Deep in his mountainous redoubt called Aspen Hill in the wilds of Colorado, Coker Owen Ford is already resigned to living the rest of his life in the peace and quiet of the place he calls home. A sturdy cabin overlooking a picturesque canyon with the river seen from a distance, the citrusy smell of the surrounding pines, aspen trees whose leaves can turn to yellow and gold, and a bountiful supply of game from the forests mean that there is nothing more a certified mountain man at heart can wish for. Add to that the steady bond he formed with the coyote, Featherfoot, whose howl keeps him company through the cold and lonely days and nights, and one would know that Coker’s world is turning out the way he wants it to be.
A letter coming out of nowhere shakes the established pattern of blissful existence that Coker had painstakingly carved out for himself. The words Misty Valley that the letter contained signaled to Coker that the sense of foreboding that he had been feeling throughout the day was not just a wisp of his imagination but the summation of all his fears. A loved one is calling out to him for help. Someone whom he finds to be so valuable that his life pales in comparison. Everything that he holds dear is captured inside the four indifferent corners of a letter. Without hesitation, he prepares to leave his old world behind knowing that the coming events will alter beyond any imagining the world that he has come to love.
Wesley Arlin Brown could not have brought such a vivid depiction of a mountain man to life without being a kindred spirit himself. The book, Coker: A Mountain Man’s Story is a tale of immeasurable courage, unfailing faith, and love everlasting.