Description
Young Sam Gribley has always heard "The land is no place for a Gribley." He knows his great-grandfather built a farmstead in the Catskill Mountains and then left to become a sailor, so he sets off (with his Dad's permission) on his own to find the remains of his great-grandfather's farm with just $40, a ball of cord, a penknife, an ax, and some flint and steel.
Arriving at the old Gribley farmstead, Sam hollows out a tree for his home and learns to hunt, fish, trap, and forage for edible plants. When he captures a young falcon, Frightful, and trains her to hunt, she becomes a good friend and great help in supplying food. After months of carving out a life for himself on the side of a Catskill Mountain, Sam is sure that the land is the perfect place for a Gribley!