Book
2 of 2 Copies Available
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- OSHTEMO: Adult Stacks
The sun is a compass : a 4,000-mile journey into the Alaskan wilds
Edition
First edition.
Languages
Text in English.
Publication Information
New York : Little, Brown Spark, 2019.
Physical Description
vii, 308 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, map ; 22 cm
Summary
During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012 she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, the book explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of creatures whose daily survival is nothing short of miraculous. It is a journey through the heart, the mind, and some of the wildest places left in North America.
Notes
Includes index.
Contents
- Prologue: Swimming the Chandalar
- Part one: Zugunruhe
- Part two: Inside passage
- Part three: Yukon
- Part four: Arctic coast
- Part five: Brooks Range
- Epilogue: Three on the lost coast.