No comments about Alaska (On-The-Road Histories).

2 comments about Alaska 2008 Calendar.

1. The images in this calendar are wonderful. I bought it as part of a gift for my in-laws who are traveling to Alaska in 2008. They also thought the photography was beautiful.



2. Excellent quality pictures with extra notes for each month. Important U.S. dates are also noted.

5 comments about Heart Of The Sound.

1. Marybeth Holleman is a leading voice in North America for
   defending nature within Prince William Sound from the negligence and commercial interests of the oil industry, and the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill fifteen years ago. The Heart of the Sound is an important, engaging, heart-expanding book that you won't be able to stop reading.



2. The Heart of the Sound will find a permanent home on my book shelf--for reference, for enjoyment, for inspiration. I was born and raised in Alaska and have lived here over fifty years. Still I learned about the difference between two genetically distinct groups of Orca whales, about the "soundscape" created in Denali National Park for managing uses, and much more. I worked on the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup for six weeks on the water and beaches far outside of Prince William Sound and through Holleman's clear, passionate voice and keen powers of observation I was able to sharpen my own image of what it was like at "ground zero" of the spill. The chapter titled "restoration", with its hard questions and profound insights into the human relationship to place, I will visit often. Holleman cares, and I trust her. This is a beautiful book.



3. One of the things I most admire about Marybeth Holleman is something she told me in person: "I moved to Alaska because of Prince William Sound." This statement is verified in her writing, which is replete with examples of her love and devotion to the place, even when the environment presents obstacles. Camped on Decision Point, she finds the terrain so water-logged it takes five railroad flares to start a fire and she and her husband are forced to don head nets to escape the swarms of no-see-ums. This is not the kind of experience most of us come away from feeling enraptured, but Holleman's reverence and awe never falter.

   Crucial questions are presented in the last third of the book. In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill Holleman casts a critical eye on restoration money designated for scientific study. "All this counting, tagging, radio-implanting, all these projects, research, buildings--I could not fathom how they would help restore the wild," she writes.

   Finally, the book takes on a larger scope, asking that we take a hard look at our adaptability to environmental degradation. Things that bother her should trouble us all: noise pollution, species' extinction, global warming, acid rain. How is it that we have come to accept these phenomena as "natural" by-products of economic growth? Thanks to Holleman and other nature writers these issues will continue to surface in discussions across the nation. And, if we are lucky, those in power will begin to listen.




4. This book is many things. It is a personal journey about following one's heart. It's a love story between a woman and a place. It's about beauty. It's about loss and change.

   Marybeth Holleman witnessed the unspoiled beauty of Prince William Sound, the immediate aftermath of the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez, and subsequent years of healing. She details the devastation wrought by both the ruptured oil tanker and the swarm of experts and volunteers who came to help. Fifteen years later, the coasts and wildlife of Prince William Sound still show evidence of this oil.

   This is an intimate look at a specific wild place in the vastness of Alaska. A gentle voice tells her stories, reflects on her life and beloved environment, and reveals an inner landscape. The pages display photographs taken by the author. The words are her love songs for the wild creatures, the water, and many natural wonders of the sound. Such intimacy brings us into her world and broadens our capacity to see and to care what she is passionate about, perhaps humanizing us in unexpected but important ways.

   I hope to visit Alaska some day to see the glaciers and the wildlife, to experience the wonders, serenity, and potency of nature. When I go, I will have more respect for the fragility of such beauty. The Heart of the Sound gave me a more complete and complex story about a well-known disaster-not just how this event affected the author and the Alaskan community back then, but how it affects all of us, all of life still.




5. This is a great book about nature! Reading it, one can easily imagine Thoreau looking over Holleman's shoulder as she explore's the wilds of the sound.

1 comments about The Alaska Wilderness Guide.

