The sun is a compass : a 4,000-mile journey into the Alaskan wilds / Caroline Van Hemert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Van Hemert, Caroline, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Van Hemert, Caroline--Travel--Alaska.

Van Hemert, Caroline.

Alaska--Description and travel.

Alaska.

Ornithologists--United States--Biography.

Ornithologists.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Travel writing.

Physical Description:

vii, 308 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Little, Brown Spark, 2019.

Language Note:

Text in English.

Summary:

Documents the biologist adventurer's treks in the vast wilderness region spanning the Pacific rainforest through the Alaskan Arctic, where she and her husband tested their physical boundaries while making profound natural-world connections.

For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. 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. In the end, The Sun Is a Compass is a love letter to nature, an inspiring story of endurance, and a beautifully written testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Contents:

Part 1 Zugunruhe

Alaskan Kid p. 19

New York Meets Alaska p. 28

What Came Before p. 39

Now Is the Only Time p. 49

Part 2 Inside Passage

Preparations p. 63

Launch p. 72

Storm Days p. 82

Chasing Tides p. 92

Rules of the Sea p. 103

Part 3 Yukon

Info the Mountains p. 117

Border Crossing p. 131

Yukon Days p. 142

Wind River p. 156

Part 4 Arctic Coast

Mackenzie Delta p. 163

Capsized p. 175

A Land of Change p. 183

Barter Island p. 197

Part 5 Brooks Range

Arctic Pulse p. 207

Brooks Range Anniversary p. 216

Pingaluk p. 228

Takahula Lake p. 242

Caribou Crossing p. 251

Noatak Stones p. 270

Final Days p. 281

Epilogue: Three on the Lost Coast p. 290.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780316414425

0316414425

OCLC:

1089253800