If the charm of "going to camp" holds an attraction for you as it does for many Western Pennsylvania outdoors folks, odds are you'll thoroughly enjoy Don Feigert's "The F-Troop Chronicles."

A writer based in Sharon, Don Feigert uses the book to record a sampling of the many adventures he's experienced at his longtime Warren County getaway, dubbed F (for Feigert)-Troop Camp.

Though F-Troop Camp has served as the base for many forms of recreation, the place is heavily steeped in huntin' and fishin' tradition. Feigert takes the reader on deer hunting outings on the extensive state game lands and national forest tracts of the region.

The nearby Allegheny River provides the venue for tales of canoe floats and smallmouth bass. The many cold-running streams that nurture the river serve as the basis for trout-angling anecdotes.

Winner of the Pennsylvania Outdoors Writers Association's 2009 Best Book award, "The F-Troop Chronicles" is more than simply a recollection of past outdoor exploits. Feigert does a fine job of revealing the spirit-rejuvenating value of "camp," something measured in much more than whitetail racks and landed fish.

The book's characters are comprised of family members — a list made more extensive by changes in family dynamics (example: chapter "Nephews and Ex-Nephews") — as well as a host of friends.

Interestingly, the book illustrates an evolution of both the place and the author. In the early years, deer hunting was something new to the Feigert family, whose hunting foundation had been the small game fields and brushlands of Mercer County.

Stories of early deer-hunting efforts tell of the lessons learned about this unfamiliar pursuit. And just as F-Troop Camp grew in size and took on more modern amenities, its occupants began foregoing streams stocked with hatchery trout for the special pleasures provided by remote rivulets holding native brookies.

Not intended as a book of outdoor tips as such, "The F-Troop Chronicles," unwittingly perhaps, reveals a touch of such wisdom. Take for instance the chapter titled "The Terrific Place for Grouse," which describes a wonderful grouse covert on a remote section of State Game Lands 86.

Understand that the clear-cut requires a three-mile hike to reach and has since matured beyond its highest value to ruffs — maybe not so unwitting after all.

Still, Feigert unselfishly names certain wild trout streams, gifts to the hardy anglers willing to climb through the boulder-strewn hollows to reach them.

With the holiday gift-giving season at hand, "The F-Troop Chronicles" will make a fine addition for the outdoors person who relishes a quiet winter evening with book in hand, particularly one with such a local flavor.

The 216-page paperback edition sells for $16.75 post-paid; a limited number of signed hardbacks are available for $26.75.

Copies can be ordered from Shenango River Books, P.O. Box 1381, Hermitage PA 16148. Visit www.donfeiget.com.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.