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| The Last Season (P.S.) | 
| Author: Eric Blehm
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.94 (100%)
New (43) from $4.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 19873
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 0060583010
Dewey Decimal Number: 590
EAN: 9780060583019
ASIN: 0060583010
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: few bent corners Used - Good Default Text
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| Customer Reviews:
 Exceptional Human perspective May 29, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is an exceptional story well researched and written by Eric Blehm. I'm a city person. I hike minimally, for enjoyment only, with the requirement being that I'm always end up in a nice hotel room that night. So clearly, Randy Morgensen, a seasonal park ranger for 28 years who grew up in Yosemite Valley, led a vastly different life from me and probably most readers. And maybe that's the best part of this book. Eric Blehm has done an excellent research job showing us how the influences in Ranger Randy's lives led him to his love of the Sierra Nevada's and his low paying, low rewarded job as a park ranger which he loved immensely. The passages where the intelligent Randy makes humorous comments intended to modify the behavior of campers into protecting and preserving the park are witty and show what a great love he had for the land.
Reading this book I can honestly say I don't know a single person like Randy Morgensen. I know American consumers. People who work to spend money and enjoy their lives. But Randy had a higher purpose. While his parents may have been disappointed that he didn't finish his college education, he had found his calling early and it had nothing to do with money.
But even this intelligent, thoughtful man has flaws and these eventually lead to the break-up of his marriage after an affair. And this personal drama arrives right at his untimely death to create a "perfect storm" of doubt and uncertainty as to how he really passed. The author's expert at the end takes all the evidence and delivers a plausible cause of death with minimal information which is fascinating.
But just as fascinating was learning of this life and yearning for the high Sierras. That is what I take away from this book, a man truly in love with nature more than himself. Read this book for enjoyment, mystery fascination, and to learn of another way to enjoy our massive country.
An amazing book about an amazing man and the wilderness he loved May 19, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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!
Paul Schmitt May 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What a fantastic book! I read at night before I go to bed. This was one of those books I could have called in sick to work for, just so I could keep reading it. Eric Blehm has done a terrific job of bringing you to the scene of the events. Easy to read and follow and an amazing story to tell. This is a soon to be classic and easily joins books like Cache Lake Country and One Man's Wilderness (Richard Proenneke). The woods, missing person, survival and adventure--what more could you want?
 A Wilderness Ranger has disappeared April 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anyone who hiked the southern part of the John Muir Trail in 1996 would have seen posters at various locations along the route. The posters asked for help with any information about a wilderness ranger whose picture was in the poster. The book is very readable, probably because it was written by a journalist. The book covers: a biography of the ranger; the life and culture of wilderness rangers; the culture of the National Park Service; and search-and-rescue operations and techniques.
Close to Home April 10, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
With some interruptions for wandering elsewhere, I backpacked into the high country of the Sierra Nevada from Northern Yosemite to SEKI in the summer from 1953 to 1999. These mountains have been and always will be my spiritual home, and I read The Last Season with great interest. Since I share the opinions and philosopy of back country ranger Randy Morgenson, I identified closely with the ranger and recognized most of the areas described in the book. The descriptions of packers, backpacker trash, and the like are mine as well.
The Last Season is a fascinating amazingly well-researched story that I recommend to all novices to the backcountry as it will give insight on how to approach The Range of Light with respect bordering on reverence. Take time to enjoy the experience in the backcountry rather than rushing through it as a test of speed and endurance. And enjoy reading The Last Season.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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