In The Last Wild Road, New York Times best-selling author and BTT Journal contributor T. Edward Nickens collects more than 20 years of reporting for Field & Stream magazine in a raucous, gripping, sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world.
The book is a road trip that takes in a huge sweep of the North American landscape—blackwater rivers in the wilds of eastern North Carolina, deserts and prairies of the American West, remote tundra of northern Canada, and the wildest rivers of Alaska. Along every rutted road and rough trail, Nickens meets unforgettable characters—old French-speaking Cajuns at Louisiana squirrel camps, a one-armed fly-tyer in the ancient Appalachians, Pennsylvania brothers who lost their father in a hunting accident decades ago and return to the scene for a powerful, poignant encounter with history. He explores remote wilderness waters to chase trout and ducks, but finds rich meaning, too, in the familiar and close-to-home: fishing with his children, plumbing the forests of local farms, and butchering deer in his basement as a thanksgiving for the gifts of the outdoors.
When it comes to hunting and fishing, writing often falls into the categories of where-to-go, the how-do-it, and the-what-to-bring. This book embarks on the question of “why.” Why does the pursuit of game and fish, and the travel to the wild places where they thrive, bring meaning and clarity to living in the modern world? Why do we laugh more, and live more deeply, far from the sidewalk? If you’ve ever felt that way, you’ll find yourself in The Last Wild Road.
To purchase your copy, visit thelastwildroad.com. For an autographed copy, send a note to: lastwildroad@tedwardnickens.com
PRAISE FOR THE LAST WILD ROAD
“Before you ever become the Old Outdoorsman that folks listen to, you must first have been the Young Outdoorsman who did it all. T. Edward “Smoke” Nickens doesn’t “write” about anything. He chronicles it! He lived it! He was there and practically everywhere! And he leaves it all on the table in The Last Wild Road. You’ll want this book.”
— Flip Pallot
“The annals of Field & Streamare decorated with some of the greatest outdoor writers to ever pick up a pen—Robert Ruark, Ted Trueblood, David Petzal, Gene Hill, among others. The time has come to add T. Edward Nickens to that august group. For proof, crack open this book and get reading.”
— David DiBenedetto, editor-in-chief, Garden & Gun
“Eddie’s stories give voice to elements we don’t normally hear—a special fly pattern or a childhood memory with a recurve bow, wildlife, and even history. These underscore our passions for the outdoors, and his deeply felt writing invites us to celebrate our own personal connections to wild places.”
— Hilary Hutcheson, fly-fishing guide, activist, writer and speaker
