Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel is an award-winning, suspense novel set in the beautiful but rugged terrain of Colorado near the San Juan mountains. Fox Walker is asked to go into the wilderness to confirm or put to rest the rumors that someone or something is out there. In this story, cold weather may not be the only danger coming.
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The Tracker. Fox Walker is a Native American who lives in remote Colorado near the San Juan mountains. His grandfather taught him the old ways of living and survival. Fox's tracking skills are supreme and he is often asked by the local Sheriff to assist with search and rescues in the wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. This story begins with Fox being asked to assist again.
Historically, the area that is now named Gray's Forest was considered mukua sogope (a place of mystery and spiritual power). Add to existing reputation an unsolved murder last spring, sightings of someone or something recently, and pressure from the local press with their stories that keep the rumors stirred up causes the Sheriff to act. Walker is asked to prove no one is out there, that there is not someone who may be in need of assistance, or confirm that there is or isn't some sort of fugitive hiding out.
Soon after he begins his search, Walker finds evidence of a person using wilderness survival techniques to dig and harvest edible wild plants. With confirming human presence, he wonders if it is true that the murderer is hiding out. When he finally finds footprints, the mystery compounds when he determines that it is a barefoot woman.
"A woman. Out here, shoeless and alone?"
-from Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel
The Wilderness Woman. The woman is alone in the wilderness. Walker hears her before he sees her. She is singing a song that was reminiscent of native Ute songs. The woman uses wooden, fire-hardened digging sticks to gather edible plants. The cookfire is near the cliffs and shallow creek. And near the front of a cave entrance.
The petite woman is also barefoot, clothed only in a pair of shorts, and has long blonde hair. Her physical appearance and dress does not reconcile with her living in a cave with things such as hand-woven bark container and fishing in the creek with her wooden spear.
When Fox Walker and the wilderness woman finally make close contact, he notes that she has some sort of markings or scars on her torso. And surprised that she speaks in a basic mix of English and Shoshone. Many words and things are not familiar to her. While she has some survival knowledge, she lacks memories of a time before waking in the wilderness approximately 6 "moons" ago. She seems familiar with nothing except the wilderness.
Fall is here. Winter is coming. The woman is as skittish as a young deer and Fox Walker needs to find a way to win her trust and help her survive.
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| Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication |
Tracker: The Fox Walker Novel is currently reviewed by 2,183 readers with 4.4 stars. Please take a look at what those reviewers have to say.
Intro photo courtesy of: Dsdugan, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Text added with Fotojet.
