Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness

by Doug Peacock

For nearly twenty years, alone and unarmed, author Doug Peacock traversed the rugged mountains of Montana and Wyoming tracking the magnificent grizzly. His thrilling narrative takes us into the bear's habitat, where we observe directly this majestic animal's behavior, from hunting strategies, mating patterns, and denning habits to social hierarchy and methods of communication. As Peacock tracks the bears, his story turns into a thrilling narrative about the breaking down of suspicion between man and beast in the wild.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Memoir, Adventure, Environment, Natural History

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

About the author

Author, Vietnam veteran, filmmaker and naturalist Doug Peacock has published widely on wilderness issues: from grizzly bears to buffalo, from the Sierra Madres of the Sonoran desert to the fjords of British Columbia, from the tigers of Siberia to the blue sheep of Nepal. Doug Peacock was a Green Beret medic and the real-life model for Edward Abbey’s George Washington Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's too bad that when you mention the book about Grizzly Bears, everyone says "you mean the guy who got eaten?" because Doug Peacock is the real Grizzly expert, and he knows better than to get all buddy buddy with Ursis Horribilis. This book is an account of decades worth of time spent deep in the backcountry of the Northern Rockies learning about the Grizz in all seasons, and sharing that hard earned, firsthand knowledge with us, the lucky readers. He's clawed his way up and down the Montana Rockies, almost never on a trail, and has been charged 30 times by Grizzlies and each time held his ground and the bear turned at the last minute...which gives you a sense of the size of his balls and the intense focus Peacock has when out in the wild with these bears. Forget "Grizzly Man", or whatever that other book is...this is the book you want to read.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug Peacock, the model for the George Hayduke of Edward Abbey's novels The Monkey Wrench Gang and Hayduke Lives!, served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a Green Beret medic, ministering to the Montagnard and Hre peoples of the highlands. Exploring the wilderness and studying grizzly bears was his way of forgetting some of his experiences in Vietnam.

There are many vignettes in the book that I loved. Here is one of my favorites. While house sitting, a Navajo knocks on the door looking for safety from the weather. Neither speaks the other's language. Yet Peacock begins to listen to the man's stories. Then Peacock speaks in Hre and later in Montagnard. Each man listens to the other, never totally understanding what is said, just getting a sense of it.

Interspersed with the grizzly stories are those about his war experience. I always take Vietnam stories with a grain of salt. I am never sure what to believe. Here are some samples.

During the Christmas truce of 1967, Dinh Hun, a Montagnard irregular, is wounded. Peacock calls in a helicopter to bring him out. On Christmas eve, the pilots fly in at great risk to themselves to take the man to get medical attention. The pilot never thinks of it as a big deal.

While being followed by North Vietnamese Army soldiers, four of his Asian teammates decide to take a break at 12:00. The Green Berets can't believe it. But what happens is that the NVA also take a break called poc time. It lasts two hours. At 2:00 the war begins again with a rifle shot. A mutually agreed upon Vietnamese siesta.

Flying over a full NVA company eating over a hilltop. The pilot looks down, and all he sees is every soldier flipping him the Bird, the middle finger. None of them stop eating or reach for guns.

Dinh Rua, a Montagnard friend of his, gets his head cut off. Peacock seeks revenge. He ends up killing the wrong man. He calls it the beginning of the end for him over there.

Tigers are the most serious health problem in a district. They kill buffalo. So the buffalo are brought in and tied to front porches. Shit piles up. Kids walk on stilts. Hookworms are epidemic.

As far as bears go, scholars believe they were the original model for spiritual renewal. They get through the winter by burial and come alive again in the spring with babies. Many early religious connections.

In order to do radio collaring, bears must be tranquilized. The street drug Angel Dust was used at times. One killer bear may have been just drugged too many times.

Indians looked at wilderness as home. Not as wild. They saw it as "abiding loveliness." Luther Standing Bear of the Oglala Sioux said, "Only to the white man was nature a wilderness and only to him was the land infested with wild animals and savage people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded by the blessings of the Great Mystery."

