The Last Season (P.S.) by Eric Blehm
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Book Reviews of The Last Season (P.S.)
Book Review: Sierra Backcountry Ranger Requiem
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have hiked the High Sierras, no doubt you will love this book! It offers a penetrating look at a 28 year veteran back country ranger in the Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, who disappeared during his last season. Why would anyone spend 28 years as a seasonal, low paid, poorly appreciated back country ranger? Who would put up with living in the isolated back country, on call 24/7? How could such a seasoned veteran simply vanish from the face of the earth? Why did an 8 day search for him, using almost 100 experienced rangers, search and rescue dogs, and multiple helicopters fail to find him? What part did depression over a failing marriage and guilt over an affair with another back country ranger play in his disappearance? Did he commit suicide? Or - - - did the fall out of this depression so cloud his judgement that he made a fatal mistake as he crossed his familiar beloved wilderness? As you may guess, I love the High Sierra and enjoyed this book immensely. Randy Morgenson reminds me a lot of John Muir. I take my well worn hiking and back packing hat off to this man who speaks so eloquently for the WILD! There is a lot of food for thought in this book for those who hike and backpack in the bush, seeking the silence and peace that only can be found there!Book Review: An amazing book about an amazing man and the wilderness he loved
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up a copy of this book on a recent visit to Sequoia/Kings Canyon because it sounded like it could be interesting. I never expected the level of writing the book achieves, nor the author's ability to bring a very complex story to life.
Randy Morgenson was a fascinating man with a passion for the Sierras and wilderness in general. An early ecologist, a gifted photographer and writer (some of his logbook entries read like prose poems), Morgenson was a backcountry ranger in Sequoia/Kings Canyon for 28 years. One day in 1996 he left his camp for a 3-4 day tour of some of his 'district' and never returned. This book uses a variety of sources to recreate what happened as well as give recognition to Randy and all other backcountry rangers who love and protect our remaining wilderness areas.
Blehm does a fabulous job of capturing, not only the people involved, but the Sierras themselves, for they are a central piece of the puzzle.
This book is definitely a keeper!
Book Review: A great book for backpackers
Summary: 5 Stars
This book would be great to read on a ten-day backpacking trip.
As a backpacker, I have often wondered just what sort of lives are lead by those unique individuals called "rangers." This book gives a good glimpse into the life of one of those lonely dedicated people. The chapters devoted to the search efforts are riveting. The chapters that describe Morgenson's life are necessarily slower and more pedestrian, but they serve to give texture to the overall story. I actually found the descriptions of Morgenson's colleagues to be more interesting than those of Morgenson himself, perhaps because I got the feeling that, even though Randy Morgenson was certainly a highly respected naturalist and a devoted idealist, his fellow rangers (e.g., Durkee, Nash) were by far the finer people. This is a tragic story, with the silver lining being that the book does a good job of communicating the high standards and code of conduct to which backcountry rangers hold themselves.
Book Review: A passionate and respectful account
Summary: 5 Stars
I discovered Eric Blehm quite recently through his involvement with "Molly the Owl" and his subsequent children's book on the subject. As I listened to the passion with which Mr. Blehm spoke of his projects, I felt compelled to seek out his other books. What a fortunate sequence of events for me! "The Last Season" held my rapt attention from cover to cover and left me feeling as if I had been part of the story myself. It is apparent throughout that this book took incredible amounts of painstaking and thorough research, but every detail and piece of minutiae is needed. You never feel as if he threw in facts just to show off -- it all contributes to the whole. The story is told with such depth and richness, you can't help but feel in awe of the backcountry rangers and their beloved Sierras. Randy Morgenson himself is portrayed with the respect and reverance he so clearly deserves, despite his personal shortcomings. I feel privileged to have found this book.Book Review: The gospel according to RM
Summary: 5 Stars
When I considered buying this book, I read George Durkee's review, then bought the book based on his words alone. It is a haunting account. As a woman who lives alone in the wilderness (on a permit from the Forest Service), I often think of what would transpire if I were injured and incapacitated while out on the trail (or off it). If nothing else, Randy's story reminds me that I always need to leave a note behind stating where I'll be roaming.
Beyond that, this book, which is meticulously researched, presents a compelling story, plus the on-going sermon of how we should revere the wilderness. All I can say is Amen to that. This is a great read for those who share the same sentiment.