Author: Mary E. Adams

ISBN: 096398697X

The following review was contributed by: Paul Lappen: CLICK TO VIEW Paul Lappen's Reviews 

This is the story of Alaska's last great mountainman, a man who was born two
centuries too late.

Luster was born in the early 1900s on a Shoshone reservation in Wyoming. From an
early age, he was more interested in hunting and trapping by himself out in the
wilderness than in conventional things like school and getting a job. Something
of a smart aleck, he was constantly in trouble with the authorities. A stint in
prison convinced him that he never wanted to go back. There were several
marriages along the way; they ended when she realized that Johnny would spend
several months per year hunting and trapping in the wilderness. He gained a
reputation as the person to hire for those looking for a guide into the hills of
Wyoming.

After World War II, roads and airplanes opened up Wyoming to sportsmen and
settlers. Isolated places became too full of people for Johnny, so he drove some
pack horses north to the last great frontier, a place called Alaska. Getting a
guide license was not an instant process, so Johnny had to start at the
beginning in learning his way around Alaska. After becoming licensed, Johnny
again became the person to see in the guide business. When the authorities need
information on wildlife numbers or possible poaching, they talk to Johnny. He is
still active today, hunting and trapping in the brutal Alaskan winter.

This is a really interesting story. It provides a look at a different breed of
person, more interested in nature than in cities and technology. This book is
told as much as possible in Luster's own words and is well worth reading.