In the Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone
Reviews (208)
Excellent read!
In the Temple of Wolves was an excellent read! It is a book I will want to read again, and share with family. Rick Lamplugh and his wife Mary are finally retired educators, and were accepted as volunteers in Yellowstone over the winter of 2013, a place they had revisited many times over the years as Park guests. 'In the Temple of Wolves' brings to notice the essential difference between visiting the park during summer and fall, and living, working, breathing the park all winter - sometimes a scary difference, but mostly just the joy found in such sweet emersion into the world of the wild. All winter inhabitants inter-relationships are covered, from Ravens to bison to wolves and all the critters in between. This is a book to savor, and read again on a cold snowy night. It belongs up there on the shelf with Leopold, Abby, and Stegner. I will watch for more by Rick Lamplugh.
What a joy to read
A beautifully written memoir by Rick Lamplugh. He has an inate charm that allows the reader to connect with his story. He doesn’t write like he knows all of the answers, and can also be self-deprecating. He asks the right questions without fear of looking foolish as when he questions Rick McIntyre, the camp expert in wolf behavior, “do you think the wolves in Yellowstone are still wild?” What a thought provoking question given that so many visitors come physically close to the wolves! And McIntyre replies thoughtfully and simply with, “I don’t know.” We hear the author’s inner thoughts as he grapples with various questions that range from the scientific to the ethical and moral dilemmas that we, as human beings want to understand. We come away with a greater understanding of both the questions and answers of the wildlife in Yellowstone, and how the ecosystem revolves. Rick Lamplugh leaves the reader with his personal wonderment and exuberance of a winter in Yellowstone. And I look forward to reading his newest book, “Deep into Yellowstone”.
Wonderful taste of the Northern Range of Yellowstone: a must read!
I've known Rick casually for few years and had no idea that he was such a great writer! I'm kicking myself for not picking up this book earlier! If you have any interests in Yellowstone this is a great winter time snapshot. I've lived in Gardiner for years and have taken several courses that Rick supported. His descriptions of his experiences is right on, and really take you into the heart of the Northern Range of Yellowstone. His very detailed and in depth writing takes you right into the wildness, and it describes, very accurately, his and my own experiences for everyone to share. I enjoyed reliving my own experiences from Rick's writing. His words bring the reader right into the experiences of life and death in this one and only intact ecosystem. Highly recommend this book!
Beautifully written ode to Yellowstone and the Wolves
Rick Lamplugh's book, In The Temple of Wolves, is a marvelous exploration of the Lamar Valley in the winter. Lamplugh and his wife Mary spent a season working at Yellowstone's Buffalo Ranch - a premier wolf watching spot. He writes beautifully about his experiences with the Valley, the wildlife, and particularly with the wolves. Each chapter is a meditation of sorts on the Valley which comes to life in so many unexpected ways. If you love the wildness that still exists in Yellowstone, you will want to savor every chapter of this compelling little book. I read and then re-read Lamplugh's ode to another master -- Rick McIntyre - Yellowstone's main wolf biologist for many years -- who is the Archbishop of that gorgeous "temple of wolves." The word pictures that Lamplugh paints will thrill you and also provide great insight into one of the great and unique places in America -- Yellowstone's Lamar Valley.
Introduction to the Yellowstone Ecosystem in Winter
This book is a good one for background on the winter experience in Yellowstone National Park. Rick Lamplugh and his wife spent several winters there assisting "wolf tours" sponsored by the Yellowstone Association Institute. It is obvious that Rick has a broad understanding of, and appreciation for, nature and the Yellowstone Ecosystem. He describes his experiences there with sensitivity, honesty, and an obvious appreciation for nature and ecological cascades. And his descriptions are easily understood. I read this to prepare for a tour to the park in February, and feel much better prepared for what I will see (and feel) after reading IN THE TEMPLE OF WOLVES. I recommend it to anyone interested in ecosystems, and especially the Yellowstone Ecosystem.
A wonderful acocunt of nature and survival in our country's last great wilderness
My husband worked as a certified guide on horseback in Yellowstone for several summers years before we met, so visiting the park for the first time as an adult with him as my guide opened my eyes to what a truly incredible place on earth this is. I can see why people fall in love with this park, and the wildlife who inhabit one of the last great wild places here. Rick Lamplugh does a nice job making the winter wolf watching experience accessible to anyone who's fascinated by Yellowstone and its ecosystem's top dog, the wolf. At one point in the book, I was tempted to skip his account of a standoff between predator and prey that he witnessed, feeling tears swell up. As much as I love nature I'm not sure I'd have the stomach for the food chain when it comes down to it. But after skipping ahead I forced myself to go back and process the scene, Rick gently guiding the reader through it as he articulated his own conflicted feelings over the drama, and felt an appreciation for the sacredness of the moment where death gives life. Wolves are one of the most polarizing animals on the planet, yet their benefit to the Yellowstone ecosystem prove their irreplaceable role in nature, one that we can not remove without consequences. I hope loves of nature and wild places discover this book, and open their minds and hearts to the role of this amazing animal in protecting and preserving our last great wildernesses.
