Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone [Paperback]

Gary Ferguson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Beginning with his hundred-mile hike to reach the Lower 48's most remote place, Ferguson gives us a fascinating, personal account of three months living alone in the wilderness - a summer spent monitoring grizzly bears and wolf packs in Hawks Rest, the heart of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Through his encounters with park rangers, wildlife biologists, outfitters, and intrepid visitors, Ferguson weaves a poignant story of a land under siege. Opinionated first-hand accounts illuminate the dream and the difficulty of preserving the Yellowstone wilderness - America's first national park and a touchstone of all things wild. Ferguson's previous writings on nature have been well received. Publishers Weekly wrote about The Sylvan Path: "In prose as inviting and uplifting as a walk in the woods, naturalist Ferguson shares his lifelong passion...with a sense of discovery, humor, and deep reverence for his subject, [he] reclaims the natural world for himself, and for the reader as well." William Kittredge praised Walking Down the Wild as "a clear-eyed vision of what's at risk in the battle over wilderness in America. This is a terrific book."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A sharp and ironic sense of what it's like to live in the American outback, twenty-first-century style." -- Natural History Magazine, May 2003

A well-written work ... if you love Yellowstone, a great treat. -- Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 25, 2003

Dazzling ... an Edward Abbey-esque book, full of snappy vignettes and chiseled writing. -- San Francisco Chronicle, June 8, 2003

Ferguson evoke(s) feelings of solitude, timelessness and aching beauty in the smallest details ... -- The Oregonian, Portland Oregon, May 4,2003

Mournful and defiant as a wolf howl ... an eloquent tribute to a threatened place and its lone protectors. -- Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2003

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic; First Edition edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792268911
• ISBN-13: 978-0792268918
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.6 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Wyoming
  • #46 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Travel with Pets

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Troubling, September 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone (Paperback)

If you're looking for nothing more than a happy-go-lucky escape, where Bambi runs free and all is right with the world, don't bother with Hawks Rest. But if you want an honest look at the most remote place left in the lower 48 - both the beauty and the insanity - this is the book. While living in Wyoming I came to this region on several occasions, mostly as a hunter, and I saw first hand the kind of cronyism that exists there: illegal salting, chain saws, and a hatred of wolves that was clear off the charts. The LA Times had it right: Hawks Rest is "an eloquent tribute to a threatened place and its lone protectors."

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Yellowstone Park, May 7, 2003

By 

JClayton (Montana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone (Paperback)

The most remote spot in America: the southeast corner of Yellowstone. Home to wolves, grizzlies, ornery misfits, and -- for a summer -- the experienced naturalist Gary Ferguson. He vividly portrays the landscape (beyond the teeming masses at Old Faithful) that make Yellowstone so beautiful and important. He also investigates some of the fascinating political issues that rule this isolated area. Whether you're planning a trip to Yellowstone or just want an armchair escape, this is a great journey.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Yellowstone, about nature, about life, August 10, 2003

By 

Darrell Edward Ehrlick - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone (Paperback)

Gary Ferguson's "Hawks Landing" provides readers with a glimpse of life for a summer in the backwoods of Yellowstone, something that many dream about, but few ever do. This book is a marvelous and engaging read. It's easy to lose track of time when you're reading this book.

Let's face it, Ferguson is an excellent writer. He has a style of prose that is poetic and understated. It's hard to count the number of times that you find yourself thinking, "Wow, that is described perfectly."

Ferguson also manages to pull off something very difficult - the ability to meander from topic to topic without losing the reader or ticking them off. Many travelogues and journal-style books make huge leaps and unrealistic expectations on the readers. Ferguson's texts wanders like a fufilling hike through the backwoods, taking inventory of many different sites and scenes. Most books like this aren't as skillfully written which make them interesting, but not as satisfying as "Hawks Rest."

While Ferguson's views on things like grizzly bears, wolves and outfitters are pretty self-evident, he doesn't necessarily foist his views on the reader demanding that they accept them unconditionally. He also seems to give enough information that the reader is allowed to come to their own conclusion.

If you like a good journal-style book with lessons in history and biology, then this is a delightful find. Other books may try to describe Yellowstone's geysers, wildlife, mountains or streams, but this book seems to tell more of Yellowstone's soul.