
audiobook
ILLUSTRATIONS
E-text prepared by Roger Frank
CHAPTER I - Something about my Home and Track’s End: with how I leave the one and get acquainted with Pike at the other.
CHAPTER II - The rest of my second Night at Track’s End, and part of another: with some Things which happen between.
CHAPTER III - A Fire and a Blizzard: with how a great many People go away from Track’s End and how some others come.
CHAPTER IV - We prepare to fight the Robbers and I make a little Trip out to Bill Mountain’s House: after I come back I show what a great Fool I can be.
CHAPTER V - Alone in Track’s End I repent of my hasty Action: with what I do at the Headquarters House, and the whole Situation in a Nutshell.
CHAPTER VI - Some Account of what I do and think the first Day alone: with a Discovery by Kaiser at the End.
CHAPTER VII - I have a Fight and a Fright: after which I make some Plans for the Future and take up my Bed and move.
CHAPTER VIII - I begin my Letters to my Mother and start my Fortifications: then I very foolishly go away, meet with an Accident, and see Something which throws me into the utmost Terror.
A self‑recorded winter chronicle unfolds from the voice of Judson Pitcher, a rugged frontiersman posted at the isolated outpost known as Track’s End. He writes with frank humor about leaving his home, meeting the loyal dog Kaiser, and confronting the bitter cold that turns the landscape into a white desert. Early on, a sudden fire and a raging blizzard force the small community to rally, testing their resolve. Through letters to his mother, Pitcher adds a personal layer that grounds his adventures.
The narrative quickly expands to include encounters with timber‑wolves, a band of outlaws, and nearby Native American groups, each presenting a different kind of peril. Pitcher’s quick thinking—whether diverting a prowling wolf pack or improvising defenses against raiders—reveals a blend of bravery and occasional folly that keeps the tone lively. The harsh winter backdrop becomes a character itself, shaping decisions and amplifying the stakes of every rescue and escape. Listeners will find a vivid portrait of frontier life, where survival hinges on camaraderie, ingenuity, and a stubborn will to endure.
Full title
Track's End Being the Narrative of Judson Pitcher's Strange Winter Spent There as Told by Himself and Edited by Hayden Carruth Including an Accurate Account of His Numerous Adventures, and the Facts Concerning His Several Surprising Escapes from Death Now First Printed in Full Being the Narrative of Judson Pitcher's Strange Winter Spent There as Told by Himself and Edited by Hayden Carruth Including an Accurate Account of His Numerous Adventures, and the Facts Concerning His Several Surprising Escapes from Death Now First Printed in Full
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (241K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2009-05-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1862–1932
A lively journalist and humorist, he turned frontier newspaper work and big-city editorial experience into fiction, essays, and books for younger readers. His career carried him from Dakota Territory papers to major New York magazines, giving his writing both local color and a polished magazine style.
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