Customer Reviews

Beyond the End of the Road: A Winter of Contentment North of the Arctic Circle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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If you like the wild places and enjoy seeing the vastness of creation then this book will satisfy you. It will become a classic for many of us. Well told tales with charm and wit with a lot of surprises.Don't pass this book by, it's one you will want to own and reread.

Michael Pitt takes us to a place on our planet where, as Jack London once wrote, "life is a barren struggle with cold and death." He then proceeds to convince us that we might want to live there too. When I finished reading the final chapter I couldn't help but contrast this book with Jack London's stories of the old Yukon that I had devoured as a boy. The people in Michael Pitt's book are some of the same characters found in Jack London's stories, perhaps with the rough edges smoothed over. Bern Will Brown, the Catholic priest could be a likeness of Father Roubeau, a Jesuit priest in London's short story The Man on the Trail. Or Ron the Constable from Fort Good Hope a, modern creation of the mounted policeman in the same story.
However, I could not find a place for Michael and Kathleen Pitt in a Jack London story. While exposed to many of the same life threatening hazards, Michael and Kathleen have instead shown us the extraordinary beauty of a part of our world brimming with life that most of us will never visit in our lifetime. He writes "...this simple beauty of winter, with its quiet collage of sun dazzled snow white, forest green and sky blue is unsurpassed. I am thrilled, on nearly a daily basis to be surrounded by so much beauty."
To be sure, Michael writes about the hazards of a cabin fire, of falling through the ice, of their isolation 40 km from the nearest settlement, of cold that could quickly and silently overwhelm them without logs to feed a small stove that heated their 14 x 14 foot cabin. But the book does not dwell on the hazards of life, rather it highlights the joy and contentment that Michael and Kathleen discovered living in this isolated winter wilderness above the Arctic Circle.
[ASIN:1609101170 THE MOUNTAIN OF SEVEN GABLES]

I was on the edge of my seat! Even though I met Michael and Kathleen and know that they're well after this amazing life experience...this well-written and compelling story had me on the edge throughout! Why? The idea of living off the grid as they say, of being in a mostly frigid environment (which Michael often calls 'warm') for many months had me worried the other shoe would drop. With beautiful images of vast, lightly populated areas, I was held captive awaiting each new day's dawn. Through Michael's words, I was able to hear the silence. I am especially curious now to read much more on native peoples of the north, who have been so misrepresented. Only near the end of his journey, does Michael become keenly aware of the unique perspective difference between whites and native peoples. Thanks for sharing your story - it's a great read!

These enthusiastic comments have come in recently...

"Michael Pitt combines the bravado of a 19th century explorer with the sensitivity of a modern day man in this masterfully woven tale of an ordinary, middle-aged couple who leave their comfortable city life to spend the winter in a remote, one-room cabin in the Canadian Arctic." -- Tracey D. Hooper, Wildlife Ecologist, Victoria

"Pitt's writing struck me as a wonderful blend of Henry David Thoreau and Farley Mowat -- a treasure of logical philosophy and dry humor, perfect for the armchair adventurer." -- Bruce T. Batchelor, Outdoors author and publisher, Victoria.

"Michael Pitt's new book is an inspiring story of a couple fulfilling a dream of arctic adventure through all seasons -- perceptive, funny, personal and captivating." -- Dan Burnett, Wilderness Canoeist & Lawyer, Vancouver

"This is one of those very rare books that will not only take you on a thoroughly entertaining, thought provoking, real life adventure Beyond the End of Michael and Kathleen's Road, but will also provide you with insights into your own Road. This is a very well told story and more than that, an inspiration." -- Bob Gibbins, Avid Outdoorsman and Chartered Accountant, West Vancouver.

"This story would also interest those who are not outdoor-recreation enthusiasts, as a tale of how to make your dream come to life - by planning and hard work - and how that dream may lead to other, more profound changes in a person's life." -- Alan Thomson, Past President, Recreational Canoeing Association of BC and Retired Physician, Victoria