Grizzlies On My Mind: Essays of Adventure, Love, and Heartache from Yellowstone Country

by Michael W. Leach

Overview

What is it about Yellowstone National Park that draws millions of visitors from all over the world? If you've visited Yellowstone, you should already know the answer. If you've never visited—or you have, but still don't know the answer—Michael Leach explains it to you in his book of essays, "Grizzlies on My Mind." Leach is a Yellowstone insider with unmatched passion for this nation's first national park. At the age of twenty-two, Leach's dream of becoming a Yellowstone ranger came true. It wasn't long before he'd earned the nickname "Rev" for his powerful Yellowstone "sermons." In "Grizzlies on My Mind," Leach shares his love for Yellowstone—its landscapes and wildlife, especially its iconic bison and grizzlies—as he tells tales that will delight anyone interested in the national park system, wildlife and wild landscapes, rivers and adventure. Heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of human lives lost, efforts to save a black bear cub, a famous wolf who helped Leach through some dark personal days, the unique and oftentimes humorous Yellowstone "culture," backpacking trips that nearly ended in disaster, and Leach's spiritual journey with his Assiniboine-Gros Ventre "brother" fill the pages—and the reader's heart. If you've never been charged by an elk, traveled solo at dawn across Yellowstone's frigid interior (working your way slowly through a herd of peaceful bison in the process), or lain awake in a backcountry tent, listening for the spine-tingling breaths of a curious grizzly—but you crave such experiences, "Grizzlies on My Mind" is the book for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780871083166
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
Sales rank:	929,694
File size:	768 KB

About the Author

Michael W. Leach is a former Bear Education Ranger in Yellowstone National Park and has written numerous pieces for regional publications, including Yellowstone Discovery, Outside Bozeman, Distinctly Montana, New West, and Wyoming Wildlife. Known for his innovative and passionate approach, Michael brings a contemporary style to the nature genre through his rich and heartfelt prose while connecting readers with the raw power of wild places like Yellowstone. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Read an Excerpt

Visceral excitement pulsed through my scrawny eight-year-old body as I gazed into the eyes of a beast more massive than any I had ever witnessed. Welcome to God’s theme park, Yellowstone. My earliest memories of Yellowstone stem from the perspective of a young boy enamored by our first national park’s glory and by the spirit of adventure. Growing up along the shores of a small mountain lake in North Idaho, I cherished our annual pilgrimage to my grandparents’ birthplace—Wyoming—and to my family’s beloved Yellowstone. I can still vividly remember that nervous, Christmas-morning-like anticipation when we awoke at dawn to the song of the Madison River in Ennis, Montana—our launching point for each Yellowstone adventure. Even in August, the air would be crisp, with wispy waves of fog rising from the waters of the fifty-mile riffle, as the sun literally burst forth, illuminating the Madison Range to the west. To a young boy, it seemed they must have been the birthplace and spine of the continent. Romping the mountains and forests near my home, it was easy for one childhood season to blend into the next without my recognizing the significance of their passing. Perhaps this explains how our family sojourns to Yellowstone ultimately came to mark the life-affirming milestones in my own personal journey—from curious boy to earnest young man, striving to uncover meaning in pursuit of living a life that matters. Such is the raw power of Yellowstone. While its natural wonders, wildlife, rivers, and biodiversity are most celebrated, I have come to believe Yellowstone’s greatest gift is its ability to inspire two-leggeds to uncover purpose, meaning, and goodness in our lives. As much as we are awed by the scenery and inhabitants that make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem one of the most important places on our planet ecologically, Yellowstone has always been first and foremost a people’s park. Since its beginning, the wild spirit of Yellowstone has inspired countless visitors to strive for a more meaningful existence—one often intertwined with and based upon their love for nature and their desire for adventure.