The way to save grizzlies is to provide a wilderness that is untouched in any way.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Peacock chronicles two decades of observing Grizzly bears in their natural habitats throughout Wyoming and Montana in his book Grizzly Years. Intermingled with his observations and research on the losing battle these majestic creatures are fighting, this battle of survival, is the story of Peacock himself, both Doug the soldier and Doug the veteran, a man struggling for survival as much as the bears he defends.

This book digs deep into the plight of the Grizzly across time, as well as the extent of their known history. The author clearly cares for and immerses himself in the lives of these wild creatures. He also has human connections, but these he finds harder to maintain. Though at times Peacock can be repetitive, and a few chapters feel disjointed from the overall narrative, I found myself fully invested in the fate of both the Grizzly and Doug Peacock by the end.

[Alexander Páez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La nueva colección de Errata Naturae trae títulos tan interesantes como este "diario" de aventuras de Doug Peacock. La narración intercala sus aventuras buscando Grizzlies al sur de Canadá y Alaska con flashbacks de su experiencia en la guerra del Vietnam.

Descarnado y bestial. Una pasada de lectura.

[Rupa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blown. This book is unique because the author is insane during most of this memoir. Literally. Doug Peacock was a green beret medic in the Vietnam war and saw enough horror to be unable to acclimatize to normal American life on returning. When the usual drugs, alcohol, random acts of arson does not bring succor, he turns to grizzly bear watching. He self medicates w annual pilgrimages to Yellowstone, RMNP and Glacier NP, off the grid, meticulously studying the land and animals.

Even as his mental status improves over the years, he remains a devoted bears' fan returning over the decades. His conservation philosophy is reminiscent of Ed Abbey's (my biggest lit crush), who also happens to be his friend!

Most of the book is a bit repetitive- one meadow/hillside/camp/bear attack/near death situation is like the next. So, initially I thought it could have been edited tighter. But towards the end, I felt that the pace was just right. Wilderness backpacking appears to be a slow, mellow, meditative, and deeply gratifying journey. So should be the book that takes us along for the ride.

[Richard Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug Peacock grew up in rural northern Michigan. As a boy, he spent a lot of time alone outdoors, exploring the woods, swamps, and streams. Later, he fell in love with the West, especially the Rockies. He enjoyed fishing and rock climbing. His plan was to become a geologist, so he could wander around in the great outdoors and get paid for it. But one day he realized that his dream career would likely involve working for oil and mining companies, “whose rape of wild country repelled me.” Sadly, he abandoned the plan, and volunteered for an exciting job with the U.S. government.

Peacock loved the central highlands of Vietnam. It was a gorgeous region, inhabited by good people. Then, the war spread there. He was employed as a medic in the Green Berets, an elite combat unit. His job was to provide first aid to injured soldiers and villagers, and the fighting kept him very busy. He witnessed far too much senseless death, destruction, and suffering, far too many dead children.

By and by, he came down with a devastating case of war rage, which he has been struggling with for most of his life. Back in American society, it was no longer possible to blend into the crowd, and feel at home. He couldn’t talk to his family. He spent a lot of time in the woods, trying to pickle his demons with cheap wine. Finally, he bought a jeep, and headed west, to pursue two powerful medicines: solitude and wildness.

For American soldiers, Vietnam was not as safe and secure as strolling through a shopping mall. There were tigers, vipers, snipers, booby traps, and Vietcong. The odds for survival were boosted by good luck, common sense, being with experienced warriors, remaining as silent and invisible as possible, and maintaining a state of heightened awareness. Survivors slept lightly, easily awakened by snapping twigs and other irregular sounds. Survivors developed an acute sense of smell, because an odd whiff could warn of danger. Survivors frequently stopped, looked, and listened.

