Setting off from the ghost town of Cloverdale, New Mexico on March 17, 1996, the author picked his way north for seven months until arriving at the ghost town of Almota, Washington near his home on the Snake River. He travelled in the same simple manner as the mountain men of yore, and introduces the reader to the fiber of the differing backcountry cultures through the spirits of those he meets along the journey, as well as the life stories of the ghost towns he stumbles upon. He gracefully shares his fears and struggles as he solves the challenges presented by nature, people and the modern world from the saddle.