1. 9781892154200, $19.95 www.amazon.com
   
   The editors of "The Milepost" present The Alaska Wilderness Guide: Where to Go Camping, Sportfishing, Sea Kayaking, River Running and Hiking in Alaska's Backcountry, now in a newly updated ninth edition. Featuring detailed information on public-use cabins, lighthouses, hot springs, ghost towns, and marine parks, as well as descriptions of over 85 navigable rivers, 100 parks, a wide assortment of refuges and monuments, and much more, The Alaska Wilderness Guide is ideal for hikers, outdoorsmen, skiers, sport fishermen, kayakers, bird and wildlife enthusiasts, and just about anyone eager to see Alaska's natural wonders for themselves. A gigantic fold-out color map of the entire state of Alaska and an index round out this extensive, one-of-a-kind guide to Alaska's glorious backcountry.

5 comments about The Cheechakoes.

1. This one is hard to put down! END



2. I LIVED IN ALASKA FOR FORTY YEARS, AND THIS A VERY TRUE STORY OF THE FAMILY, I WAS AQUAINTED WITH THE SON MARK SHORT AND HIS WIFE LORENE, MOUSE TO HER FRIENDS, ALSO MET BARBRA AND WAYNE, LIVED IN PETERSBURG, WHERE WAYNE WAS MAYOR AT ONE TIME, I THINK BARBARA STILL WORKS THERE AT THE TIDES IN IN THE SUMMER. GREAT READ, DON'T MISS IT, ALSO THE SECOND BOOK, THIS RAW LAND, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT. THE FIRST BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE'S DAD TOOK THEM TO ALASKA AS CHEECHAKOE'S, GREEN HORNS, AND THE SECOND BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE WENT SOUTH AND MARRIED BARB AND TOOK HER BACK TO ALASKA, TO BUILD HIS OWN FAMILY AND HOLDINGS. DON'T MISS THIS.



3. I have lived in Southeast Alaska for the past eight years and am still learning a great deal about this magnificient part of the world. One of the ways that I learn is by reading books about the area and particularly those of local writers who have experienced the lifestyle. The Cheechakoes and Wayne's second book, This Raw Land, are two of the best I have read. They truly give one a feeling of what it must have been like in those early years. Having grown up in rural East Texas during the same time period as the books, I found that the part I enjoyed most was comparing the experiences of Wayne and his family with those of myself and my family. While many things were similar, the books truly give one the feeling of the vastness of the area and of the frontier spirit of the people who settled it.

   These are great reads. I highly recommend them for all ages.




4. Paints a very realistic picture of what it was like to be a fisherman in Alaska. Plenty of interesting stories about the people, and the adventures the Shorts had when they first arrived and started fishing for a living.
   I bought it at a garage sale when I was 12, and I still enjoy re-reading it. I thought it had gone out of print, and wouldn't loan it to anyone for years for fear of losing it.
   The only disturbing part is that wildlife (fish, mink, bears and seals) are something to be harvested and/or cleared away for the people. Loads of animals meet their maker in this book.



5. A friend let me borrow this book to read. Great book! I will be purchasing it to add to my collection. It's Very well written and a true life story. If you enjoy history (how people lived before this day & age) or outdoors you'll enjoy this book! Would recommend for anyone around age 10 & up. Tells how they lived in a very rural area of Southeast Alaska where boat was your main way of transportation. They hunted, trapped & fished to provide food for themselves & to sell to make living. Their experiences through all this give you a very real idea of what it would have been like. I think this took place in the 1940's-1950's, but I don't remember for sure. Some of the expiences have some humor in them too. This book talks about a mailboat coming with mail & goods...there is also a book out about that specific mailboat called "In the Wake of an Alaskan Mailboat" by Dennis Sperl, also a very good book.

4 comments about CloudDancer's Alaskan Chronicles.

1. Absolutely captures the spirit of bush flying in our great state- Seems absurd, but all too true, and part of why lots of us wouldn't want to fly anywhere else. CloudDancer has almost as big and well-deserved a following for his writing as Gwennie's does for their reindeer sausage. Want to know more... Buy It!



