Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes

Stevensons 12-day 200-kilometer (120 mi) solo trekking trip across the desolate and underdeveloped regions of the Cévennes mountains in south-central France in 1878 is chronicled in Travels. He frequently compared the landscape with its desolate rocky hills covered in heather to portions of Scotland. Modestine a manipulative donkey he could never completely tame is the other main character. It is one of the earliest narratives to depict outdoor recreational activities like hiking and camping. It also describes ordering one of the earliest sleeping bags which was so big and heavy that a donkey was needed to transport it. Stevenson is frequently mistaken for a hawker which is what someone who travels in his style typically does. Several residents are outraged that he would want to spend the night outside and claim it is risky to do so due to wolves or robbers. Stevenson explains to the reader the thinking behind his project.