Tree National Park—and offer perspective on what such an expedition demands of those who might consider it themselves.
Information about Michael Cooper's memoir "Miscalculated Risks" can be found at https://soloist.ai/larreapress.
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Event Leader: Ane McKee
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Event Leader Phone: 541-554-1364
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Event Leader Email: ane.mckee@gmail.com
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Assistant Leader:
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Event category: Entertainment
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Area Type:
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Departure Location: Obsidian Lodge
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Rating:
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Roundtrip total drive miles:
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Season: 2026
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Permits Required:
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Event Status: Upcoming
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Supplies and Equipment Required:
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participant prerequisites: You do not need to be an Obsidians member to attend. No sign-up is necessary to attend this free event. Books available for purchase.
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Conditions:
Awards:
Winner, 2025 American Writing Awards: Best New (Debut) Non-Fiction
Winner, 2025 Literary Global Book Awards: Narrative Non-Fiction
Special Commendations:
2026 Featured Author, American Writing Awards: https://americanwritingawards.com/featured-authors
Reviews:
“The wilderness comes alive on the page in this (literal) trailblazer’s memoir. . . . Cooper portrays his adventures in immersive detail. His descriptions of his experiences in untouched areas are lyrical. . . . Lovers of the outdoors and armchair travelers alike will enjoy adventuring along with him. OUR VERDICT: GET IT”—Kirkus Reviews
“An outdoors adventure memoir packed with hair-raising encounters, gripping moments of life-or-death, and confrontations with nature that will leave readers on the edges of their seats. . . . Libraries seeking adventure stories of mountaineering and outdoors encounters will want to add Miscalculated Risks to their collections. . . . Nothing short of remarkable.”—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
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Total Distance:
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Member Fees: —
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Elevation Gain:
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Non-Member Fees: —
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Committee: Entertainment
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Junior member fees: —
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