2. As one who started his professional flying career in the Alaskan Arctic, and finished out as a Sled Driver in Kotzebue, I can't begin to tell you the memories that these stories bring back. And the thing is, they're all true. Same characters, same airplanes, same stuff still happening up there every day. Kotzebue is a Third World Country with a zip code, and for those of us who figured out how to survive it, it's one of the most amazing and fun places to fly on the planet.
   
   From the new pilot thinking of taking the commercial path in Alaska bush flying, to us grizzled old farts who somehow survived all the years and all the thousands of hours of bad weather and shoddy equipment, this book is a must read. Hidden in the humor is a treasure chest of how-to-do weather flying and techniques for the novice Alaska flyer to draw from, and an intimate look at the native people of Alaska and what their world is really like.



3. . . . should you read the Chronicles?
   
   You betcha, is my vote.
   
   As you can see from the other reviews, pilots love these yarns. But anybody with the slightest interest in Bush Alaska and its larger-than-life characters, climate, and country will love the Chronicles, too.
   
   Besides being a professional pilot with many thousands of hours in his logbook, Clouddancer is a soulful raconteur and a born storyteller. The best of these stories are people stories, and Clouddancer understands people, which is the most important thing in a writer.
   
   That said, you have to make some allowances.
   
   For one thing, as a writer, Clouddancer makes a great Bush pilot. By which I mean, he brings much enthusiasm and passion to his writing, but not-so-much polish (although we're working on that -- I'm his unofficial coach/consultant/cheerleader). So don't expect the kind of finely honed prose you'd find in an Ernest Hemingway novel (although there are comparable quantities of liquor and sex).
   
   Also, about half of these stories are extremely technical accounts of various situations that come up in flying, both Bush and air-carrier. They'll be nearly incomprehensible to non-pilots, and perhaps not particularly interesting for those not into flying, per se.
   
   But these are quibbles. I give the Chronicles 5 stars because they are, in total, really great Alaska flying books, of which there are far too few.
   
   Stan Jones
   One-time amateur Kotzebue Bush pilot, as well as author of the Nathan Active mystery series, which is set in a fictional Alaskan Eskimo village modeled on Kotzebue, where Clouddancer cut his Bush-flying teeth



4. A very good read. And while I've never flown in the Arctic, personal experiences of similar nature in various other parts of the world made me feel right at home in learning about those little problems (being just a "little" too heavy for take off, needing that one part so desperately for your airplane, even polar bear attacks) that seem to plague professional aviators everywhere. Written in an easy-to-read, engaging, style. Well done.
   This is Your Captain Speaking: A Common Sense Manual for Keeping Your Wings Level

No comments about Alaska 24/7.

No comments about Frommer's Alaska 2009 (Frommer's Complete).

2 comments about Denali/Mount McKinley: Summit of North America (Rucksack Pocket Summits).

1. First of all, I am the author, so the 5 stars might be a bit subjective :)
   As the information above does not say anything about the book itself and it appears nearly impossible to update that info, I though I'd tell a bit more about the book here, so you can decide if this is useful for you.
   
   At 6194 m (20,320 ft) Denali (Mt McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America. Its arctic latitude makes for extreme weather conditions and its remote location in the Alaskan wilderness means that climbing teams must be self-reliant and experienced. The book focuses on the West Buttress route used by 80-90% of climbers.
   
   The pocket-sized guidebook provides all you need to plan and enjoy your summit attempt:
   
   * concise advice about preparation and planning
   * how to prevent and manage altitude sickness
   * practical tips on load-carrying and, glacier travel and camping
   * an extensive gearlist and advice on the use of sleds
   * fold-out map showing the West Buttress route
   * step-by-step description of the route and campsites
   * 96 waterproof pages with open-flat binding
   * in full colour, with over 60 photographs, some of them full page.
   
   It is the same size as the Aconcagua pocket guide and fits in most pockets, being only 115grams/4oz and 14.5 x 11.5 x 0.8cm in size (5.7 x 4.5 x 0.3 inch). It can handle the snow you will meet on Denali without weakening the pages.
   
