When Rick Lamplugh arrives at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch on New Year’s Eve, he has one goal: to learn as much as possible about the ecology of the Lamar Valley. All winter he will work and live in this remote corner of Yellowstone National Park, home to some of the best wildlife watching in the world. Winter-hungry elk and bison migrate there to graze. Wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions stalk the grazers while eagles, ravens, and magpies wait to scavenge. The snowy backdrop makes the saga of death and life easy to spot. He has three frigid months to explore on skis and snowshoes, observe with all his senses, listen to and talk with experts. A literary blend of facts and feelings, In the Temple of Wolves celebrates nature’s stark beauty and treacherous cruelty, while revealing Lamplugh’s inner battles with his own human nature.
Rick Lamplugh lives in Gardiner, Montana, at Yellowstone's north gate. He writes to protect wildlife and preserve wild lands. His new book, The Wilds of Aging: A Journey of Heart and Mind--described by reviewers as "piercing and poetic" and "a wonderful and moving read"--takes you on an illuminating journey into the wilds of aging, a passage we all face if we're lucky. The book is a prequel to his two previous books, Deep into Yellowstone and In the Temple of Wolves.
Deep into Yellowstone: A Year's Immersion in Grandeur and Controversy, won a Gold Medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards). It was a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and in the National Indie Excellence Awards. It won an Honorable Mention in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards and in the INDIES Book Awards. Deep into Yellowstone captures the grandeur of Yellowstone while digging into important controversies. In the Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone, is an Amazon best seller with more than 300 Five-Star reviews. The book is about the wolves and ecology of Yellowstone's Lamar Valley and Rick's experience of living and volunteering there for three winters. Rick's stories have appeared in Yellowstone Reports, and the literary journals Composite Arts Magazine, Gold Man Review, Phoebe, Soundings Review, and Feathered Flounder. He won the Jim Stone Grand Prize for Non-Fiction.