Similar skills were useful when moving through grizzly bear country, where Peacock spent many post-war years. Near the beginning of his wilderness quest, he hiked around a corner and discovered that a large brown grizzly was approaching, and it was not at all happy to see him. The bear’s head was swinging back and forth, jaws gnashing, ears flattened, hair standing up on his hump — the ritual that precedes charging, mauling, and a bloody hot lunch.

Peacock slowly pulled out his large caliber handgun, had second thoughts, and lowered it. His shooting days were over. He was ready to die. Something happened, the energy changed. “The grizzly slowly turned away from me with grace and dignity and swung into the timber at the end of the meadow.” It was a life-changing experience. He became a grizzly tracker. He acquired a movie camera and began filming them. He did winter lecture tours, wrote about bears, and told his story in Grizzly Years.

Importantly, the book reminds us of a forgotten reality, living in wild country amidst man-eating predators — the normal everyday reality for our wild ancestors, whose genes we inherited. Outside my window each morning, the blue jays stop by for a pumpkin seed breakfast. Before they glide down from branch to porch, they look in every direction for winged predators and pussy cats. They don’t live in a constant state of fear and paranoia, they simply live with prudent caution, look before leaping, and never do stupid things.

In grizzly country, Peacock stayed away from animal trails, and slept in concealed locations. He tried to remain invisible and silent. He tried to approach bears from downwind, so his scent would not alert them. He spent years studying bear behavior, and the quirks of individual animals. He was charged many times, but never mauled. He learned how to behave properly during close encounters. Never run, climb trees, make loud noises, move suddenly, or look weak and fearful. Instead, act dignified, and display peaceful intentions without appearing docile. Calmly talk to the bear, while keeping your head turned to the side.

Peacock’s tales are precious, because they encourage readers to imagine wilderness as their true home, and to contemplate the normal everyday tactics used by our wild ancestors to avoid being eaten. Grizzly country was one place where humans were not the dominant critter. The bears could kill you and eat you whenever they wished. This ongoing possibility freed Peacock from wasting hour after hour in self-indulgence — thinking, analyzing, daydreaming. It demanded that he always pay acute attention to the here and now.

Americans expect wilderness to be as safe as a mall. We don’t want to be killed and eaten when visiting a national park, yet parks foolishly build trails and campgrounds in high-risk locations. If a hiker is mauled, bears are killed. Now, if a cat kills a blue jay, we don’t kill the cat. In automobile country, the streets are lined with busy enterprises selling chunks of dead animals. So, why are government bureaucrats so uptight about what God-fearing American bears choose to have for dinner in the privacy of their own homes? Why do delicious primates from Chicago expect to be safe in grizzly country?

I’ve never seen a “Save the Grizzlies” bumper sticker. To maintain a pleasant Disneyland experience, and avoid lawsuits, the Park Service kills aggressive bears, and bears that beg for snacks. Backcountry outfitters kill them. Ranchers kill them. Violators get light punishment from judges in redneck country. Bear numbers are in decline, and this infuriates Peacock.

In Vietnam, he had a ringside seat at a contest between a full-blown industrial civilization and a society that practiced muscle-powered subsistence farming. He witnessed the indiscriminant massacre of countless innocent villagers and children. Back in the U.S., he saw that the same monster was obliterating western ecosystems, from mines in the Rockies, to developers in Tucson. He had escaped from the Vietnam War, but there was no escape from the American war on America, where “greedy scumsuckers” were raping and desecrating “the last refuge of sanity on the planet.”

Peacock wasn’t the only Vietnam vet with war rage who found sanctuary in the mountains. Other vets were equally pissed at the scumsuckers. They had lost many friends while defending the freedom and democracy of God’s most cherished nation. And so, in those mountains, angry American vets defended the sacred American ecosystem against the atrocities of the “syphilization” they had been trained to serve. When loggers built bridges that had not been authorized by the angry vets, the bridges were mysteriously demolished. So were helicopters used for oil exploration.

