Ridgerunner: Elusive Loner of the Wilderness (1986)

Ridgerunner by Richard Ripley sounds a terrific read:

… “During the early 1940s in Idaho’s expansive Selway-Bitterroot wilderness, a few items disappeared from a tent camp, a lookout tower, and a ranger station.

Eventually, the continuing loss of food and supplies at such isolated sites confirmed the presence of a mysterious solitary.

For years no one saw him, even though he entered Forest Service quarters while employees slept. In the winter, when he did leave tracks, they were found on the most inhospitable ridges and earned him the regard of locals who appreciated the cost of survival under such circumstances.

Once apprehended, the Ridgerunner proved to be both witty and ornery – a man who said he simply wanted “to live like a coyote,” and who was so woodswise and contentious that he vexed the government and a major timber company for the next 20 years.”

as quote in Adventure Journal

A must read for anyone familiar with the North Central Idaho Mountain Country (Lewiston, Orofino, Pierce, Headquarters, Elk River). A well written biography about a incredible man who lived his life alone in the mountains of Idaho.

Amazon

I picture him looking something like this …