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Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone
?Wildness is something best measured in the dark. On black, moonless nights when the horizon goes limp, and every scratch and thud and snap of branch outside the tent touches off spot fires in your brain. Sort of like now. The sow grizzly is back again, circling, gulping down the dark and blowing it out again through her nose.? So begins Gary Ferguson?s tale of his three-month odyssey at Hawks Rest in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Beginning with a hundred-mile hike to reach Hawks Rest, Ferguson recounts his adventures observing grizzly bears, tracking wolf packs, and encountering other wildlife in what is now the largest intact ecosystem in the temperate world. Along the way he meets an intriguing array of backcountry hikers, park rangers, elk hunters, outfitters, and wildlife biologists all grappling with the challenges of preserving this magnificent slice of wilderness. Personal, poignant, and often gripping, Hawks Rest celebrates ?this profusion of things fierce and vast and thrilling? as it chronicles the stresses that threaten America?s most beloved wilderness lands.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
9 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Gary Ferguson
89 books82 followersNature writer, 1956-
Award-winning author Gary Ferguson has written for a variety of national publications, including Vanity Fair and the Chicago Tribune, and is the author of twenty-six books on nature and science. His memoir, The Carry Home, which the Los Angeles Times called “gorgeous, with beauty on every page,” was awarded “Best Nature book of the Year” by the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. Gary is the co-founder of Full Ecology, with his wife, social scientists Mary M. Clare.
Award-winning author Gary Ferguson has written for a variety of national publications, including Vanity Fair and the Chicago Tribune, and is the author of twenty-six books on nature and science. His memoir, The Carry Home, which the Los Angeles Times called “gorgeous, with beauty on every page,” was awarded “Best Nature book of the Year” by the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. Gary is the co-founder of Full Ecology, with his wife, social scientists Mary M. Clare.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 21, 2016
I've ridden through the area of Hawk's Rest on three different occasions, and each time was overwhelmed by the natural beauty and the amount of human presence and impact I encountered in this "wilderness" area - hunting camps that looked like military command posts and meadows so grazed and worn I thought cattle had been penned there for the summer. In this enjoyable but disturbing book Gary Ferguson does an excellent job of describing the many forces, both human and natural, at work in this unique wild place.
Anyone interested in traveling through this "Thoroughfare" country, or interested in the odd relationship the state of Wyoming has with its wildlife would do well to read this book. Should I ever have the occasion to lead another horsepacking course traversing this incredible region I will consider making this book required reading for all.
Anyone interested in traveling through this "Thoroughfare" country, or interested in the odd relationship the state of Wyoming has with its wildlife would do well to read this book. Should I ever have the occasion to lead another horsepacking course traversing this incredible region I will consider making this book required reading for all.
January 7, 2010
Fascinating in many respects. Ferguson's nature writing is lovely, precise, evocative. All the stuff it's supposed to be. He has also done some phenomenal hiking in Yellowstone...often alone.
But much of the book is given to a grassroots survey of the wolves/grizzlies/elk debate, the scarcely concealed and nearly open warfare amongst the outfitter groups, park rangers, environmentalists and ranchers. The net effect is that this most remote region of the park seems crowded with horses, mules, highly opinionated and sometimes vicious people. Hardly a remote wilderness of silence.
Written in the early 2000s, Gary's wife Jane was still alive--for you RWW people who know the story.
But much of the book is given to a grassroots survey of the wolves/grizzlies/elk debate, the scarcely concealed and nearly open warfare amongst the outfitter groups, park rangers, environmentalists and ranchers. The net effect is that this most remote region of the park seems crowded with horses, mules, highly opinionated and sometimes vicious people. Hardly a remote wilderness of silence.
Written in the early 2000s, Gary's wife Jane was still alive--for you RWW people who know the story.
December 30, 2025
You know, I thought I knew Yellowstone having visited many, many times over my 57 years but in this book, Gary Ferguson shows a side of Yellowstone I had no idea even existed. While I love the descriptions he gives of his hike to Hawks Rest and the many trails in the area, it is the colorful characters he deals with during his stay at the cabin that intrigued me the most. I wanted to know more about the Lone Eagle Woman, LaVoy, and Bob Jackson and the "salting" controversies - so much so that I found myself "googling" them to read more.
This book has been out there for a while. I am late to the scene but I am so glad to have found it to learn more about a part of the country I love so much.
This book has been out there for a while. I am late to the scene but I am so glad to have found it to learn more about a part of the country I love so much.
September 1, 2018
This book started out with great promise, but I felt that Fergusen tried and failed to accomplish too many things. His writing about nature and the Thorofare was fairly standard naturalist writing that was sometimes beautiful, but too often devolved into discussions of salting and other resource use issues.
However, his examination of these issues was surface level and while it was fairly clear where he fell on the issue, he never directly addressed what he would recommend. In addition, he would often describe people's conversation, replete with misconceptions and bad science, and then never correct that information.
As one person's look at the politics of wilderness and hunting in Wyoming, it succeeded. As anything else, it felt incomplete.
However, his examination of these issues was surface level and while it was fairly clear where he fell on the issue, he never directly addressed what he would recommend. In addition, he would often describe people's conversation, replete with misconceptions and bad science, and then never correct that information.
As one person's look at the politics of wilderness and hunting in Wyoming, it succeeded. As anything else, it felt incomplete.
May 9, 2018
A bad writer meets a great subject and produces an inconsistent book.