Peacock did not become a corporate geologist, and spend the rest of his life shopping with the herd. It was a great gift to live so many years outside the walls. He was able to observe the insane monster that lurks behind the cartoonish façade of the American Dream, and he was able to explain the horrors that so many folks inside the walls were unable to see, feel, or imagine. In wild country, Peacock was careful to never be seen, or reveal his plans. “If I got into serious trouble, I didn’t want to be rescued. My considerable carcass could feed the bears.”

[Kerri Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this book. I would highly recommend anyone considering stepping foot into any sort of grizzly habitat reads this book. It's that informative, beautiful, important. (Except don't ever hike into the back-country with a heavy-as-shit pack and hardly any food like Peacock repeatedly, intentionally does. That's ridiculous. And dumb. And I'm not kidding when I say this guy should be dead multiple times over from stupidity and poor planning.)

Being raised as much in the Selkirks as in any city, I adored sections of this book, being familiar enough with what bear habitat looks like, and what it doesn't, and especially after getting to spend some time in Glacier grizzly country this past summer—a place he references in this book almost with as much frequency as Yellowstone. Knowing my dad and grandfather (and Matt) were (and are) exactly the sort of men who would get lost and lose themselves in wilderness every day of their lives if they could, I love reading about solo excursions into true wilderness, though parts of Peacock's methodology definitely and almost hilariously conflict with his ideas about conservation and grizzly protection.

But if you don't dig bears, and reading about one (admittedly pretty self-absorbed) man's strikingly lucky streak at avoiding being eaten by one, this book probably isn't for you. It's the editing and the format, the flow of the narrative, that's at the heart of my issues with Peacock's storytelling in this book. It reads like someone with PTSD would organize a book. And in that way I suppose it's authentic and true to Peacock's history as a Vietnam War veteran; in that way the sometimes jumbled recounting of decades dated and un-dated and blurred together is likely an accurate portrayal of Peacock himself.

But chapters having nothing to do with bears, strangely punctuating, and ultimately ending a book that is otherwise a love letter to them: An ode to grizzly habitat, to sacred bear and predatory wildness? It doesn't fit, and it does the overall book—and the majestic, compelling, and complicated grizzlies captured within—a notable disservice. (Why, Peacock, why? Why, Peacock's (imaginary, I imagine) editor, whyyyyy?)

[Four-point-five stars for oh so beautiful bears, and for all the wild places I've loved, and will yet love.]

[Ignacio Senao f · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este señor ama a los osos y después de la guerra dedica toda su vida a ellos, viviendo en el bosque y desplazándose continuamente para fotografiarlos haga frio o calor. Pero tiene secuelas traumáticas de su paso por la guerra y cuenta momentos duros vividos en ella, esas narraciones escapa totalmente del´”nature writing” pero nos sirven paras entenderle.

Se vuelve una narración aburrida al centrarse unicamente en el oso.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce n'est pas un livre qui se lit d'une traite parce qu'il est très descriptif. Je ne le qualifierais pas de divertissant, mais plutôt de fascinant. Certaines personnes pourraient se tanner de lire des passages d'observation d'ours mais pas moi. C'est ce qui m'intéresse le plus; connaître les comportements de ces animaux et me faire raconter des anecdotes sur un plantigrade solitaire ou une femelle et ses oursons par exemple. À travers une narration pas toujours dans l'ordre chronologique(bien que les chapitres sont séparés par décennies), Doug Peacock nous parle de son intérêt pour les grizzlys et relate son expérience de toute une vie à les photographer, les filmer mais d'abord et avant tout, à les observer. Il se confie également sur la dure réalité et les traces qu'a laissé la guerre du Vietnam et l'on sent que cette passion qu'il a développée pour les grizzlys l'a probablement sauvé.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of my favorite books so far in 2019. It reminds me of Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams (one of my all time faves) and has a lot of the same themes - love, loss, turmoil, refuge and solace in wilderness, and an affinity for a particular flavor of wildlife. I've been lucky enough to see a few grizzlies in Montana and thoroughly enjoyed all of his accounts of his interactions. I'm not even remotely capable of camping alone in griz country, I do not have anywhere close to that level of mental fortitude. He makes great and persuasive arguments and discussions for grizzly bear conservation, even though I didn't need to be persuaded. It's also heartening to see how much griz management has improved since 1990 so that's good. Overall I loved this book, learned more about grizzlies, and felt like I was there for some of his experiences! He's a really great story teller and I wish I was half the story teller he is, while also delivering facts and information.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

