My Reflections on Eric Blehm's, The Last Season

In listening to my favorite podcasts (www.competitorradio.com). I heard an interview with Eric Blehm and became very interested in reading his book, The Last Season. Similarly to the gentlemen at competitor, I am going to veer a litle bit away from triathlon to reflect on this book. I also encourage you to listen to the podcast interview with Blehm as well.

Last night I finished walking with Eric Blehm through his account of Randy Morgenson’s life as a backcountry ranger in the Sierra Mountains. It was an interesting journey leading up to, moving through, and looking back at The Last Season, to say the least. My perception of Ranger Morgenson is of one of a man who was entranced by the wild, who embraced the wild, and who was consumed by the wild.

I had mixed feelings about Morgenson after reading his story. On the one hand I admire his commitment to the wild, but commitment does not seem like a strong enough word. This may be where I have a hard time. Morgenson’s affection for the wild was more of an obsession; one that removed balance from his life. Through his fixation he both inspired people who visited the mountains where he dwelled, but he also hurt the ones he loved as a result of the existence he chose to have; specifically his wife. Unfortunately, I think his single-mindedness may trouble me because I am so much addicted to the sport of triathlon and going over the edge and becoming off-balance is something I try to monitor. Currently I believe I am achieving a balance and in some ways by sheer force of reality of my chosen existence. However, I believe this is a good thing and I appreciate the balance I continue to achieve.

Envy on some level exists because the idea of the rugged individualist in me surfaces when reading a book such as this, but when push comes to shove, I do prefer my bed to the hard ground, mosquitoes in my ears, and the chill of the night reaching into my bones. However, the idea of being “out there” is fascinating.

Naturally thoughts of Ranger Tim Wilkinson came up a great deal during my literary walk with Ranger Morgenson, through Mr. Blehm. I thought about Tim from several different angles. I imagined Tim being the sole ranger in the backcountry and being a sewerd to the land he is to protect from the people, and the people he is expected to protect from the land. I imagined Tim working tirelessly, both leading and participating in a search for a fellow ranger. I imagined Tim giving directions to lost hikers and dealing with rogue animals who had their fill of human visitors. Basically, I saw him…out on the range. The biggest difference though is I see a balance in Tim. This balance that I appreciate is what allows Tim to be more than his surroundings. This is something Morgenson couldn’t seem to be.

The Last Season is a story of inspiration for those who seek to follow the beat of his own drummer, of imagination for those of us who almost exclusively exist in the world of man, and of entertainment in the spirit of a thriller of reality. Most of all, it is a story of a man and his reception to the call of the wild.