Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful writing. Highly recommended.
Review: As Rick Bass and Doug Peacock go high and deep into Colorado's San Juan Mountains, on the chance there might still be grizzlies somehow surviving there, we are treated to glimpses of unspeakable beauty and wonder. It's as though Bass were able to blend his own Ninemile Wolves with Peacock's Grizzly Years. Their journey is both exhilerating and meditative. Reading this book was a pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: A large gulp of reality, IF we are receptive/perceptive.
Review: Asking, "...how important are our lives....Do we have any more import than a mushroom or a spruce cone?... The fact that we can even ask that..."... with these observations/questions Bass leads us through the Colorado wilderness, alerting us to the fact that it is our OWN wilderness we just BEGIN to see, IF we can free our senses, as he and friend, Doug Peacock, seem to be able to do (not without pain). Were I only able to be there, too, but that would clutter the already "cluttered" world of the infringed upon bear. In this book is a fresh taste of that which we MUST preserve, for the sake of the wild, and, then, for our "selves".
Rating: 
Summary: Needed less pomposity
Review: Author Rick Bass recounts three years of annual efforts to find evidence of grizzly bears in Colorado's San Juan mountains. Each time, he heads into the woods with a colorful cast of characters, most notably Grizzly Years author Doug Peacock. Their goal is to document the presence of the endangered grizzly; success will presumably spark a reaction in the government and conservation agencies to take efforts to protect both the grizzly and its environment. Bass finds what appears to be plenty of evidence, culminating in a terrifying encounter with a large male grizzly from 30 feet away. The centerpiece of the book is on the way that Bass and his companions interact with the environment around them, be it the woods, or the towns and ranches that they visit for one reason or another.
The Good and the Bad:
As much as I liked isolated sections of this book, the drawbacks left me colder than a group of activists on a mountain peak at dusk. The good things included a worship-inspired look at Peacock, who is shown to be a modern day Johnny Appleseed in that he is far more comfortable in the wilds than among the people. Peacock charges off into the brush cursing when agitated; and he is liable to charge into the brush cursing when he is happy and excited, too. At a meeting with a fundraiser, he turns down money because he has been asked to have contact with a donor in exchange for the funds. He is motivated by unexplained feelings, mysteries of the woods, and mystic natural signs whose meanings he comes up with unaided. The fact that Bass seems to worship Peacock only becomes annoying when Bass attempts to insert himself into the relationship by intimating that he understands Peacock better than others in the group (I'm not even saying he doesn't, just that it detracts from the narrative). In most cases, the hero-worship merely serves to enhance the story, as we get behind a mythologizing of a man that even critics would call strongly individualistic.
We also fail to get a good idea of how the larger movement to document and thereby save the grizzlies is progressing. We don't know exactly what proof will produce what effect, and so the real-life impact of the mission is de-emphasized to the extreme.
I have three other main complaints; the first is that the large majority of the conservation ethic articulated by the characters is extremely basic. There's a lot of quoting of Leopold, and a repeated return to the idea that we are all a part of the forest, that every unit is dependent on related parts, etc. He not only presents these ideas with the pride of their creator, but he goes over them again and again, with minor variation. Better was when he talks about specific issues, such as the ethical considerations of radio-collaring a bear (although we never get the pro side of that statement). Another interesting set of information is given by a character named Tolisanti, who gives a discussion on how many creatures are needed to preserve a species, and what roles different species play in terms of conserving an environment.
The second main complaint is Bass's annoying tendency to read spiritual overtones into almost everything. The quality of light, the sighting of a bear skull, the accidental discovery of a hunter's camp; everything has a meaning. And Bass doesn't think that he's coming up with the meaning, he clearly reads that the forces of nature are communicating with him, directly and on purpose. A meadow is happy that he's leaving, although it didn't mind his presence while he was there, for example. And there is a constant return to the idea that the existence of grizzlies is a function of the spirit of those who seek them rather than their own mechanizations. This might be ok for another reader, but I want more hard facts and far less spiritual rhapsody about how Rick Bass is a receptacle that nature chooses to fill with portent.
Finally, I have a big problem with Bass's attitude that his own conservation ethic, which has a heavy basis in a Native American-like basis of respect for each creature, is the only proper one. He repeatedly refers to academics and bureaucrats in wildlife management in a demeaning manner, drawing a deep division between himself and paper-pushers. While I personally share many qualities and sympathize entirely with many aspects of the hippie movement, my sympathies fall short of condoning some of the bizarre attitudes. The way to save the woods might include a frontiersman-like effort to catalogue what's out there, but it also includes involvement by the government, as well as a lot of the hard scientific work conducted in the laboratory. Just because everyone's not a Davey Crockett doesn't mean that everyone doesn't care about preserving wildlife.