I WANT MORE! GREAT BOOK!
It took two days to read this book...and done. I could not be more SAD about that! I wanted it to go on forever, I did not want the book to end. I got all wrapped up in Ricks adventures and the history of some important animals (and more) that make up Yellowstone. I felt like I was there witnessing what Rick and his wife were seeing. I laughed out loud at many parts as the writing was so real, so in the moment for me. I cried very wet tears for the heartaches they had felt, cause again.....I felt like I was witnessing their pain as well. Rick made you feel like you were actually in the moment with him no matter if he was driving a tour bus of eager sightseers, stepping out of bed ready for the days activities or witnessing a wold pack cross the Lamar Valley.... you were standing right there with him. When I take my trip to Yellowstone within the next year I want to be in the exact places that Rick stood, under the cottonwoods admiring the starry nights, on the roadside turnouts watching the wildlife, or taking in a special informational chat with the locals. I want to do it all, thanks to this book. I felt his information and history on the bison, ravens, coyotes and wolves were so thorough, factual and complete and very interesting. I am ready for my journey to Yellowstone and I will carry with me the many things I learned from this book... and this time... Rick will be with ME. Everywhere I look I will remember what he told and taught me about Yellowstone through his wonderful book. I can't wait! Great book!!!
Touchingly human viewpoint from someone who really pays attention and experiences every nuance of his surroundings.
Rick Lamplugh has the power to bring the reader into the heart of winter in Yellowstone. The entire picture unfolds. My favorite part was when he ventured out and lost his way, temporarily. Pride wouldn't let him give in or even leave his snowshoe. He is humorous and insightful. Being a volunteer in such a frozen area definitely requires strength, courage, and stamina from him and his wife. As a "Southern Woman" I'm not sure I could manage to survive in such harsh conditions, but Rick makes me want to get in shape, pack my bags, and take off in my little AWD Volvo! Brr! The majesty and dovetailing of nature's perfect alignment is often cruel, but Rick presents it in such a natural, uncomplicated way that it is palatable and meaningful. His writing is not flowery, but thorough and inspired. The power of the pen (or computer) is certainly evident here. I came upon this author through quite a stroke of luck, knowing his family in Georgia and Tennessee. When news of the book appeared on their FB pages, I downloaded it on my Kindle program on my iPad immediately. I took my time reading the book on many frigid nights in Memphis, often In front of our blazing fire in our Buck Stove, wrapped in a warm throw that we picked up at the Grand Canyon's south rim a year and a half ago in September. This has been the perfect weather to enjoy Rick's adventures in The Temple of the Wolves.
Highly Recommended - An Unforgettable Read!
We have visited the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone in February several times in the past decade (as well as in the spring and fall). Its beauty and wildness always draws us back. Rick Lamplugh describes his winter volunteer experiences in almost lyrical terms, so much so that we could actually feel the bite of snow crystals, smell the sage, see the bison plowing snow with their huge heads, hear in our minds' ears the coyotes calling and wolves howling -- and he does this all without sentimentalizing the harshness of the weather, and the life and death issues faced by all of the animals in the ecosystem, large and small. Watching wolves hunt elk, watching the slow death of a bison calf, dragging a road-killed yearling bison off to become food for a host of scavengers -- these are not experiences for those who want to see Yellowstone in Disneyland terms. However, if you want to read about the real Yellowstone, and participate in the author's occasional ambivalence about what one sees when immersed In the Temple of Wolves, this is the book for you. We appreciated his analogy of the experience to things spiritual -- "the temple of wolves," "this sanctuary," the wolf expert he calls "the Archbishop" conducting "sunrise services" and giving "impromptu sermons" for the participants in the Yellowstone "Wolf Weeks" - 5-day seminars led by naturalists, for whom Rick was bus driver. This book was carefully researched, and the facts and history he gives, in between his poetic narratives, are informative and add to the overall high quality of this book. One small nit-pick: although calling the U.S. Army's Cavalry unit the "U.S. Calvary" does tie in with the spiritual connections he makes (Calvary being the hill on which Christ was crucified according to the Christian faith), we doubt he intended to do that. It's a glaring error made by a lot of people and overlooked even by his editor, but is one of those little irritations that temporarily interrupted the flow of his narrative for us. That said, it's a great read and took us back to many wonderful experiences we've had visiting the Lamar Valley. His description of hearing a wolf's howl for the first time was right on! It prompted us to get out our video recording and relive it!
A great read that will leave you thinking
This book is a wonderful collection of experiences the author had will spending a winter in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. While I purchased the book thinking it was about the wolves, I discovered it really wasn't anout the wolves as much as the whole ecosystem. The author has a very good understanding of how all of the organisms in this complex ecosystem are dependent on each other, including the apex predators. Without being preachy or in your face trying to convince conservation, the author relates his experiences in such a way that the reader recognizes the need to treat these ecosystems with reverence. It also makes you want to go and experience the beauty, the harsh remoteness and the sometimes cruel reality of life in yhe Lamar Valley. A quick read that is thoroughly enjoyable yet thought provoking.
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