Mountain Time

by Paul Schullery

Discusses the natural history of Yellowstone National Park and describes the activities of wildlife, rangers, and visitors in the park

Genres: Nature, Environment, Nonfiction, Memoir, Westerns

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Paul Schullery is an American author and photographer. The main focus of his work is centred on nature and our relationship with it. Schullery studied American History at Wittenberg University and Ohio University, receiving his M.A. and B.A., respectively.

Reviews

[Cathy Purchis]

I've had this book on my shelf for a number of years. Not sure why it's taken me so long to read it.

Although he doesn't say the exact dates, it appears that Schullery worked in Yellowstone just a few years before I did. The episode when he got to stand next to Old Faithful as it was erupting had me totally jealous. The rest of the first and third parts seemed like pretty standard ranger memoir, but particularly enjoyable since I know the park. The meditation on the pejorative aspect of the term "tourist" was interesting; the concession employees had a stronger term for them, which, now that I'm an NPS employee, I'm not supposed to know. I guess the rangers stayed away from it then too, although he talks about "snowmorcs" which seem to be the winter version and is at least as harsh a word as "tourons".

The second part, A Reasonable Illusion, is more of an environmentalist meditation on wilderness, Yellowstone, and national park management. That was most interesting as a historical snapshot. The book is copyright 1984, which means it was written before the fires; before the court in NRA v. Potter declared that the park service has but a single mission, conservation; before anyone was seriously dreaming about reintroducing wolves. Also before climate change was on most people's radar. So while the park service still isn't perfect and Yellowstone still has issues, this part is definitely dated.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8

John Graves' summary echoes my thoughts clearly and eloquently.

Without actually being in Yellowstone, books such as this allow us to revisit the Park vicariously, and in doing so, 'see' even more.

I would have appreciated a more detailed map, especially of the Mammoth area because it is central to many of Schullery's descriptions. There's no index, so I made my own abbreviated version, and found it useful when writing these comments.

p 44
Rare is the grizzly bear that has killed more than one person. Many became famous as stock killers, back before 1900, but even then some profitable exaggeration occurred to the advantage of aggrieved stockmen and glory-seeking hunters. Unlike the cats, the grizzly is primarily a vegetarian.
I wonder if Schullery has read The Grizzly - Our Greatest Wild Animal by Enos Mills, and if so, what did he think of it?

p 64 re: the Mammoth terraces
In an exceptional flow as much as two feet of limestone can be laid down in a year. ... This fast deposition means that we see new things at Mammoth every day. ...
That explains why the terraces looked so different on my second visit, which was just a couple of years after my first.

p 77 Schullery quotes Don Despain, a plant ecologist
In Yellowstone, the resource is not 20,000 elk, or a million lodgepole pines, or a grizzly bear. The resource is wildness. The interplay of all the parts of the wilderness—weather, animals, plants, earthquakes—acting upon each other ...
With stress upon the word 'all.'

p 106 example of an interesting factoid
A full 40% of Yellowstone's waters was originally barren of fish life. This included ...

Not included here but worth reading is the story of Park administration under changing federal rules and political pressures. I noted several passages for future reference. Of particular interest, is the chapter about the military control over the park in its earliest years, 1891 to 1918 (discussed in 'A Post of Honor').

[Dave Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may make you happy and sad. Happy that visionaries in the late 19th century set aside this amazing place called Yellowstone "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Sad that so many of "the people" demand so much of the Park beyond its wildness, beauty, geology, and serenity. Parts 1 and 3 are quite fine. Part 2 became a bit tedious for me . . . just a little preachy.

[Matt Mesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated relative to modern Yellowstone management but still a worthy read. His tales of stupid humans are cause for alarm—and you can’t fix stupid.

[Leslie Patten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Schullery is a good writer so although this is an older book written in the 80's, its still a good read. Schullery lived and worked in the Mammoth area and these are some of his memories of wildlife, fishing, and Yellowstone's fabulous geysers and scenery. He has written many books since and became the Park historian.

Partly because it was written before the wolf reintroduction and grizzly bear recovery, it is an interesting read. What was the Park like in the 80's with elk in high numbers and overbrowsing? The view in the 80's was that Grizzlies would never recover, their numbers were so low and their habitat being eaten up, yet now they are being considered for delisting and recovered.

I enjoyed the book.

[Abe Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

the chapters on animals and mountains are ravishing. up close and personal with elk, geysers, etc. all in all, magnificent prose and an intimate view of wild landscape. his sentences are a thrill in themselves, crafted with dry wit and brilliant vocabulary. the chapters on rivers, fishing, and wilderness management politics (basically the middle third of the book) i skipped over.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book before going to Yellowstone back in high school. Schullery's vivid memoir places you in the park; re-reading it only makes me long to return to Wyoming and roam wild and free as a Park Service Ranger.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK read, but spent too much time talking about mammoth area and all the general issues with the Nat'l Park Service. To read this book makes you think he did not travel the park all that much beyond Mammoth and Old Faithful

[Dennis Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal and literary view of a wonder-filled region. An important book for anyone who loves the uncultivated beauty of wild places. But particularly essential reading for those who love Yellowstone. Its best read around a campfire.

[Danielle DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me laughing out loud, while also thinking pretty critically about our parks system--a pretty tall order. Highly recommended to anyone planning a trip to Yellowstone, or any national park, but also to anyone who thinks they have a stake in environmental issues.

[Giulio]

Loved it.
Does for Yellowstone what Desert Solitaire does for Arches National Money-Mint.
This is a great picture of the Wilderness of Yellowstone. The middle section, However wasn't so good.

[Gib · Rating 5 out of 5]

poignant rememberance of working in a striking place