   We had some knowledgeable people proofread the book, here are their reactions:
   
   *** Reviewed by seven-summiteer Jake Meyer ***
   This is the ultimate `bible' dedicated to climbing McKinley. What a pleasure to read an up-to-date, comprehensive guidebook for climbing in one of the most beautiful yet inhospitable environments on Earth. The wonderful pictures remind me of the awe-inspiring scale of the Alaska Range and a memorable expedition. It's informative, enjoyable and beautifully presented, and should be top of every Denali adventurer's kit list, to accompany them every step of the way.
   
   The format is snowproof, windproof and probably climberproof. In the military, we use TAMs (Tactical Aide Memoires) to cope with every imaginable situation, and Harry's book is the ultimate TAM for climbing Denali. Whether it guides you to the summit, or merely adds to the library of the armchair adventurer, this book is an essential part of the team.
   
   -- Jake Meyer, who in 2005 became the youngest man to complete the '7 summits'.
   
   *** Reviewed by Daryl R Miller, Denali Park Ranger
   "This book contains lots of good information and advice and it'll help you prepare for your expedition. But to climb Denali you also need patience and hunility"
   
   -- Daryl R Miller, South District Ranger, Denali National Park & Preserve
   
   Mr Miller is absolutely correct, do not underestimate this beautiful mountain. Thanks for your attention, hope this guide will make your climb safer, more enjoyable and more successful.
   As always: Keep climbing, but be safe.



2. Small enough to bring in a stuffed backpack, this excellent guide will make you travel along the trail to the top of Denali before even taking the plane. Perfect to plan your trip, everything is in it: gear check, clear maps, day-by-day detailed itinary, breathtaking pictures...
   
   Since i bought this book in the first time, i ordered some to all my expedition partners as gifts...!
   
   I never saw a guide like this one!
   
   ML

5 comments about A Place Beyond: Finding Home in Arctic Alaska.

1. Nick Jans has done what I did not think he could (would) do - dissapoint. Much of "A Place Beyond" is actually "Last Light Breaking". I was truly let down when I turned to a new chapter, only to discover that it wasn't new! I must say that his writing is superb - vivid, usually modest, captivating. If, however, I wanted a second helping of "Last Light Breaking", I could have simply grabbed my old copy. No matter how good his writing is, if he can't find the time to write enough essays for a new book, then why publish one?!



2. Nick Jans is an extremely gifted writer. I first read one of his essays in the Reader's Digest, and I was so impressed, I just had to read the rest of the book. His straightforward clarity, use of metaphor and intriguing observations make the Alaskan wilderness come to life. I personally would never want to live in Alaska, but I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a bit of Alaska by reading this book.



3. A Place Beyond didn't disappoint. Jans writing style isbeautiful, simple, and eloquent. There are few authors who can weavethe reader into the story. Through all of Jans adventures, I was right there with him riding shotgun. The most underated and under publicized book(s) about Alaska. A must read!



4. My extremely low ranking is not for this book as a stand alone, its in comparison to his first, 'Last Light Breaking', which was a masterpiece. I would equate these two books with Tarantinos two films, 'Pulp Fiction' & 'Jackie Brown', the first also being a masterpiece, but the second leaving you wanting. Not that 'Jackie Brown' or 'A Place Beyond' are wastes of time, its just that compared to what came before, and the fact that they are basically the same subject matter, you expect that level of art and when you dont get it youre dissapointed as I was with this book.

   If youve already read 'Last Light', and still want a good book on the "Alaska Experience", im reading his latest now and let you know how it is when I finish.

   But if you havent read 'Last Light Breaking' and are looking for a book in this genre, waste no time in buying it, its truly an amazing book. ...




5. This is a must-read for anyone planning to spend time in Alaska. Jans captures the norms, customs and ways of the people in the Northwest Arctic region. This was one of my very first books when contemplating moving to Alaska. And I recently re-read the books and realized exactly how much I had missed the first time through. It has been almost two years since returning to the Arctic and I cannot believe the everyday life he captures! Read this for all it is worth and extract all you can from his words.