Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley

by John Rember

In 1987, John Rember returned home to Sawtooth Valley, where he had been brought up. He returned out of a homing instinct: the same forty acres that had sustained his family’s horses had sustained a vision of a place where he belonged in the world, a life where he could get up in the morning, step out the door, and catch dinner from the Salmon River. But to his surprise, he found that what was once familiar was now unfamiliar. Everything might have looked the same to the horses that spring, but to Rember this was no longer home.

In Traplines, Rember recounts his experiences of growing up in a time when the fish were wild in the rivers, horses were brought into the valley each spring from their winter pasture, and electric light still seemed magical. Today those same experiences no longer seem to possess the authenticity they once did. In his journey home, Rember discovers how the West, both as a place in which to live and as a terrain of the imagination, has been transformed. And he wonders whether his recollections of what once was prevent him from understanding his past and appreciating what he found when he returned home. In Traplines, Rember excavates the hidden desires that color memory and shows us how, once revealed, they can allow us to understand anew the stories we tell ourselves.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Outdoors

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2003

About the author

John Rember lives and writes in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho. Recurring themes in his writing include the meaning of place, the impact of tourism on the West, and the eventual impossibility of industrial civilization.

John's latest work, Journal of the Plague Years, is a three-volume series of personal journal entries written during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. His book, A Hundred Little Pieces on the End of the World, is a meditation on teaching, writing, and friendship in an increasingly fragile world. MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book was recognized by the Nautilus Awards, Hoffer Awards, and Midwest Book Awards as one of the best new books on creative writing. His memoir Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley was named Idaho Book of the Year by the Idaho Library Association. He is also author of three short story collections: Sudden Death, Over Time; Cheerleaders from Gomorrah: Tales from the Lycra Archipelago; and Coyote in the Mountains.

John has written numerous articles, stories, and essays for publications ranging from Travel and Leisure to Wildlife Conservation to High Desert Journal to The Huffington Post. He taught for many years at The College of Idaho in Caldwell and in the Pacific University MFA program in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Reviews

[Ryan Blacketter · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Rember is one of the top three best writers in Idaho. Traplines is a clear-eyed story about masculine identity in an earlier decade. Rember is sometimes bewildered by his own socially-sanctioned behaviors back then, such as brutalizing a mule to tame it when he was in the Forest Service. I've read the book three times. I keep coming back for the honest, difficult truth, and I find it each time.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. It gives you a feeling of what it is like to grow older, and how the same place looks different and affects you differently in each phase of your life. Rember talks about how the place (Sawtooth Valley) was for his parents, and the homesteaders that came before him. It is odd, though, because he seems to come to a conclusion about how life should be lived, and then do exactly the opposite. Consciously. Perhaps that is a misinterpretation, and perhaps Rember is just more cognizant that he is doing what we are all unconsciously doing. Either way, the Sawtooth Valley in this book is the raw heart of life: the place where you kill your own food and build your own cabin, and work with whatever skills you have to get by instead of to be successful.

He has a lot of important things to say in this book, and it is an interesting medium for observations about life: the universal through a specific lens of place and time.

[Christina Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8*
Having just moved to the Wood River Valley and discovering the Sawtooths, memoirs like this add color and depth at the time the aspens are in full flame. As the seasons turn and turn again, some things stay the same and others are quickly soured by humanity's need to consume. How quickly we can see the effects of Rotenone and poaching, yet there is little remorse or change in action from Rember. He is inclined to accept his fate of mild improvements from his previous generation, complete awareness but limited action. He's just a witness. He had the potential to be much more but maybe it was just too hard. I get it.

The middle aged realizations resonated with the exception of the Skiing Volcanos, I'm not sure why that chapter made the cut. It doesn't fit with the rest of the lifestyle with the exception that knowing if you live in SV you might as well enjoy some turns. Stanley wouldn't call him a local, this is a testament to the place he loved the most, I'm glad it's north of SV.

Even at 50 there is still some insecurity in his writing style, raw and unapologetic. Why else would there be commentary on attending Harvard (it doesn't seem like it was a good fit but it was a good stretch of being, I too would have chosen that over Vietnam) and bagging 5 peaks in 5 days despite avy conditions? Reckless. I guess that makes sense why he chose his career in teaching a writing. It's a safer place than a political minefield in conservation.

