One Winter in the Wilderness [Hardcover]

Pat Cary Peek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

The University of Idaho's Taylor Ranch Field Station lies at the center of Idaho's Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, one of the most rugged and remote areas in the lower forty-eight states. Pat Cary Peek and her husband, James Peek, a wildlife biologist, lived among bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and the elusive mountain lion. Peek records the humorous and sometimes frustrating events of their daily adventures in the remote backcountry. By blending area history, fiction, and personal experience, Peek gives her readers a taste of winter in the wilderness.

During the disastrous forest fires of 2000, researchers and caretakers Jim and Holly Akenson helped to save the Taylor Ranch. Their dramatic account is an introductory essay to this new edition of Peek's award-winning book.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From October 1992 to April 1993, Peek lived in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, 3687 square miles of the "most isolated wilderness in the lower forty-eight states." Her husband, a wildlife biologist at the University of Idaho, took his sabbatical at the Taylor Ranch Field Station, owned by the university, and the newly retired Peek went along. In journal form, 55-year-old Peek records her encounters with elk, bobcat, deer, coyote, otter and especially the cougars that best complement her fascination with wildlife. As winter residents, the Peeks are hosts to other transient researchers who are trying to explain nature "to a world that is more interested in computers than cougars." Historical flashbacks tell of old-time mountain men living in this isolation; a single hunter killed hundreds of cougars, bringing them nearly to extermination. When modern hunters leave in November, the Peeks are the only humans in 20 miles "and the real rhythm of the mountains" begins as the animals descend to the terraces and the river. Life takes on a routine of radioing daily reports to the National Weather Service, managing with five gallons of water each (compared to the American average of 20-80 gallons), and fighting cabin fever. Peek's description of mid-April resurrection of buttercups and dandelions along ice-released creeks is a delight. The journal form gravitates toward scattered repetitions (weather reports, walks with their dog, Lady), whereas readers will want more about the animals and how hunters affect true wilderness.

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Peek's description of mid-April resurrection of buttercups and dandelions along ice-released creeks is a delight." -- Publisher's Weekly --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 269 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Idaho Pr; 1ST edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893012106
• ISBN-13: 978-0893012106
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,909,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is an exciting adventure in the Idaho wilderness, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: One Winter in the Wilderness (Hardcover)

The reader follows the author and her biologist husband on a fall to spring stay in the wilds of Idaho. The vivid descriptions of their encounters with such wildlife as cougars and elk in the beautiful back country take you along on their special adventure. The story of their survival in the cold, frigid winter environment remind all of us that without our modern conveniences life becomes much more difficult. This is an exciting first-person story and well worth reading. An excellent book, that I strongly recommend to all lovers of the out-of-doors, and to those who want to learn more about our natural world.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I felt as though I was in the cabin with "Partner", May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: One Winter in the Wilderness (Hardcover)

This book was written from a women's point of view. I enjoyed the diary style writing. I am an outdoor person and don't know if I could stay for a whole winter in the wilderness. The author wrote about the hardships of life in the wilderness, the difficulty in traveling during the winter. She brought out some of the difficulties that most of us take for granted. A real pioneer adventure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down read....., May 16, 2007

By 

D. Graef (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Winter in the Wilderness (Paperback)

One Winter in the Wilderness was written by Pat Peek. Her Husband, Jim Peek, is a biologist and professor at University of Idaho. The book is told by Pat Peek in a very personal manner on a day by day basis. The story takes place in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. This is a story that you can really get into, personally. You can feel the changes in climate, see the wildlife up close, and read about the historical folks who first settled in this area including Cougar Dave and others. The cabin the Peek's stay at is very primitive--no electricity, no running water in winter, heat by a wood stove, and their constant companion, Lady--their dog. It is a book that you could read on a beach, or curled up on a stormy evening at home in a comfortable chair. I read the book over a period of time, savoring each new chapter as a treat to myself. Also, Pat Peek is a very descriptive writer. You won't be dissappointed in this book--it is great!