FARMINGTON — DDG Booksellers, 193 Broadway, will host an author presentation and book signing of the book “Critical Hours” by Sandy Stott at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3.

Sandy Stott, editor of “Accidents,” the journal of the Appalachian Mountain Club, delivers both a history and a celebration of the search and rescue workers who save countless lives in the White Mountains — along with a plea for us not to take their steadfastness and bravery for granted. Filled with tales of astonishing courage and sobering tragedy, “Critical Hours” will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts and armchair adventurers alike.

A misread map, a sudden storm, a forgotten headlamp — and suddenly a leisurely hike turns into a treacherous endeavor. In the past decade, inexpensive but sophisticated navigation devices and mobile phones have led to alarming levels of overconfidence on the trail. Adding to this worrisome trend, the increasing popularity of ventures into mountainous terrain has led hikers seeking solitude — or an adrenaline rush — into increasingly remote or risky forays. 

Sandy Stott is a former editor of Appalachian Mountain Club’s journal, “Appalachia,” a longtime English teacher and a lifelong wonderer in the White Mountains. From the time when his parents introduced him to the mountains at age 2, Sandy has sought out trails as a way of forming relations with the universe and understanding parts of it. Today, those trails — whether in the Concord area (Estabrook Woods, Fairhaven Bay, Great Meadows) or in his home terrain, New Hampshire’s White Mountains — shape the necessary complement to his interior work of reading, teaching and writing.

Author Sandy Stott