Hawks Rest is a beautiful area, and Ferguson seeks to tell the story of the Yellowstone Wilderness while also narrating his summer in 2002 stationed in a cabin just south of Yellowstone's southern boundary. However, he often just gets to be whiney. A better editor would have culled much of this. Ferguson, on occasion, writes beautifully about the beauty he has experienced, but those portions are few and far between. Mostly, this book is Ferguson haranguing Wyoming's outfitters or struggling to shoehorn bits of history into his discussion of hiking trips.
Hawks Rest is a beautiful area, and Ferguson seeks to tell the story of the Yellowstone Wilderness while also narrating his summer in 2002 stationed in a cabin just south of Yellowstone's southern boundary. However, he often just gets to be whiney. A better editor would have culled much of this. Ferguson, on occasion, writes beautifully about the beauty he has experienced, but those portions are few and far between. Mostly, this book is Ferguson haranguing Wyoming's outfitters or struggling to shoehorn bits of history into his discussion of hiking trips.
October 12, 2023
Interesting insight into different ways we relate to yellowstone, and how the champion of our national parks is often caught in the crossfire of some special-interest businesses.
February 21, 2017
Mostly about the conflict in the backcountry between hunting guides, backpackers, and park rangers. We also learn a lot about salt blocks.
A few things worth remembering:
I find myself looking forward less to the sexy events - grizzly and wolf sightings, bolts of lightning stabbing the distant ridges - than to the simple, quiet seep of summer unfolding.
Were it not for my journal, I'd have absolutely no clue what day of the week it was.
[In autumn] The days are swelled with signs of going.
A few things worth remembering:
I find myself looking forward less to the sexy events - grizzly and wolf sightings, bolts of lightning stabbing the distant ridges - than to the simple, quiet seep of summer unfolding.
Were it not for my journal, I'd have absolutely no clue what day of the week it was.
[In autumn] The days are swelled with signs of going.
June 6, 2014
Fascinating history of my favorite American National Park.
My dad was career Air Force and stationed most years out west and southwest.For some crazy reason we never made it to Yosemite,but did visit the northern National Parks and Yellowstone almost annually when we traveled on his 30-day leave to visit my maternal relatives in Montana,Idaho,and Washington State.
The northern Rockies are breathtakingly beautiful,and I loved reading this very engaging history of the park,well that is,except for the parts about the idiot ranchers with their insane wolf hatred and their detrimental actions on the elk herds!
They and the outfitters with their rich hunter clientele couldn't care less if they cause the extinction of species,as long as nothing stands in the way of their making money,and they use that money to buy the souls of the prostitutes in the American government to get their way.
There is much to love about this book,however,and it is so well written and engaging that I felt like I was there,and it brought back wonderful memories of my visits there.
My dad was career Air Force and stationed most years out west and southwest.For some crazy reason we never made it to Yosemite,but did visit the northern National Parks and Yellowstone almost annually when we traveled on his 30-day leave to visit my maternal relatives in Montana,Idaho,and Washington State.
The northern Rockies are breathtakingly beautiful,and I loved reading this very engaging history of the park,well that is,except for the parts about the idiot ranchers with their insane wolf hatred and their detrimental actions on the elk herds!
They and the outfitters with their rich hunter clientele couldn't care less if they cause the extinction of species,as long as nothing stands in the way of their making money,and they use that money to buy the souls of the prostitutes in the American government to get their way.
There is much to love about this book,however,and it is so well written and engaging that I felt like I was there,and it brought back wonderful memories of my visits there.
June 1, 2015
I feel like I could spend a lifetime reading about Yellowstone and never tire of it. The history and controversies surrounding the park, and the often colorful characters that work and live there, create a never-ending drama. This particular book gave an interesting look into the outfitter business in the Greater Yellowstone area, which I didn't know much about. Since the book is over ten years old, I'm curious to know how things have changed since Gary Ferguson spent time at Hawk's Rest.
I definitely recommend this one to anyone interested in Yellowstone, wolves, and/or grizzlies.
I definitely recommend this one to anyone interested in Yellowstone, wolves, and/or grizzlies.
September 24, 2015
A wonderful, intricate read about a summer spent in the Teton Wilderness. Gary Ferguson's voice is singular - capturing the complexities of issues around preservation, use, wildlife and survival in a beautifully complex narrative. In the most remote place in the lower 48 nothing is as you might expect. Except, of course, the ever-predictable changing of the seasons. One of the best nature-writings that I have read.
September 1, 2014
Hawks' Rest a season in the remote heart of Yellowstone by Gary Fergerson
Love hearing of the collection of tips when hiking in the park. Also the timeline of how the wolves were introduced back into the parks and why some are against, and some are for this action.
Love discussions of salting and other practices. Indian legends are a favorite also.
Beautiful nature descriptions.
Love hearing of the collection of tips when hiking in the park. Also the timeline of how the wolves were introduced back into the parks and why some are against, and some are for this action.
Love discussions of salting and other practices. Indian legends are a favorite also.
Beautiful nature descriptions.
April 12, 2014
Smart guy with government service experience spends time in deep back country - and none of it alone. Crowded with outfitters who exemplify the outcome from the crony rot of captured regulatory agencies. Ferguson's style is objective, good with story, and keen with observation.
February 4, 2011
Read this while camped out visiting a crew in the Thorofare...enjoyed listening to the wolves howl as I was reading about them. I've already recommended this to several folks.
Want to read
February 26, 2016- I tried to read this one once and put it down. I really want to like it due to the subject matter. I will try again before I give it just one lonely star.
December 12, 2016
Loved this book It made me want to spend time at Hawk's Rest
September 9, 2015
As much about the bureaucracy and politics surrounding the wild as about the wild itself.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews