Pickett S Trail

Setting: 1875, Indian Territory Major Characters: Buck Pickett - a crusty veteran of the West who is reaching the age at which he begins to question his past life of violence. He is opinionated and tough but reflective. Junior Pickett - younger brother of Buck who possesses the same physical traits and skills as Buck but not the maturity or experi¬ence. He is forced to grow into the West because of circumstances beyond his control. Mary Rankin - an outspoken, independent girl who has a longtime distrust and dislike of men. She becomes the object of Junior's love but does not know how to handle it. Minor Characters: Quanah - Comanche warrior-chieftain who is befriended by the Picketts during his surrender to the white man. He is a cold, calculating, and violent man. Red Coker - a crude outlaw leader with a vivid taste for violence. Ben Horn - a grizzly veteran marshal of Judge Isaac Parker. Ray Ben - an insane young gunfighter imported from Arizona by Coker for the sole purpose of killing Buck Pickett. Texas Ranger Buck Pickett receives a telegram from his younger brother, Junior, to meet him in Fort Smith on a government mission. Former lawman Junior has recently taken a job working for his old army commander, Colonel G.S. Rankin, and his first assignment is to travel to Santa Fe and retrieve a gold shipment formerly belonging to the Confederate Army. As a sidelight to the mission, Junior will look for a place in New Mexico to move his ailing mother to. While still in Fort Smith, Buck is forced to kill a young drunk who goads him into a gunfight. The brother of the drunk, Red Coker, vows to get even. For the first time in his life, Buck begins to doubt his purpose in the West; the gunfight with the boy somehow changes his perspective to life. The Picketts are unknowingly trailed by the Coker gang on their trek to Santa Fe. Along the way, they encounter various people and events such as an execution ordered by the infamous Judge Parker, an accidental meeting with Comanche chief Quanah Parker, and a peri¬lous journey across the arid Staked Plains of west Texas. Once in Santa Fe, the Pickett brothers find that to complete their mission, they must escort Colonel Rankin's daughter, Mary, to Fort Sill in Indian Territory in order to rendezvous with the colonel. Despite Buck's objections she is included. Before leaving Santa Fe, Buck has a bloody brawl with the notorious Mexican bandit, El Lobo, and finds that fighting is no longer worth it in the end. He must come to grips with his deepening feelings about himself and his urge to settle down as he ages. Junior finds a beautiful valley to move his mother to. Invariably, he falls in love with the independent Mary; his struggles to deal with his newfound feelings are comical. In a lighter side, Buck plays the part of Cupid. Following a long, dry trip back to Indian Territory, Buck meets up with the Coker gang and squares off with an insane young gunfighter from Arizona named Ray Ben. The slowing Buck is trick¬ed by the gunman, and to his astonishment, is beaten on the draw and seriously wounded. Red Coker shows up to finish the job on Buck. From here on, Junior's entire personality and purpose change. His love for Mary, his plans for his ma, and his mission for Colonel Rankin become secondary to his sole purpose for living: revenge for the death of his brother. The West has forced him to a new kind of maturity. With the help of his friend, Quanah, Junior finds the outlaw gang holed up in the Wichita Mountains. He finds revenge by killing the members of the vicious gang in¬cluding a one-on-one duel with the Arizona gunman. Junior returns to Fort Sill expecting to find a departed Mary. Instead he finds her changed: love has conquered after all. They return to Missouri to move his mother to New Mexico in order to find a new life for all.