What I learned:
The Hundred Years rule of thumb asks what population size is needed to give itself a 99% chance of survival for 100 years. There is a new idea in conservation that preserving wildness might be better sized by establishing a series of concentrated rings, with more human activity allowed in the outer rings, but little to no activity allowed in the central rings. This allows for less chafing on both sides of the fence, for both civilization and the wild. Different types of species as far as conservation goes include keystone species, which anchor a set of inter-special relationships; indicator species, which give early warning when something bad is happening to an environment; flagship species, which are the sexy animals that might motivate the public to devote energies to conserving an ecosystem; and recovery species, which indicate that an ecosystem that has been damaged might be coming back to life.
Also, and most interestingly, when hunters shoot bears who have just recently emerged from hibernation, they may find live ants scurrying around in their stomachs, which have not yet begun to produce stomach acid.
Rating:
Summary: Guys looking for grizzlies
Review: I agree with another reviewer's comment that this book is largely focused on the guys out looking for grizzlies in Colorado rather than on bears. This made for excellent reading. Bass is a remarkably skilled writer. He puts you right there at the campfire sipping whisky and feasting on wild mushrooms with Peacock and company. The attitudes of Bass, Peacock and the rest can appear surprisingly negative at times. For example, they seem to have something of a "holier-than-thou" attitude towards other wilderness enthusiasts, in the sense that wilderness advocates wearing suits are laughed at, persons hiking in the woods with colorful gear are "wanna-bes", and young persons also looking for grizzly in the woods are characterized as lackluster. University researchers ("academics") are also cast as ignorant and removed from the wilderness they study. I found this sort of gruff cynicism reminiscent of the Monkey Wrench Gang and hence it had some entertainment value. However, knee-jerk judgements seemingly based on what people wear, and lofty dismissals of others' work didn't help my images of these guys. Just some passing remarks, this book is fantastic. All in all a great book that makes for a gripping read.
Rating:
Summary: Guys looking for grizzlies
Review: I agree with another reviewer's comment that this book is largely focused on the guys out looking for grizzlies in Colorado rather than on bears. This made for excellent reading. Bass is a remarkably skilled writer. He puts you right there at the campfire sipping whisky and feasting on wild mushrooms with Peacock and company. The attitudes of Bass, Peacock and the rest can appear surprisingly negative at times. For example, they seem to have something of a "holier-than-thou" attitude towards other wilderness enthusiasts, in the sense that wilderness advocates wearing suits are laughed at, persons hiking in the woods with colorful gear are "wanna-bes", and young persons also looking for grizzly in the woods are characterized as lackluster. University researchers ("academics") are also cast as ignorant and removed from the wilderness they study. I found this sort of gruff cynicism reminiscent of the Monkey Wrench Gang and hence it had some entertainment value. However, knee-jerk judgements seemingly based on what people wear, and lofty dismissals of others' work didn't help my images of these guys. Just some passing remarks, this book is fantastic. All in all a great book that makes for a gripping read.
Rating: 
Summary: Less about bears than about people
Review: I enjoyed Rick Bass' book but the reader should understand going in that it is less about bears than it is about people, most notably Doug Peacock and Bass himself. Rick Bass must understand that in my lifetime alone, the earth's human population has risen from fewer than 2.5 billion to more than 6 billion. THAT is the real problem wildlife must face. In this book Bass inadvertently provides a tremendous case for bear (and other dangerous game) hunting. He makes the point that if there are Grizzlies in Colorado, the remaining population has a genetic inclination to stay completely away from man due to heavy hunting pressure during previous generations. This is exactly what dangerous game (black bears included) needs if it is going to co-exist with man's ever growing population. Dangerous wildlife MUST respect man's position on top of the food chain and this position can only be established via enforcement (the ignorance and volume of "animal rights activists" not withstanding. By the way Rick: The Eastern Mountain Lion (Catamount) is in exactly the same position as the Colorado Grizzly. Fish and Game denies their existence to avoid having to set wilderness land aside, yet my own son and a good friend have seen them with their own eyes. There are even photographs being denied.
Rating:
Summary: Less about bears than about people
Review: I enjoyed Rick Bass' book but the reader should understand going in that it is less about bears than it is about people, most notably Doug Peacock and Bass himself. Rick Bass must understand that in my lifetime alone, the earth's human population has risen from fewer than 2.5 billion to more than 6 billion. THAT is the real problem wildlife must face. In this book Bass inadvertently provides a tremendous case for bear (and other dangerous game) hunting. He makes the point that if there are Grizzlies in Colorado, the remaining population has a genetic inclination to stay completely away from man due to heavy hunting pressure during previous generations. This is exactly what dangerous game (black bears included) needs if it is going to co-exist with man's ever growing population. Dangerous wildlife MUST respect man's position on top of the food chain and this position can only be established via enforcement (the ignorance and volume of "animal rights activists" not withstanding. By the way Rick: The Eastern Mountain Lion (Catamount) is in exactly the same position as the Colorado Grizzly. Fish and Game denies their existence to avoid having to set wilderness land aside, yet my own son and a good friend have seen them with their own eyes. There are even photographs being denied.
