High Country

It's been 50 years since I last went on a packing trip (in the Wyoming Bighorns) and Wyman's novel brings back many pleasant memories. This is not an "action" novel, nor is it dramatic in the usual sense of that word. It is a novel about a man who coexits with nature--a kind of mutual respect rather than a battle. Introspection and inner strength are the key words here. Ty Hardin has relationships with people to be sure, and these are important to him, but it is his relationship to the mountains and the wilderness which is the crucial point. There are dramatic moments--a lot of them--but in the high mountains of Montana and California these are natural and expected (e.g. you are going to have bad weather fronts moving in). The writing is moving and very satisfying, and come from the heart of someone who has lived the life that Ty Hardin does. Packing is an unusual subject for a novel, but suddenly we have two at the same time--High Country and Brumfield's Across the High Lonesome--and both are excellent reading.

If you are buying a book for a soldier this holiday season, choose High Country. Or, if you want to honor the courage and decency--and youth--of men who have chosen to put themselves "in harm's way," buy this book for yourself. It is not a book about war, but about brave and good men. Few writers know for themselves the life that makes some men quietly, quirkily, independently heroic. Bill Wyman does. High Country reflects the values of the western edge of this country: physical courage, modesty, self-discipline, and a love of the skills of the trade. Wyman knows the mountains, the high country of Montana and California, and he knows how to give life to such rugged places and the rare people who work among them. His central character, Ty Hardin, gifted with a special understanding of animals, learns the trade of a packer and comes of age in the mountains, He learns to read the country and to judge others truly, how to live intuitively, gracefully, and tenderly, with deep love and honorable self-sacrifice. Enriched by beautiful settings and lively and true dialogue, as well as memorable characters in Ty and his teachers and companions, this a novel to read and read again.

I thought this would be a standard western genre work, but it turned out to be a thoughtful and moving elegy to love, memory and a fast disappearing America. The writing is dense with detail but also with an insider's passion for a way of life. I am no outdoors kind of guy, but after reading this I am ready to sign up for trek up into the heavens. A very good read.

from a Mississippi reader Settle in for a good read with this one. High Country is a hugely satisfying novel which leaves you feeling fortunate to have accompanied these memorable characters...both the two legged and four legged ones...on their adventures. Spanning fifty years in the lives of packers, this novel reminds you afresh just why you are a book lover. In addition to introducing you to the packer culture, High Country offers a very human tale about people you love getting to know. High Country has humor, suspense, romance, and descriptions of wilderness that few of us are lucky enough ever to see. Do not be surprised at the close of this story to be wondering..although you may never have even been on a horse, much less close to a mule ....if maybe, just maybe, there could be a pack trip in your future.

Eight years in the making, Bill Wyman's first novel has arrived. For anyone who loves horses, mules, romance, camping and the Mountain West, High Country has been well worth the wait. In this action packed story, Wyman masterfully tells of Ty Hardin, son of a Bitteroot Valley rancher, who leaves the farm during the Depression for a packer's life in Montana's Swan Range. Ty learns the ropes from a Fenton Pardee, a veteran guide, who also becomes his mentor and close friend. Tending to dudes and hunters, crossing snowbound passes, fording swollen rivers, encounters with bogs and bears, mule wrecks of epic proportions - and coming of age in town - High Country captures the fears, dreams and fantasies of all who live for life on the trail. This book is a tale of riveting adventure, romantic love, profound sadness and natural beauty which is hard to put down. I honestly didn't want it to end. On one hand it is unique simply because it focuses on the packing industry and its culture - topics which, as literature, haven't been seen much on the printed page. On the other, more than just a first in its genre (does another packer's adventure novel even exist?), High Country is also a profound description of the people and landscapes all of us as westerners love - high country landscapes, before coffee table books, when wilderness was something to be experienced fist hand. High Country is a book you'll want to throw in your saddlebags and talk about around the campfire. Like your favorite camping trip, warm memories of High Country will last long into the night. If you like the Mountain West, this is a great read in every way. I promise you won't be disappointed.