Harley Rustad

Harley Rustad is a Canadian journalist, magazine editor, and author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas^[1] and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees.^[2]

Harley Rustad
Born	1985
Nationality	Canadian
Website	https://www.harleyrustad.com

Early life

Rustad was born on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada, where he spent the first few months of his life in a tent while his parents built their home.^[2] He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Journalism career

Rustad has been an editor and writer at The Walrus, a Canadian general interest magazine, since 2014.^[3] His writing has appeared in publications including Outside, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Geographical, The Guardian, and CNN. He is a faculty editor at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Mountain and Wilderness Writing Residency.^[4] He was awarded Editor Grand Prix at the 2024 National Magazine Awards: "Harley Rustad’s commitment to tackling in-depth investigations and features stands out. Rustad's contributions to The Walrus have reinforced its position as one of Canada's leading homes for thoughtful, impactful journalism."^[5]

Big Lonely Doug

His first book, Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees,^[2] a nonfiction book published in 2018 is about the second-largest Douglas fir in Canada that was a saved by a logger who wrapped green LEAVE TREE ribbon around its trunk, and the fight to protect old-growth forests in British Columbia. The tree, Big Lonely Doug, is growing in the middle of a clear cut near Port Renfrew, British Columbia. The book started as a magazine article in The Walrus.^[6] The book was nominated for the 2018 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing,^[7] the 2019 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize,^[8] and the 2018 Banff Mountain Book Competition.^[9]

Lost in the Valley of Death

His second book, Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas,^[1][10] was published in 2022 and investigates the 2016 disappearance of Justin Alexander Shetler in the Parvati Valley, India. It was nominated for a 2022 Banff Mountain Book Award^[11] and a Crime Writers of Canada Award,^[12] was a Canadian bestseller,^[13] and appeared on the cover of the February 13, 2022, New York Times Book Review.^[1] Lost in the Valley of Death won two awards at the 2023 Poland Mountain Book Awards^[14] and a 2023 US Religion News Association Award.^[15]

Port Renfrew Writers Retreat

In 2019, Rustad founded the Port Renfrew Writers Retreat on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, a non-fiction writers retreat focused on nature writing.^[16]

Awards and honors

• 2023 Mountain Literature Awards, Poland (winner non-fiction category and winner Grand Prix) for Lost in the Valley of Death, Polish translation^[17]
• 2023 Religion News Association Award (winner) for Lost in the Valley of Death^[18]
• 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Award (finalist) for Lost in the Valley of Death^[19]
• 2022 Banff Mountain Book Award (finalist) for Lost in the Valley of Death^[20]
• 2022 CBC Best Canadian Non-fiction Books of the Year for Lost in the Valley of Death^[21]
• 2018 Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year for Big Lonely Doug^[22]
• 2018 CBC Best Canadian Non-fiction Books of the Year for Big Lonely Doug^[23]
• 2018 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug^[24]
• 2018 Banff Mountain Book Award (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug^[25]
• 2019 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug^[26]
• 2016 National Magazine Award (silver) "Big Lonely Doug" published in The Walrus.^[27]
• 2015 National Magazine Award (honourable mention) for "Where the Streets Have No Names" published in The Walrus^[28]

Bibliography

• Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees. House of Anansi Press. 2018. ISBN 978-1487003111
• Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas. Harper. 2022. ISBN 978-0062965967