[Will Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read - especially if you’ve visited Stanley/Sawtooth

Picked this up on a visit for my childhood neighbor’s wedding, after seeing it in the Mercantile + two recreational gear/apparel stores in Stanley, Idaho. Read over two days after experiencing this incredible place & wanting to know more about its history; place; over time. This was excellently written, giving an incredible narrative over time & place to give the reader an intimate look at the Sawtooth area’s development and lifestyle, as well as a deeply personal perspective on meaning, the self, and a model or metaphor for making the most out of our circumstances. There is even a fair amount of wisdom and astute observations about social dynamics, wealth, nature, and family woven throughout. Definitely recommend, especially if you’ve been, or may want to visit Stanley and the surrounding areas.

[Stacy Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because of my personal connections with the Sawtooth’s and the Sawtooth, Salmon River and Wood River Valley. Also struggling between wanting to live as an outdoor adventurer vs toiling in a profession to make a living. I love books about western life and put this book in the realm of Ivan Doig, Wallace Stegner. Richard Ford and others.

[Jon McCleary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the style of writing. It reminded me of the colorful past that exists as I look back on my life. The author has inspired me to think about writing some of it down someday. I am moving to his book M.F.A. in a box.

[Joyce Reynolds-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moody and reflective memoir that considers what it's like to grow up in the Sawtooth Valley, gems, warts, and all.

[Brannic Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating telling of stories of one’s experience of the sawtooth region, now etched into Idaho history. Easy to see why it was the Idaho Book Award winner in the early 2000’s.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Stanley museum to read while in the area and really enjoyed it- especially the stories of his childhood.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read memoirs to get some insight into what others might have learned from life. Wether it be something major, like how a parent's influence has resulted in a career that they love, or maybe hate. Or how a realization of a certain strength of character has enabled them to overcome some kind of difficulty.

Unfortunately, this book shows none of that insight. He was raised by a professional wilderness guide in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho. It's obvious that he loves his father, and admires his ability to make a living in the harsh environment of the Northwest. But he doesn't really go into detail about that admiration, doesn't really spell things out very much. Sure there are great descriptions of learning how to hunt, and fish, but it all just left me cold. By the time we get to the teenage years, he details some really questionable activities. The sort of thing that a lot of people learn from and see what path they should go down once they start to leave their family home. But why does he think he did what he did ? He really doesn't try to examine or find out. I have my own theories, but who knows if I'm right? I think he was starting to realize that while he loved Idaho, he wasn't so sure if he fit in. He had an interest in Literature, but didn't really know if that would be a viable career in Idaho. Am I right, am I wrong, I don't know, he doesn't say and doesn't give any indication if that's the reason.

Also, and this is especially annoying and mysterious, his older brother appears for about three sentences. Who was he, why is he barely mentioned ? Did he ask to not be included in the book. This is especially annoying since the brother went off to fight in Vietnam, and the author did not. Why ? I have no idea. This is the one major event for teenage boys in the late sixties. It was an all encompassing, consuming thing. Go to Vietnam, wait to get drafted, or maybe try to figure out how to get out of it all together. His brother went to Vietnam, and he did not. And that's the end of that decision, let's move on.

By the time we get to his adult years, we hear about how he is now a teacher and not quite happy with his job. Why ? And what happened to his brother by then ? Was he back from Vietnam ? And wait a minute, what about his Mother too ? She's mentioned a few times, but not nearly as much as the Dad. Why is that ? Again, I don't know.

There's a review from Tim O'Brien on the back cover praising the "spare prose". That is true, plenty of spare prose, but I'd say it was too spare for me. The review has two stars, but only for the detailed description of what it was like to grow up in Idaho, which I really knew nothing about. I'm sure if I had read something else about Idaho before this, even that one good thing about the book would be familiar to me and this book would end up having just about nothing good going for it.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story life of a young man growing up in small town. I can relate because I have been there and done that. However, the author goes on the study at Harvard and teach writing, two things I don't have in common. Rember is a talented storyteller who also tries to get inside the mind of the characters in his book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up more of Mike's Idaho literature....

This was one of the more engaging non-fiction books I have picked up lately. It didn't necessarily make we want to move to a cabin in Stanley as Mike said it would but it is an interesting look at life in that area.

[Jan Brattain · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir was too mean for my taste. I couldn't finish it.

[Isaak Solum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this book was going to have more stories about trapping and hunting than it did. Still a good book just not what I was expecting.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Rember is my personal hero and my mentor from college!

[Mary]

Good....enough.
A bit disjointed but interesting story telling about author's young life in the Sawtooths.