To get through the Vietnam war, Doug carried a map of Wyoming and Montana, and would visit different locations in his mind to cope with the horrors he saw there. He found after the war that wandering solo in the wilderness of Yellowstone and Glacier allowed him to cope with the harsh memories. A chance encounter with a grizzly in the backcountry led him to dedicate his life to observing and protecting these bears.
He tells the stories of his time in Vietnam and his time in the backcountry. Each observation or encounter with a bear tells us a bit more about their behaviour. Interspersed with these stories he gives a lot of history of grizzlies and the regions they have lived.
I found the book fascinating and an easy read, and much more knowledgeable about these two unique habitats and the plight of the grizzly. I also learned how to sense a grizzly and react in case of an encounter, hopefully I will never have to put this knowledge to use.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book combining Peacock's decades long study and filming of grizzlies in their natural habitats with his personal journey of healing and self-understanding - - a have to read that brought greater understanding of our (Annette's and my) encounter with a grizzly while hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana. Learn more about the author in an July/August 2002 article, Q&A Grizzlies http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adv... by T. Chamberlain, from National Geographic Adventure. Note that journalist, author Andrea and Doug Peacock are married. (lj)

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug Peacock was a troubled man, healed by the power of nature.

[Claxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wouldn't give to sit around a campfire with my wife listening to Peacock and Edward Abbey and their wives. This guy just made my shortlist of heroes.

[Outdoorgrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I set myself a goal of reading at least 5 fiction books for every 1 nonfiction book this year (for reasons I could write a whole post about). One of the NF books I "allowed myself" was Grizzly Years. (I'm trying to learn more about grizzly bears, since the federal government is doing an EIS re their reintroduction into land adjacent to my home in the N Cascades,)

In short, I loved it!

It's the autobiographical story of a medic (doctor?) who served in Vietnam, was deeply traumatized by the experience, and had a hard time finding his footing when his service ended. His healing process involved lots of wilderness time tracking/studying grizzly bears throughout the US. In the process, he became one of the leaders in grizzly biology, photography, and videography.

I'm a child of the 70s, and as a result haven't been exposed to many first hand accounts of being in Vietnam. (Watching MASH as a kid doesn't count.) His stories about this and experiences after returning were an unexpected bonus. As time progresses in the book he talks less about Vietnam and more about bears.

He is unapologetically pro-grizzly, but acknowledges that in order to allow them to exist, we have to be(come) comfortable with a wilderness that is wild and occasionally not safe for humans. We have to let go a bit of our Christian-rooted idea that the wilderness needs to be tamed.

One part history, one part biology/ecology, one part adventure tale, one part philosophy. So much more than I expected.

[Cody Kuster · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

[Kara Hettinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorites. In my opinion, a mandatory read for anyone living in or visiting grizzly country.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to learn more about grizzly bear behavior and the history of grizzly bear "management" in the lower 48. It was sad, but enlightening to read about Doug's personal experience in Vietnam as a combat medic.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Ursus arctos horribilis! I've always loved seeing bears, from the first summers I ever spent in Idaho - and seeing small black bears flee across forest service roads, across alpine meadows, into timber - to the grizzlies spotted this past summer. They're such majestic creatures, grizzlies especially so, and they've such radiant power.

This past summer I'd the chance to watch a grizzly sow and her two cubs dig tubers just below a high alpine pass. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and though I didn't stay to watch long - I knew better than to be close - its an image that's stuck with me. Black bears have power, too - but nothing like the grizz.

