Ridgerunner: Elusive Loner of the Wilderness

by Richard Ripley

During the early 1940s in Idahos expansive Selway-Bitterroot wilderness, a few items disappeared from a tent camp, then from a lookout tower, and a ranger station. Eventually, the continuing loss of food and supplies at such isolated sites confirmed the presence of a mysterious stranger. For years no one saw him, even though he entered forest service quarters while employees slept. In the winter, when he did leave tracks, they were found on the most inhospitable ridges and earned him the regard of locals who could appreciate the severe conditions and hardships of survival under such circumstances. The forest service, determined to catch him, sent out their best...

Genres: Nonfiction

165 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Kerri Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't lie about this sort of thing, so I'm going to admit from the start that this is a terribly written book. It's disorganized, slow-moving (which is quite ironic alongside the main character and his ability to travel huge amounts of miles in relatively short amounts of time), and ultimately could have been written, organized, and edited in countless better ways.

That said, it's a fascinating story, and what really stood out to me while reading it was how much this book is really (and altogether quite unintentionally) about mental illness.

It isn't only the Ridgerunner himself battling chemical imbalances (and likely severe and prolonged social anxiety) throughout this narrative (which is really a recounting of various Forest Service and courtroom notes, interviews, and transcripts). I myself found some of the rangers and trackers and loggers occupying the woods with (and sometimes entirely for the sole purpose of chasing and arresting) the Ridgerunner to be far stranger and more disturbed than the man so many of them labeled a menace, a man who really wanted nothing more than to live alone in the mountains.

Some of these rangers and woodsman were flat-out obsessed with catching a man who did no harm until he was forced to spend time in a society that he clearly couldn't really cope with for any sustained period of time. And even then, the harm he did was almost entirely harmless, which was why he was almost never prosecuted or punished to the degree certain high-ranking FS officials believed he should be.

There's a passage in this book where a self-important FS ranger grills the Ridgerunner about, no joke, A PAIR OF PANTS. (Which we know actually happened because there are Forest Service transcripts.) He's legit mad about a pair of pants the hermit stole from him. (This is the same ranger that was convinced the Ridgerunner was "a danger" to his rangers, even though there was never any evidence to support this perpetual and altogether paranoid fear.)

This book is also a testament to how men ruined the woods, by excessively logging and trapping and (over)fishing once pristine wilderness areas.

Logging roads built where previously only legs could carry a creature—be it human or woodland animal—ultimately drove the Ridgerunner away, and the effects of too many people in the mountains seeking to make a profit above all else are still trickling down to our forests and mountain ecosystems today.

[Two-point-five stars rounded up to three for the Ridgerunner's convoluted honesty, and for this passage:

"Mr. Moreland," he said, "you've been in trouble before, once for breaking into a store, and once for, let me see..."

"I stole a halter," Moreland said. McQuade looked up from his papers.

"It says here you went to prison. You went to prison for stealing a halter?"

"Yes, your honor. There was a horse in it."]

[Agnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would I Recommend It?
Nope. Absolutely, definitely not.

Thoughts?
If this weren't March's book club selection I'd not have made it much past the first chapter and definitely would never have chosen this book on my own.

It's also quite possible that the narrator's voice became so irritating to my poor ears that it wore on me greatly to listen. But listen I did. All the way through. At times I had to give myself a pep talk that I can do it.

We paired this book with The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit and I devoured that book in 3 days and loved it. That book was so much more complex to me because it involved comparisons to other similar people, psychology, and explanations behind why a person would choose to be so alone in the wilderness. It also had wit and humor in large part because the hermit was well-read and onorary. It also had better nature descriptions and I suppose the hermit of the story was more likeable. The "little man" in Ridgerunner just seemed so combative, annoying, insane and well, quite scary with his gun toting ways.

Also, so much of the book is court drama and it bored me to tears. Some parts were interesting, but fleeting.

I shall see what the other book club peeps will have thought of this book...

It's quite possible I would have enjoyed it more if I could've read it, but this book is as elusive as the Ridgerunner, himself. All the copies in libraries are locked up in historical section and cannot be checked out. Checked a bunch of used online bookstores and all our out. Only one battered copy exists on Amazon and since I could listen to it for free on Audibles that's the route I took.

For Reviews of Other Books I've Read:
The Hiking Bookworms

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for these quirky li'l bits of obscure local history, as well as for "guy does stuff in wilderness" stories, so this is a win-win. Bill Moreland lived alone in the woods of North Idaho for years, trying to hold on to a lifestyle that, let's face it, was doomed. Along the way he got himself into some hijinks, such as liberating food and supplies stored in Forest Service cabins, when he got the hankering. Interesting tale, well worth a read to anyone interested in Northern Rockies history.

[Jason Hackwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great examination of the life of William Clyde Moreland, who became known as The Ridgerunner for surviving alone in the North Fork of the Clearwater for 13 years. A fascinating look at a fascinating man.

[Kristall Driggers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a loner who took to the woods to find solace after a difficult start in life. The Ridgerunner managed to eek out a life in some of the most difficult terrain in the PNW. A slow read that sometimes gets bogged down in the details, then rewards you with snippets of this loners fascinating life.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story about a local folk hero that lived in an extremely rugged and remote part of northern Idaho, eluding the people he stole from to survive for 13 years. Unfortunately the writing is terrible, but a compelling enough story for me to not really care.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this, enjoyed the voices. Authentic history of the wilderness my late husband grew up in. I bet he knew the local oral history of the man as it was happening during his lifetime of loving that wilderness too

[David Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fine read, fun and adventurous. And yes, everyone should stead a horse bridle at least once in their lives. And dynamite a bulldozer....

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a past life, this could have been me, I kept thinking, and that made me all the more grateful for this life I have now. So much resilience, and so many outdoor survival skills. So much crabbiness, so much mental instability, so much snark - I couldn't help but love the Ridgerunner, even as it was maddening.

[Three stars for such an interesting character, plus a half-star for so many of my favorite topographies, makes three-and-a-half stars.]

[Grace Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little piece of Idaho lore I'd never heard of before. It was about a strange little man who lived in the woods for about 13 years straight, robbing forestry stations and lookouts and evading detection/capture for many years. It was awesome hearing so many familiar place names like Potlatch, Lewiston, St. Maries, the Clearwater, etc. and the audiobook was hilariously dramatic and rather dated, but delightful all the same.

[Griffin4introy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story of one man and his survival in the Bitterroot Mountain Range thorugh many harsh winters. Local History.

[Toesnorth's mom]

true story, not very well written, rather boring

[Dovofthegalilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thoughtful book capturing a person who should not be lost to history.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story!!! Once you get past the first 3 dry, overly detailed chapters the book becomes a page turner.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ridgerunner was definitely a rascal. I enjoyed the straightforward writing and the different views from the local public, Forest Service and logging companies.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The intro was better than the book.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and I love the area were it took place

[Mike Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Great story well told.