I really liked the book as well, and even the film! The author worked with the forestry service and it certainly shows in his understanding and deep love for the outdoors; making nature an integral part of the human psyche. The locale of Idaho (similar to Montana and Wyoming) is some of the shrinking open space left in the lower 48. I'm farther north in the Eastern Rockies and it's a very similar environment.

I also like Louis L'Amour, specifically his non-western short story collections. It's junk food, but perfect for interspersing with harder reads.