This according to The Spokesman-Review: Grizzlies are high profile this year. A lingering winter and late berry crop kept bears in proximity to humans longer than normal, perhaps contributing to a stream of headlines about grizzlies killing people and people killing grizzlies. Meanwhile, a young lady on a big horse charged out of the pack of grizzly stories near Glacier National Park. In a cloud of dust, the 25-year-old wrangler likely saved a boy’s life while demonstrating that skill, quick-thinking and guts sometimes are the best weapons against a head-on charging grizzly. . . . more>>
Dennis Hinkamp never cared much for nature writing as a genre because, he says, usually there’s too much wafting, glimmering and shimmering. “Things seem to happen outdoors that seldom happen in real life. Animals, for instance, often come off seeming more noble, contemplative and spiritual than humans. I think nature can be just as drunk, self-indulgent and spiteful as any human being, which is why my backyard has come to serve as the perfect setting for a short story by that master of gritty fiction, Elmore Leonard.” Takes a curmudgeon to know one, this essay made me smile. . . . more>>