Table of Contents

Contents Foreword, by Nathan Varley Introduction 1 Grizzlies on My Mind 2 Medicine Warrior 3 The Journeyman, 253M 4 Winter Adventures 5 Life Returns to Yellowstone 6 Mammoth Madness 7 Ranger Field Journal: A Sampling 8 Wild Entrapment 9 Christmas in Yellowstone 10 Ode to #6 11 The Story of the Kestrel 12 Bitterroot Paint 13 Only in Yellowstone 14 Hello Again, Old Faithful 15 The Hills Are Alive 16 American White Pelican 17 Summer Love Letter 18 Fall Is in the Air 19 Yellowstone’s Gym Culture 20 Winter’s Loosening Grip 21 The Fading Light of Summer 22 Closing Out the Season 23 Bison and Bigotry 24 Teasing Seasons 25 Chaos, Wind, and Harlequins 26 Respect for Señor Blanco 27 Song of the Yellow Bellied 28 Bliss Pass 29 Hoodoo Equinox Storm Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Presentation Testimonials:
"Your presentation on the wildness and spirit of Yellowstone and how it inspires local communities was a gift to all who attended. Your unparalleled energy, spirit and love for Yellowstone was inspiring and transformative. It was a great honor and pleasure to have you participate in our conference." —BORN Inc. Northern Rockies Bioneers
"You touched everyone in that group with your Yellowstone presentation that evening. I found you to be one of the most amazing and truly inspiring speakers that I have ever heard, and you certainly made a difference in my life, even in my mid fifties! Mike, thanks so much for what you do. You really do make a difference in so many people's lives, and I thank you for everything you continue to do."
—Dave Hornoff, PhD, Executive Director, National Wolfwatcher Coaltion
"I guarantee he will not disappoint! He is by far the best public speaker I have ever witnessed, and I know your audience will be inspired and will learn a great deal."
—Steve Hoffman, Executive Director, Montana Audubon
"Your presentation last night at the Metcalf Refuge was an unexpected delight...much more than the 'nice Yellowstone slideshow' I was prepared for. You provided an educational experience cocooned in the essence of what life is truly all about... appreciation, love of place and family, commitment to something greater than self and science thrown in for good measure. I am still thinking about it this morning. It's a special gift to be able to pack all of that science and soul into 45 minutes and hold an audience in the palm of your hand the entire time."
—Barbara Ellis, Hamilton, MT
"My fellow Audubon folks and I are so impressed with your message and delivery. You totally have us jazzed up to take action! For now, I just want you to hear that you intensely, positively affected another roomful of people."
—Lisa Carnicom, Billings, Montana
"I wish to enthusiastically recommend Michael Leach as an articulate, knowledgeable, engaging and inspirational public speaker. He can captivate ANY audience, skillfully developing a rapport with people of diverse backgrounds like no one I have ever witnessed. During the past two years I have had the pleasure of personally observing many of Mike's presentations to a wide variety of audiences, from high schoolers to senior citizens, and without question Mike is the most effective public speaker I have experienced in my 35-year career. Mike is truly an engaging storyteller, and he always has his scientific facts right. He shares his extensive knowledge of ecology and natural history of the region's wildlife and the key conservation issues of the day so effortlessly the listener does not realize just how much he/she is learning!"
—Steve Hoffman, Executive Director Montana Audubon
"As an Outdoor Education Professional, I have seen many presentations about all kinds of topics come through our doors. Along with those presentations, I've see many diverse audiences come through our facilities and take away some very rewarding experiences and there were some luke warm receptions as well.
After having been contacted on the phone by Michael Leach, Director and Founder of Yellowstone Country Guardians, I knew that I was talking to a very knowledgeable and motivated gentleman who had an important message to deliver about one of my favorite National Parks. He would be traveling to the Pacific Northwest from Livingston, Montana soon and I was excited to meet him. At that time, I had no idea how much of an impact this exceptionally gifted, passionate man and the sheer power of his mission would impact my life.
The magnitude of enthusiasm radiating from Michael as he manifested the grandeur of Yellowstone National Park before us was literally palpable from where I sat in the audience. His knowledge about the Park, the wilderness of Yellowstone and the wildlife in that region crackled with energy. The power of his adoration and respect for the wild had every one of us riveted to his words."
—Billy Rosewarne, Outdoor Events and Education Seattle, Washington
"Michael conducted multiple slideshow presentations for various groups of all ages that highlighted the beauty and importance of Yellowstone National Park and the greater Yellowstone area. Even with his focus on the Yellowstone ecosystem his presentations and passion extend far beyond that area and touch the core of what it means to be an inspired, connected, steward of the Earth. His moving and personal presentations only helped further inspire me to get out in nature and work to protect this amazing planet for the future of all life."
—Scott Black, Manager of Specialty Tours and Sleepovers, California Academy Of Sciences
"I've been hosting the RM Land Series for the past 13 years. It's hard to think of a more inspiring presentation then what Michael shared. With the challenges facing wilderness today, we all need the passionate energy of people like Michael Leach. His exuberant love of nature inspires people to discover what it is that they can do to save our threatened wild places."
—Jeff Lee, Rocky Mountain Land Series, Tattered Cover, Denver, Colorado

Editorial Reviews

"Three and a half million people see Yellowstone National Park every year, but few people see as clearly and deeply into the park as Michael Leach. Yellowstone’s combination of natural attributes and human oddities makes it a truly weird and wonderful place. Leach lifts a curtain, lets you see a layer of the park the casual visitor would never know. He writes with equal admiration for the subtleties and splendor—and the understanding that sometimes the subtleties are the splendor. Leach provides glimpses of the people—from biologists to law enforcement staff to astonishing gym rats in the border town of Gardiner—and the animals that make Yellowstone a world unto itself. Whether writing about famous wolves, dinosaur bones, arrowheads, marmots or grizzly bears, Leach writes with a passion that is as inspiring as his subject. His journey of discovery through Yellowstone is both public and poignantly personal. Treat yourself to this unique and passionate perspective on America’s greatest national park." —Jeff Hull, author of Pale Morning Done and Streams of Consciousness

"Michael Leach dreamed of becoming a Yellowstone park ranger. He got his wish and, with his memoir GRIZZLIES ON MY MIND, he takes us on a personal journey, traveling with an unguarded heart into the mystery and beauty of the Yellowstone backcountry. He passionately and correctly speaks his outrage against the 'barbaric' trapping of the park's wandering wolves, of the inhumane bison slaughter by Montana's livestock department. Above all this is a personal odyssey; Leach shares his lusty interest for women in uniform, his faith in the power of wild nature and the spiritual paths of healing." —Doug Peacock

From the Publisher