So, Peacock: It took me longer than I'd have liked to get into this book, and had I not already known how much I loved grizzlies, and how curious I was, I admittedly might not have stuck it out. He spent so much time in early chapters talking about Vietnam, and the demons he brought back with him, and so little talking about bears that I had trouble sticking with it.

But: I'm glad I did. For once Peacock really got into exploring his interactions with grizzlies, I was hooked. I've read a few other grizzly books (Rick Bass, in his The Lost Grizzlies: A Search for Survivors in the Colorado Wilderness, does an admirable job of writing about grizzly behavior when he finally gets there), but this was the best I've read at examining bear interactions with other bears and the world around them, at examining individual bear temperaments. I still have a really hard time with Peacock as a person, and especially as an Abbey disciple (how are people still treating Ed Abbey as if he was some great writer and a revolutionary, when really he was just an ass?), but the bear pieces here were fantastic.

[Five stars for bears, bears, bears, bears, and bears, minus one star for Peacock himself.]

[Booknblues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doug Peacock is a renown expert on grizzly bears, as well as the model for Edward Abbey's George Washington Hayduke int the The Monkey Wrench Gang. If you have read that novel and are familiar with Hayduke you might expect Peacock to be just a bit over the top and you wouldn't be wrong.

Peacock was a Green Beret Medic in the Vietnam War and like many veterans, returned deeply disturbed. He coped by going into nature, the wilderness and spending long periods of time alone and observing grizzley bears. He says:

The bears provided a calendar for me when I got back from Vietnam, when one year would fade into the next and I would lose great hunks of time to memory with no events or people to recall their passing. I had trouble with a world whose idea of vitality was anything other than the naked authenticity of living or dying. The world paled, as did all that my life had been before, and I found myself estranged from my own time. Wild places and grizzly bears solved this problem.

He is an expert because he has spent so much time intensely observing the bears and what they do. The book provides many descriptions of the bears, their behavior and incidents which he observed.

The book did provide me with a good understanding of bear behavior. I found Peacock's opinions different and interesting. What didn't work for me was the lack of congruity. This is the way it was laid out, bear observations, bear observations, a bit about Vietnam, bear observations, a trip to Mexico, bear observations, oh a tiny lit bit of private life bear observations.

At the end of the day, I liked it and do appreciate the work he has done.

[Andy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir of sorts, of the author's adventures in observing and photographing Grizzly Bears in Montana with flashbacks to his combat experiences in Vietnam. The broken narrative works well, Peacock describes his need for isolation and restoration after his Vietnam experiences--he was a Green Beret who spent most of his tour with small companies in isolated jungles of Vietnam. The Vietnam passages are intense and I found myself appreciating the narrative's return to his Grizzly adventures

Peacock has a true love for Grizzlies and a true disgust for Park and Wildlife bureaucracy,both are shown here. Peacock documents his close calls with Grizzlies, he did not carry a firearm and blamed himself when he was in danger from his close encounters to the bears he was following.Again, his writing serves him well, the adventures read at times like a suspense novel but along the way the reader learns much, very much about the Grizzlies and their habitat.

Great book

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left me somewhat underwhelmed. Admittedly, I think that has to do with my own biases. The author came across as disgruntled as Ed Abbey, minus the meaningful prose. In actuality, all I saw was a man deliberately choosing a vagrant lifestyle and self-imposed poverty. The book is 300 pages of him hiking and sometimes finding a bear. Again, all I saw was someone ignoring park rules.

It's not a bad book, really. There are moments of depth and clarity, albeit you have to slog through the curmudgeonry and the overabundance of detail. It's worth reading if you're at all interested in wildlife management, species conservation, or have ever hiked through Yellowstone's backcountry.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a kid roaming the woods of North Wisconsin and falling in love with the black bear, of course I loved this book. The brief times he filled in his back story about being a soldier in Vietnam were helpful to understand how he became enamored with grizzley bears.