Rating:
Summary: Defining
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the trail, but as science it dosen't bother to include any. Only the fact that standard conservation biology principles are ridiculed. Unfortunately this population of Ursus arctos horribilus is all but gone. They are at California Condor levels if present at all. They see one bear, but what of the DNA analysis? Bass does not tell us here. Bass's bear is more a vision than a reality. The crowd of Earth First!ers from Tuscon and points north represented by the volatile-tempered Doug Peacock, that has allowed Rick Bass to join is a select band of outlaw literary types, that worship the wild and lament its demise. I share this sadness and want to prevent it myself, but my twelve years working as a fish and wildlife biologist did little to encourage me that this is possible. By aligning himself only with outlaw radicals whose personal behavior screams "left-wing enviro-nut" these noble ideas will be hard to sell by these messengers. Only with mainstream acceptance will change occur. In Bass's home territory of Yaak, Montana this will be a hard sell. Libby is a devastated lumber town where I once worked for the U.S. Forest Service. I was so discouraged that I quit early and left town never to return. Bass runs with a select clique who live in Livingston, Montana a sort of "Hollywood North" of rich and famous actors and artists the likes of Peter Fonda, Tom McGuane, Dennis Quaid, the brothers Bridges, an endless list. But it's the outlaws like Dave Forman the founder of Earth First!that run the underground sects of the environmental movement, and they have a terrorist thesis; "Monkeywrenchers" as Ed Abby envisioned. Peacock is the model although he does not actually commit vandalism acts himself. They don't accept newcomers into their ranks easily; particularly impoverished writers from the "sticks." I wrote Mr. Bass once of my efforts chronicled in my first book "Against A Strong Current," on these conservation matters and received no reply. Acceptance by this group is not my goal but credit is difficult to get, even if one has extensive credentials and a government work record that takes place on scene as part of the in house system working for the same change. It is easy to be upstaged by amateurs. Bass seeks to sell romance sans the "Guzzi" consumerish trappings. This work is a success at that, but it is not in any sense, biology.
Rating: 
Summary: A visit to the San Juan Mountains
Review: I'm not a voracious reader, but I'm reasonably well-read and have spent A LOT of time in grizzly bear territory in B.C. It was intriguing for me to read of the descriptions of the terrain around the San Juan mountains in Colorado - terrain that must be very different than that of the rainforests of western Canada. Bass paints a fairly good picture of the landscape, but as one who has never spent time in the San Juan mountains, I still was left to wonder about the vegetation, the color of the soil, the type of rocks. Bass weaves an interesting tale, presenting to the reader what seems to be a slightly embellished factual account. It took me quite awhile to settle into the book due to his present tense writing style: "I walk up the trail" rather than "I walked up the trail" (past tense). He portrays his encounters with wildlife with less caution and wariness than he depicts the people in the story. I relate to his notion of peace when in nature, unsettled feelings around people. His outlook on life seems minutely cynical (or at least skeptical) but I like that in a person. I remember smiling and/or nodding at some of his observations about the world, thoughts and realizations that can come into the mind when one's perspective is annointed with the serenity, beauty, and perfection of nature. He does an effective job of recounting the experience of the several searches of which he was part. He gives what seems to be an honest account of the troubles, successes, injuries, meals, frustrations, jokes, and other events that combined into the whole experience. So authentic and genuine were his descriptions that I could see clearly the scenes he described. I am somewhat curious about how Doug Peacock felt about Bass' portrayal of him in the book. I think I've figured out that Peacock is a real person, not a fictitious character. The Peacock character comes off as kind of unstable, very savvy in the wilderness, and more than a little quirky. Many real people might fit that description, but few might find themselves cited and depicted in a best-selling author's book. It struck me as I read that Peacock seemed unique enough to be real, but individual enough to eschew the attention brought upon him by this written account. I have no idea if the climax of the book is fact or fiction, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I recommend it to devotees of the magificent grizzly bear and lovers of the outdoors.
Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Journey
Review: In my entire short life I have never read a book that caught my attention like this one did. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I live in Colorado and I spend a lot of my time in the high country. I couldn't put it down. The relationship between man and the bear depicted in this book was powerfull. It put a new hope in me that I have never experienced before. The true symbol of wild, the Grizz, is in my backyard, which is littered with ski resorts, city campers, roads, sloppy hunters and "wannabe" yuppie outdoorsmen. Bass mentions the feeling of a great seceret when he discovers certain things mentioned in the book. When I finished reading the book I too felt as if I had that same feeling, as if I were there. Bass' style of writing is an excellent way to get you right into the book and you never want to leave. I recommend it to anyone who loves the true wild that is so hard to come by these days.
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