Setting: 1875, Indian Territory Major Characters: Buck Pickett - a crusty veteran of the West who is reaching the age at which he begins to question his past life of violence. He is opinionated and tough but reflective. Junior Pickett - younger brother of Buck who possesses the same physical traits and skills as Buck but not the maturity or experi¬ence. He is forced to grow into the West because of circumstances beyond his control. Mary Rankin - an outspoken, independent girl who has a longtime distrust and dislike of men. She becomes the object of Junior's love but does not know how to handle it. Minor Characters: Quanah - Comanche warrior-chieftain who is befriended by the Picketts during his surrender to the white man. He is a cold, calculating, and violent man. Red Coker - a crude outlaw leader with a vivid taste for violence. Ben Horn - a grizzly veteran marshal of Judge Isaac Parker. Ray Ben - an insane young gunfighter imported from Arizona by Coker for the sole purpose of killing Buck Pickett. Texas Ranger Buck Pickett receives a telegram from his younger brother, Junior, to meet him in Fort Smith on a government mission. Former lawman Junior has recently taken a job working for his old army commander, Colonel G.S. Rankin, and his first assignment is to travel to Santa Fe and retrieve a gold shipment formerly belonging to the Confederate Army. As a sidelight to the mission, Junior will look for a place in New Mexico to move his ailing mother to. While still in Fort Smith, Buck is forced to kill a young drunk who goads him into a gunfight. The brother of the drunk, Red Coker, vows to get even. For the first time in his life, Buck begins to doubt his purpose in the West; the gunfight with the boy somehow changes his perspective to life. The Picketts are unknowingly trailed by the Coker gang on their trek to Santa Fe. Along the way, they encounter various people and events such as an execution ordered by the infamous Judge Parker, an accidental meeting with Comanche chief Quanah Parker, and a peri¬lous journey across the arid Staked Plains of west Texas. Once in Santa Fe, the Pickett brothers find that to complete their mission, they must escort Colonel Rankin's daughter, Mary, to Fort Sill in Indian Territory in order to rendezvous with the colonel. Despite Buck's objections she is included. Before leaving Santa Fe, Buck has a bloody brawl with the notorious Mexican bandit, El Lobo, and finds that fighting is no longer worth it in the end. He must come to grips with his deepening feelings about himself and his urge to settle down as he ages. Junior finds a beautiful valley to move his mother to. Invariably, he falls in love with the independent Mary; his struggles to deal with his newfound feelings are comical. In a lighter side, Buck plays the part of Cupid. Following a long, dry trip back to Indian Territory, Buck meets up with the Coker gang and squares off with an insane young gunfighter from Arizona named Ray Ben. The slowing Buck is trick¬ed by the gunman, and to his astonishment, is beaten on the draw and seriously wounded. Red Coker shows up to finish the job on Buck. From here on, Junior's entire personality and purpose change. His love for Mary, his plans for his ma, and his mission for Colonel Rankin become secondary to his sole purpose for living: revenge for the death of his brother. The West has forced him to a new kind of maturity. With the help of his friend, Quanah, Junior finds the outlaw gang holed up in the Wichita Mountains. He finds revenge by killing the members of the vicious gang in¬cluding a one-on-one duel with the Arizona gunman. Junior returns to Fort Sill expecting to find a departed Mary. Instead he finds her changed: love has conquered after all. They return to Missouri to move his mother to New Mexico in order to find a new life for all.

All the trails of the Big South Fork plus adjacent national forests and parks. Great for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders.

Now in its third edition, Hiking the Big South Fork is packed with up-to-date information on the trails of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Tennessee and Kentucky. The book combines numerous details about the natural history of the area with fascinating tidbits of folklore and legend to provide an interpretive guide to the trails. The authors have walked, measured, and rated every hiking trail, and, for this edition, they include information about trails in the adjoining Pickett State Park and Forest. The book features detailed maps; checklists of mammals, birds, and wildflowers; and valuable advice on safety, park rules and regulations, and accommodations. The trail descriptions include difficulty ratings, distance and time information, notes on accommodations and special considerations, and detailed mileage indicators to keep hikers informed of their progress and to clarify points of confusion. Also included is a handy chart designed for backpackers who wish to combine trails for longer excursions. Strollers, hikers, and backpackers looking for a less-crowded alternative to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will enjoy discovering this beautiful, rugged National Park service area. Only a ninety-minute drive northwest of Knoxville, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is easily reached in half a day or less from Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The Authors: Brenda G. Deaver is a park ranger at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Jo Anna Smith, a former ranger-historian with the National Park Service, now lives in Idaho with her husband, Steve. Howard Ray Duncan, a native of the Big South Fork area, has spent many years exploring the region. A former school teacher and principal, he has been a ranger at Big South Fork since 1985.

Pocket guide (5x9") to the sandstone formations of the Northern Cumberland Plateau, which straddles Tennessee and Kentucky. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Don’t miss the JOE PICKETT series—now streaming on Paramount+ It's elk season in the Rockies, but a different kind of hunter is stalking prey in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Joe Pickett series. Game wardens have found a man dead at a mountain camp—strung up, gutted, and flayed as if he were the elk he'd been hunting. Is the murder the work of a deranged anti-hunting activist or of a lone psychopath with a personal vendetta? Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is the man to track the murderer and stop him, before someone declares open season on humans...

Combining historical narrative with the specifics of a guidebook, The Historic Cumberland Plateau is an indispensable aid for visiting and experiencing an area rich in natural wonders and scenic beauty. First published in 1992, the book has now been extensively revised to include the latest information about points of interest and cultural events on the Cumberland Plateau. A land known for its great caves, cascading waterfalls, natural arches, and isolated river canyons, the Plateau stretches from northeast to southwest, encompassing parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Within its geographic boundaries are many protected areas, including the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and the Obed National Wild and Scenic River. The Plateau also possesses a unique history and cultural heritage. Inhabited first by Native Americans, then by pioneers migrating westward, the Plateau contains many sites that attest to its rich history. As different groups passed through, some chose to settle permanently, resulting in a diverse cultural heritage celebrated today in many regional events. Each chapter of this book, focusing on a specific area on the Plateau, is filled with fascinating historical facts and anecdotes, as well as practical information about services and accommodations, events, and directions to natural wonders, hiking trails, and historic sites. The Author: Russ Manning is an award-winning freelance writer and author of several outdoor guidebooks. His articles on the outdoors and conservation have been published in Outside, Blue Ridge Country, Walking Magazine, Appalachia, Environment, Sierra, Environmental Ethics, and The Tennessee Conservationist.