[Tattered Cover Book Store]

Author Rick Bass recomended this book as part of the Rocky Mountain Land Library's "A Reading List For the President Elect: A Western Primer for the Next Administration."

[Chris LaTray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a classic of wilderness and pro-conservation literature.

[Richard Tenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and wonderful glimpse into the need for wilderness, through the eyes of a tormented but highly relatable man.

[Nuria Castaño monllor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Iletrado · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad, un 3,5

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

GRIZZLY YEARS

Doug Peacock gives us a unique perspective of life in the wilderness, not only for humans who may be trekking but also for the animals who live there, particularly the grizzly bear. In documenting the lives of grizzly bears, Peacock spends about half a year every year in their habitat. He is able to recognize bears he has seen before (no, they don’t look alike) and has even named them.
A point Peacock implicitly makes throughout the book is that we are intruders of their space and we do so at our own peril. While giving us survival tips, he repeatedly reminds us that bears are unpredictable; none of his tips may work.
During the first half of the book, Peacock flashes back to his Viet Nam days as a Green Beret combat medic. One might surmise, as he connects those harrowing experiences with his grizzly years, that he considered the U.S. combat troops in Viet Nam as those who intruded on that space to their peril. Peacock did not escape Viet Nam unscathed, losing good friends in battle there and in the States after the war. He makes a pilgrimage in the Southwest desert every year around Christmas in their memory, described in the final chapter.
The war did some damage to Peacock as well. He writes of his girlfriend Lisa, who sometimes accompanied him on his bushwacking, even late in pregnancy. We learn of the baby girl she delivered but he tells us nothing of his relationship with them. Perhaps he had none. I learned of his divorce from Lisa in an October 14, 2017 article from The New York Times on the marriage of their son Colin.
That final chapter and one other breaks away from the focus on the grizzlies. They were, for me, a welcome hiatus.
It is helpful to have a dictionary at hand when reading this book. Peacock describes many geological formations and plant life. I suspect most of us are unfamiliar with these terms.
As a member of GOODREADS, I am constantly adding books to my WANT TO READ list. Because of my unorthodox method of picking books to read off that list, a few years may pass between the time of a book’s appearance on the WANT TO READ list and it finding its way into my hands. Why I included this book is anyone’s guess. I’m glad I read it, but it will not be a book I read again.
Four stars waning.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truth was that any last vestige of religion had been choked out of me during the last two months in Vietnam by scenes of dead children. To this day, I cannot bear the image of a single dead child. In the years that followed, I had found it easier to talk to bears than priests. I had no talent for reentering society. Others of my generation marched and expanded their consciousness; I retreated to the woods and pushed my mind toward sleep with cheap wine. 8 This quote sums it up, nicely. Additionally, there's a sweet love story woven into Peacock's book. I'm sad I've finished reading and the adventure is over. Peacock's time spent with the bears is amazing! I also feel more justified in fearing bears knowing that Peacock also felt fear around certain bears, in spite of his immense experience and skills around them. It's certainly humbling to be in the presence of a bear. Peacock frequented Montana and Yellowstone to track the grizzlies and his descriptions bring the reader along on a beautiful, panoramic journey.

Bonus included photos! At times, Peacock could be as close as 100 to 50 feet from a grizzly to snap a photo. Imagine setting up a tripod and camera equipment in front of a wild grizzly. He's also captured film of the grizzlies. Here's a little clip I found: Peacok Grizzly Bear footage . Peacock continues to advocate for grizzlies in the wild and protecting wilderness areas.

When my skull lies with yours will you sing for me? The long sleep heals. We will find new life in the spring. 11

Living among grizzlies changed my way of looking at things. For the first time since I had left Vietnam, I dared think about the madness that had been my last two months over there. Until then, those memories had forced themselves upon me with random frequency and I was powerless to shut them out. 57

From my slightly twisted point of view, preserving grizzlies was a radical idea; it meant putting the brakes on a world gone mad. 85