The nature writing of Gary Ferguson arises out of intimate experience.
He trekked 500 miles through Yellowstone to write Walking Down the
Wild and spent a season in the field at a wilderness therapy program
for Shouting at the Sky. He journeyed 250 miles on foot for Hawks
Rest and followed through the seasons the first 14 wolves released into
Yellowstone National Park for The Yellowstone Wolves. But nothing
could prepare him for the experience he details in his new book.
The Carry Home is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared
between Ferguson and his wife, Jane, who died tragically in a canoeing
accident in Northern Ontario in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending,
uplifting power of nature. Confronting his unthinkable loss, Ferguson
set out to fulfill Jane's final wish: the scattering of her ashes in
five remote, wild locations they loved and shared. The act of the carry
home allows Ferguson the opportunity to ruminate on their life together
as well as explore deeply the impactful presence of nature in all of our
lives. Theirs was a love borne of wild places, and The Carry Home
offers a powerful glimpse into how the natural world can be a critical
prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement
can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process
of saying good-bye.
