4.5 to 5 stars here. Only someone with an extremely strong sense of reverence for the natural world (and the particular region of highcountry/backcountry which is featured) could have pulled this book off as well as they did. That, combined with some very fine writing skills just takes a story as intriguing and important as this one over the top. Poignant at any time, and particularly so at a point when our national parks (and precious remaining scraps of wilderness in general) seem more under threat than ever.

National Park Service Ranger Randy Morgenson loved the wilderness. He spent years of his life as a backcountry ranger in Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. The job involved living in spartan quarters completely removed from any vestige of civilization. In spite of having to discipline backpackers who broke the rules, pick up trash, and occasionally transport the body of an unfortunate hiker, Randy thrived there. He was happy spending his days absorbing the glorious beauty of the mountains, their wildness and their majesty. The remainder of the story is not joyful. Randy had trouble navigating the outside world and he suffered for it. His story resonates with me. Through this book I was able to follow his footsteps on those mountain paths.

Ironically, I started this book on an airplane on the way to California to visit Sequoia and Kings Canton National Parks. I was happy to be reading about someone raised to love and appreciate the beauty of nature and who spent their life dedicated to the parks. I got about halfway through before losing enthusiasm for the character and the book in general.

I understand starting the book with the premise that Randy went missing, then going backwards to introduce his life and what lead him to be a veteran ranger in the parks. I did not like that it kept going back and forth to different parts of his life and the search. I had a hard time connecting the rangers in his history to the rangers in the SAR. I could tell that each relationship was meant to be meaningful, but I couldn’t keep track and they all kind of blurred together.

I enjoyed learning about the parks, I found the different stories of SAR interesting, and I appreciate the honest admiration both the author and Randy showed for nature. I love visiting National Parks, and loved my visit to these two parks. I did not do any backpacking and only visited sites and trails accessible by a day hike. I am scared to take the leap to the multi-day hiking, with the logistics of lodging and food being too intimidating. I imagine the kind of dedication Randy had to spending time in the “back country” and I know my love of the outdoors does not compare to his.

That being said, this book was much too long for me. If I enjoyed the first part of the book, I could barely convince myself to pick it up for the second half. I had lost interest in the intricacies of the SAR and I just wanted to know if and when he had been found. I likewise grew tired of Randy, his treatment of Judi, and his self pity. If I had been able to finish this book relatively quickly it might have gotten a higher rating, but given the first half I enjoyed more was done over a month ago and I’ve been spending the last several weeks trying to push through 100 pages, that’s the impression that sticks. Also worth noting I’m not a huge nonfiction fan to begin with, so once it started to drag, it really started to drag. Maybe nonfiction lovers would feel differently!

Why on earth was this book so long? If I had to read it, I would have given up. And even listening to Jonathan Davis narrating, it was a struggle. I'm not really sure why this even needed a book...I bought it on a whim as an Audible Daily Deal last year. Thank goodness for the Great Listener Guarantee because I will be returning this for money $4 back. It was so dull.
Randy Morgenson was EXTREME to the max. An extreme nature person who despised anyone that threatened to change nature's landscape. Basically humans disgusted him even by as little as making a fire. Oh boy. So yeah, I could not relate. To each his own but this guy was nutty. And 1996 was probably the best time for his demise because if he was still living today, he would be pretty appalled.
I appreciate that he's done things for the national parks and the National Park Service but this book was so boring. I have no opinion on whether or not Randy killed himself or simply had an accident. Regardless, it was tragic.