Hi there! I’m Natalie. When I was 12, my parents took me to Yellowstone to show me there was more to life than malls and movies. Now I take readers to Yellowstone–through the pages of a book.
Yellowstone hasn’t just been good for me, it’s been good to me. Whether you visit in person or through the pages of a book, I hope it will be good for you too.
Lifetime
Yellowstone Visits
Miles There & Back Again
68,000 miles.
That’s how many miles I’ve road-tripped from home to Yellowstone and back again. Not all at once, of course, but over four decades of returning to a place that has shaped my life.
Along the way, Yellowstone has become more than a destination. It became a place to work, a place to learn to love hiking, and a place helped me understand how to navigate the varied terrain of everyday life. Eventually, it inspired me to write Waking Up in the Wilderness: A Yellowstone Journey.
As I said, Yellowstone hasn’t just been good for me. Yellowstone has been good to me. And whether you visit in person or through the pages of a book, I hope you’ll discover something of what has kept drawing me back.
Author • Teacher • Late-blooming Hiker
Field Notes
- Home Base: Iowa
- Favorite Yellowstone Season: fall
- Favorite Geyser: Great Fountain
- Favorite Wildlife: Bison
- Preferred Way to Explore: on foot
- Writing soundtrack: cinematic scores ( The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, The Last Samurai)
- Best Time to Write: dawn (even though it’s a struggle to get up and going as early as I used to … )
- Preferred Weather: sunny and seventy, or stormy–rain or snow, or a good rain (in Yellowstone, crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and cool evenings)
- Favorite Pen: Pentel with purple ink, of course
- Annual Read: Pride and Prejudice
- Current Adventure: Becoming a grandma!
About the Book
When Natalie Ogbourne first visited Yellowstone National Park on a family vacation, she had no idea how it would change her life. Waking Up in the Wilderness: A Yellowstone Journey invites you to embark on a four-decade journey through Yellowstone alongside Natalie as she navigates the fine line between solitude and isolation. You’ll encounter the inseparable delights and dangers of the park in all four seasons—hiking, canoeing, fly fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and camping along the way. As you experience the transformational power of nature, you’ll learn that what’s true on the trail is true in life and be inspired to meet challenges with resilience and perspective.
Waking Up in the Wilderness: A Yellowstone Journey was written for people who want to experience Yellowstone–or more of it. It’s for Yellowstone enthusiasats, armchair travelers, outdoor adventurers, and national park aficionados alike.
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