The Last Season

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 1,467 ratings

Price: 24.95

Last update: 02-01-2025


About this item

Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California's unforgiving Sierra Nevada - mountains as perilous as they are beautiful. Eric Blehm's masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Jessica
    5.0 out of 5 stars Expertly written, I couldn't put it down!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
    I read this book in 3 days and literally could not put it down. I heard brief tales of Randy Morgenson's story that led to his unfortunate demise, but this book was a deep dive into it. WOW. Eric Blehm did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. His descriptions of the Sierra's are so visceral I could smell the alpine air and hear leaves crunching under my feet as I traversed the mountains along side Randy. Stellar book that sheds light and on the mysterious disappearance and livelihood of a lost ranger.
  • Rick Spell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Human perspective
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2007
    This is an exceptional story well researched and written by Eric Blehm. I'm a city person. I hike minimally, for enjoyment only, with the requirement being that I'm always end up in a nice hotel room that night. So clearly, Randy Morgensen, a seasonal park ranger for 28 years who grew up in Yosemite Valley, led a vastly different life from me and probably most readers. And maybe that's the best part of this book. Eric Blehm has done an excellent research job showing us how the influences in Ranger Randy's lives led him to his love of the Sierra Nevada's and his low paying, low rewarded job as a park ranger which he loved immensely. The passages where the intelligent Randy makes humorous comments intended to modify the behavior of campers into protecting and preserving the park are witty and show what a great love he had for the land.

    Reading this book I can honestly say I don't know a single person like Randy Morgensen. I know American consumers. People who work to spend money and enjoy their lives. But Randy had a higher purpose. While his parents may have been disappointed that he didn't finish his college education, he had found his calling early and it had nothing to do with money.

    But even this intelligent, thoughtful man has flaws and these eventually lead to the break-up of his marriage after an affair. And this personal drama arrives right at his untimely death to create a "perfect storm" of doubt and uncertainty as to how he really passed. The author's expert at the end takes all the evidence and delivers a plausible cause of death with minimal information which is fascinating.

    But just as fascinating was learning of this life and yearning for the high Sierras. That is what I take away from this book, a man truly in love with nature more than himself. Read this book for enjoyment, mystery fascination, and to learn of another way to enjoy our massive country.
  • Reno Peters
    4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed account of High Sierra Tragedy
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2008
    I purchased this book from Amazon because I had known Randy's father back in the 70's. Dana Morgenson set a standard for excellence in Yosemite with his "camera walks" and slide shows that has never been equalled. It is both sad and ironic that both he and his son, Randy, suffered untimely deaths in National Parks - the places they both loved the most.

    Eric Blehm's account of Randy's disappearance and the resulting SAR is fascinating reading. It's hard to put the book down because it's written like a mystery novel. Blehm knows the Sierra quite well and he seems to have developed rapport with all the major characters; getting all the significant facts in order to document the case in minute detail.

    In fact, the amount of detail may put off some readers. And it, perhaps, lends a bit of voyeurism in that we learn so much about Randy's personal troubles in the years before he disappeared. Randy was a private person. I found a lot of similarities between Randy and myself and I would not want to have many of the details of my personal life written about in a book.

    With that one caveat expressed, I recommend "The Last Season" as a fascinating look at the life of a Backcountry Ranger in the Sierra Nevada as well as a detailed description of how a Search and Rescue Mission is carried out in the National Parks.
  • Norcalsurf
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Tragic Love Story of Man and Nature
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020
    I first read this book when it was released in 2007, and it coincided with the start of a my own love affair with the Eastern Sierras earlier that same year with a week backpacking trip through some of the exact areas in Randy Morgenson's patrol area. I was barely touched by the beauty of the mountains when I was introduced to Morgenson's life through the pen of Eric Blehm, and what an impact this book had on me. So much so that, over the last 13 years since I first read it, its content has dominated my consciousness while on dozens of long trips through the high country of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

    After I read it the first time, I lent it out to several of my hiking and outdoor friends, and along the way the book never found its way back to me. So last week I ordered another one, and the next three days I poured over the pages once again with the same interest and intrigue as I had years ago. I knew the end of the story before I re-read the first page, but Blehm's extensive research and storytelling made it every bit as fascinating as the first time I read it.

    The world is overdue for a major motion picture with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as its backdrop, and this would be the perfect story for such a biopic. The irony is that what it would take to film such a movie in the fragility of the natural world would be vehemently opposed by the Morgenson himself. But his philosophy, his photography, and his writings are deserving of a world currently starved for peace and tranquility.
  • Michael Nolan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A true story about one of the people called the backbone of the National Park Service
    Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
    This is the story of the disappearance of Randy Morgenson, one of the "back country" park rangers who live and work in the high Sierras. It is also a story of what they do and how they have earned the great respect and gratitude of the people who explore the high mountains. It is a real page turner. The author keeps the reader's attention while knowing the ultimate outcome is not a happy ending. Not an easy thing to do, but Blehm does it well and has made a very interesting and enjoyable account of this true life adventure.

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