Walking the Big Wild: From Yellowstone to Yukon on the Grizzly Bear's Trail

I bought this book thinking it was the journals of someone who, with his dog and girlfriend, hiked the wild places from Yellowstone to the Yukon where the grizzly bear roams. At first I was weary of his un-relenting attack on human development and the frequent message of "save the wilderness". There are millions of acres of national parks within the United States and Canada, and many more acres of private preserves and state and local parks. I get tired of reading about how awful humans are and having to apologize for breathing air and taking up space on this planet.Heuer's purpose in taking this journey was to promote the Y2Y movement - connecting parks from Yellowstone the the Yukon with wildlife friendly corridors. The title and back cover didn't give me any indication of this subject when I bought the book.But upon reading more, I learned that many animals are suffering from inbreeding due to being isolated in parks too far from others of their species in other parks. Some animals, like the wolverine, are just not breeding at all if crowded by humans and limited in their preference for true wilderness. Many animals who would naturally migrate hundreds or thousands of miles are stopped by development, or killed trying to cross highways. And I think most people feel the same way about the intrusion of ATVs into the wilderness - they are loud, destructive and take all the "natural" out of hunting and camping.I'm not sure I agree with Heuer on the subject of logging. Logging companies are careful to replant areas after harvesting, if for no other reason than to give them something to harvest in future years. I've personally hiked along old logging trails in Missouri and don't see any long term damage from the roads and even clear cut areas. Forest fires naturally clear large areas of land, which for millenia hasn't affected wildlife populations. Within a few years of a logging company pulling out (or a wildfire), wildlife, trees and bushes return and flourish. Deer, bear and other animals use the most accessible routes through the wilderness, which is sometimes a logging trail. And it's a fact that deer prefer young forests, where low bushes and branches provide shelter, camouflage and food.I enjoyed the journal entries and daily details of Heuer's adventure, especially his descriptions of animal encounters and the beauty of the areas he traversed. I also enjoyed reading about Webster, his dog.After finishing the book, I agree that North America should set aside areas to act as corridors between parks, so wildlife can migrate naturally and add diversity to their genes. One of the ideas put forth was building tunnels under highways, or overpasses over them - safely linking wildlife areas and allowing gene-mixing through migration.Overall this is a well written, informative and interesting book on a subject I hadn't considered fully before. I hope that the Y2Y movement continues to grow, to preserve not only the wilderness areas for the future, but also the many animals who live in them. I just hope that while we limit development in wildlife areas, we don't make these areas totally off limits to man.

This book first caught my attention as I was searching for books on grizzly bears. It drew my interest first of all because the author had a border collie named Webster who did most of this hike with him. Several years ago my son was looking in the dictionary for a name for his new border collie puppy. Not finding a name he liked inside, he closed the dictionary, and "Bingo," he saw the title "Webster's." That became the puppy's name, and he was so smart he probably could have read the dictionary if someone had turned the pages for him!When I saw that the book was about a plan to walk from Yellowstone to the Yukon to do research to help establish a connecting corridor for wildlife from the lower 48 states north, I was excited to read it.The book is very informative, though a little slow at times. It was a courageous, sometimes dangerous journey for someone to take, but hopefully, it gave a lot of people who had a negative attitude about bears and the preservation of habitat for all wildlife a different view of how man can learn to live with nature, prosper in their livelihoods, and still preserve the habitat and wildlife that cannot be replaced if we loose it.I've been blessed to live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for the last 10 summers. Having lived near a large city in the South for the first 45 years of my life, the peace and magnificence of this area has completely captured me. I've traveled all over the country, and this is almost the only place in the lower 48 states where you can experience unspoiled beauty, nature, and animals in their natural habitat very close to the way it was long ago. Bears have always been a particular favorite. They are one of the most unique, fascinating creatures on the planet.I'm not a total "tree hugger." I realize there are times when an animal may have to be destroyed for the safety of people or property, but only in extreme circumstances. An open-minded understanding and cooperation between conservationist, ranchers, farmers and the general public can lead to new attitudes and ideas of how to coexist with nature and preserve our national treasure. I believe the ideas found in "Walking the Big Wild" can educate us on how this can be accomplished before it's too late. I recommend that anyone who is interested in preserving our wild spaces and animals read this book. We can always build another ranch, farm, ski resort, etc., but when it comes to our wilderness and it's inhabitants, once they're gone, they're GONE!

Great book! Interesting and informative. Enjoyed reading it!

I've read a lot of non-fiction wilderness books and this is in the top 10 of my list. It's written very well and entertaining. I never heard of the Y2Y project until I read this book. Fascinating! I have driven through the Yukon, been to Yellowstone and BC. I think it's a great project and I hope that it continues to receive a more positive response. I highly recommend this book.

An easy, entertaining read and a nice snapshot of the good and bad elements currently effecting the Yellowstone to Yukon region. Through a personal story Karsten makes both his huge trek and the region's biological challenges seem relatively easy to face. This is an important feat conssidering he and others hope to engage and mobilize thousands in a pioneering international conservation initiative.As a PS, I was surprised to learn the Canadians were doing as much, if not more, damage to the environment then we 'mericans. And I thought they were so innocent up there.

I love the way that this book flowed. The author did a perfect job of informing the reader as to why he undertook this journey, while never losing track of placing nature as as the center star in his narrative. His short and terrifying experiences confronting some of the wild life had me at the edge of my seat. Heuer even included a small bit of romance without letting it detract or distract from the main story. Easier said than done. These small details make this book a no brainer in my opinion for anyone who is interested in reading about hiking these distant and somewhat exotic locales. Definitely two thumbs way up.

Very enjoyable read