The Wanderer - by Tom Walker (Paperback)

About the Book

"Author and photographer Tom Walker recounts the story of Wolf 258, part of a project that has studied wolves in Alaska's Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve for more than two decades. Through the lens of one wolf's life over a six-month journey, Walker examines the broader complexity of the species' struggle to survive and the futility of borders to contain large mammals"--

Book Synopsis

2024 Nautilus Book Silver Award Winner in Animals and Nature

"Walker's writing is an invitation to travel along virtually with the peripatetic lone wolf through the heart of Alaska's wilderness, an adventure not to be missed.."--Margaret Bauman, author of The Cordova Times

• Follow one wolf's incredible journey 2,600 miles across Alaska and Canada
• Offers remarkable insights into one of the most beloved, feared, and mysterious creatures

The Wanderer is the first book ever to chart a wolf's movements for an extended period of time, almost to the day. Award-winning author Tom Walker draws on unparalleled access to a research study of wolves in Alaska to share the story of Wolf 258, nicknamed "the Wanderer." Relying on a GPS collar that recorded the animal's coordinates each day, biologists tracked Wolf 258 as he moved through the wilderness---and, astonishingly, traveled more than 2600 miles in less than six months.

Through the lens of one wolf's epic journey, Walker highlights connections to terrain, history, looming threats, and other animals. He recounts the animal's compelling final months, while examining the broader complexity of the species' struggle for survival. The Wanderer explores not only the natural history of wolves but the relationship of people--Indigenous, pioneers and settlers, biologists, politicians--with this predator, shedding light on the long-established northern traditions of trapping and hunting, the tangled politics of wolf management, and how artificial borders fail to contain this iconic species.

Review Quotes

Walker paints an evocative portrait of the wild lands in Alaska the grey wolves call home.... This is a poignant and beautifully written book.--Milbry C. Polk "The Explorers Journal"

Reading The Wanderer by Tom Walker is like walking behind a master wildlife photographer (which the author happens to be) and peering through one of his long-range telephoto lenses. It's like coming upon a captain's flight log (which the author happens to have been) with dates, mileage, weather conditions, and unique observations. It's like taking a tour with a wilderness guide (which, by now you can guess, the author was) who tells you the history and meaning of anything and everything he walks past. Follow this man.--Elissa Ely "Appalachia"

A fascinating and informative story of a lone wolf's journey across the Arctic, The Wanderer once again highlights the meticulous photography, writing, research and vast experience of Tom Walker, one of Alaska's most dedicated and masterful artists.--Seth Kantner, author of A Thousand Trails Home and Ordinary Wolves

Both informative and easy to read.... Despite its inevitable ending, his fascinating story gives us a realistic glimpse into the odyssey of a wild wolf.--Denise Hughett "International Wolf"

Compelling and well written.--Grant Spickelmier, International Wolf Center Executive Director

This book is as much about the wilds of Alaska as it is about this one wolf's life. The Wanderer takes you through some of the most loved and worshiped wild lands in the United States.--Daniel J Cox "Natural Exposures"

Wolves are keen observers of the landscapes they inhabit, and so is Walker. Among the numerous joys of this book are his frequent, lyrical evocations of the world the Wanderer lived in.--David James "The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner"

I was impressed to see that 'The Wanderer' has elements of being a braided narrative where Walker continually wove in Alaska history, ecology, human interaction, and the wolf's journey, with each chapter sharing details to give what feels like a new kind of 3-D feel that conveys time and the surrounding events.... Wolf 258 is the star of the book, but the story is about the wolf in his environment.--Kaycee Davis "The Northern Light"

Walker's latest work is the story of an Alaska wolf known by the number 258 but aptly nicknamed the Wanderer for its remarkable journey around Interior Alaska and well into Canada's Yukon Territory, recorded thanks to pings from its GPS collar. After reading through Walker's book...he helped me understand that this animal was extraordinary but not necessarily acting out of character.--Chris Cocoles "Alaska Sporting Journal"

Walker's writing is an invitation to travel along virtually with the peripatetic lone wolf through the heart of Alaska's wilderness, an adventure not to be missed.--Margaret Bauman "The Cordova Times"

'The Wanderer' presents a trove of information relevant to understanding the kinds of circumstances that threaten the survival of Alaska wolves. For that reason, the book reads just as much like an epic survival story as much as a fact file on one of the Last Frontier's more elusive predators.--Ashlyn O'Hara "Peninsula Clarion"

Writer and photographer Tom Walker, with his lifetime of close observation of the natural world and the lives of animals, has written a remarkable new book that tracks a single wolf as it wandered through northern Alaska for 3,000 miles, driven by its need to eat, escape danger, and find a mate.--Nancy Lord "Anchorage Daily News"

I encourage everybody to read [The Wanderer], if you're a wolf person, an environmentalist, or somebody who really wants to learn about the ecological effects of what's happening.... The way that [Walker] traverse[s] everything that's going on at the time and this trek for the Wanderer, for Wolf 258, it's fascinating.--John Calfa "The Wolf Connection Podcast"

This unforgettable portrait and travelogue of an individual Alaska gray wolf gorgeously and thoughtfully illuminates issues for the species and for all Arctic wildlife.--Julia Kastner "Shelf Awareness"

A precise, lyrical account of an exceptional animal's life. In The Wanderer, Tom Walker takes us on a journey through the harsh, beautiful, and changing landscape of the Far North.--Bryce Andrews, author of Down from the Mountain and Holding Fire

A most remarkable and fascinating book, Walker's landmark story recounting the day-to-day epic journey and survival of Wolf 258 is a must read for anyone who wants to learn about the lives of wild wolves--and how this most amazing peripatetic male was able to survive despite a range of dangers, both wild and human. I hope that The Wanderer will make people deeply reflect on how coexisting with wolves is not only good for wild animals, but also good for our own well-being.--Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., co-author of The Animals' Agenda