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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great hike / good book / not so good author, February 20, 2010
I have very mixed feelings about this book. But I don't feel that the time I spent reading it was at all a waste of time. As has been mentioned by other reviewers, this book is the story of a hike (ski) across a large section of Alaska. In some ways, it is similar to books about hiking the Appalachian Trail, biking across the country, or other such activities. However, unlike most of these books, I can't imagine myself ever even attempting this feat. Most of these trips are tests of endurance. This trip was seriously a life threatening experience. So, as a story of man pushing to his limits, this books definitely qualifies. The descriptions of the land he walked through were amazing. While there is no way I could even imagine retracing his steps, spending time in those parts of Alaska would be great. On the other hand, I'm not sure if the author (or editor) ever read the book after it was finished. At several times in the book, the author repeated information that he provided a little earlier. Either the author thought the readers had a short attention span, or he didn't do a final read through of the book. But that's only a minor quibble. Annoying when the book repeated itself, but easily ignored. What bothered me more about the book was the self-centeredness of the author. Many times throughout the book, the author states that our modern society (with its 9 to 5 daily work orientation, with limited time for vacation) is unhealthy for man. Instead, we are supposed to emulate his lifestyle. But never does he seem to notice that his trip is only possible due to the excess wealth created by our modern society. I have no problem with how the author chooses to spend his life. However, he sure seems to have a problem with my life choices. To add icing on the cake, I suspect that his self-centeredness may explain the culmination of his relationship with his long suffering girlfriend. Go ahead and read the book if you want to read about a section of the world you'll probably never be able to visit. Read the book if you want to hear about a man's choice of life threatening adventure. But don't read the book if you want cognizant commentary about modern society.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ten feet over the Brooks Range, February 9, 2010
This review is from: Crossing the Gates of Alaska: (Paperback)
Dave Metz works parttime as a biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. In a recent interview, he said that his job was a "perfect deal" for him. "I don't make a lot of money, but it's given me the chance to do all those things." "Those things" include several trips to Alaska, and hiking and kayaking trips in Canada, Peru, Brazil and Borneo. In the spring of 2007, he left Kotzebue on the west coast of Alaska with two Airedales hoping to traverse the Brooks Range on foot. Four months later he arrived at Coldfoot, a way station on the service road for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The trip covered almost a thousand miles (600 miles by air), most of it within the Gates of the Arctic National Park. (The website for the park has a fascinating history of its creation, as well as details about the typography, wild life, and weather, and much more: "The early inspiration for the creation of a vast northern national park can be traced back to a U.S. Forest Service forester named Bob Marshall, who arrived in Alaska in 1929 looking for what he called "blank spaces on maps." When Marshall first traveled to the isolated mining camp of Wiseman in northern Alaska, he was already a prominent wilderness advocate. His wilderness philosophy defined wild places as essential not only for ecological health but for human happiness as well. "For me and for thousands with similar inclinations," he wrote, "the most important passion of life is the overpowering desire to escape periodically from the strangling clutch of a mechanistic civilization." Marshall's quest for happiness led him to the Koyukuk region of the Alaska's Brooks Range where he found adventure and the companionship of local residents."} Metz skied on frozen rivers for six weeks upward toward the interior mountain ranges, towing with his dogs two plastic sleds carrying his supplies. In the mountains, he left his skis and sleds, and hiked often through deep snow. He reached the tundras of the North Slope at the time of spring thaws and often hiked in ankle high water. Metz describes fording cold streams, encountering moose and a pack of wolves, loneliness and hunger. He was able to supply himself by mailed supplies in small towns at the beginning and end of the trip, but didn't have money enough to be supplied by air during the middle section. He lost 25 pounds during the journey; "I'd eat in the evening only. I'd hike nine hours with no food. I couldn't go to bed hungry -- it was just too painful." "Sometimes thinking about [the difficulties] makes my heart race, and I start to wonder what I'm doing here, dead center in one of the wildest regions on earth -- in the heart of no man's land. I feel at the edge of my capabilities and at any time anything could go wrong. But I also feel flighty, giggly, and not held by any trivial restraints of modern civilization. I feel completely free for once in my life." I'm a sucker for books about hiking in remote regions; I often find myself converting my rambles in the Ramapos near my house into a longer trek in the Brooks Range. Metz makes those daydreams seem ever more real. Robert C. Ross 2010
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best by far, but parts are to treasure, March 3, 2010
I saw this pop up as a Kindle freebie and decided to take the chance. I'm glad I did, but have some serious reservations about the book as a whole. First the bad: Nothing really happens. Metz skis, hikes, nearly freezes, nearly starves, nearly gets eaten by wolves, nearly kills his dogs and after all is said and done he has only moved from point A to point B. The journey was pointless and seemed to be done just to prove it can be done. Not that any sane person would want to do it, but there it is. Kind of reminded me of Helge Pederson's "motorcyle tour" through the Darien Gap in "Ten Years on Two Wheels". Why? The Gap is not made for motorcycles the same as the Brooks Range is not made for human foot traffic. In the overall scheme of things it was a monumentally stupid adventure. Now the good: The best part for me about reading this book was that it helped a little in understanding one of my oldest friends who has the same drive towards the wilderness. A few years ago he chucked it all and went to the woods to live in a hand built cabin. I gained an appreciation for Airedales (might even adopt one this Summer), learned a lot about how to stay warm in horrendous conditions, got an insight into what kind of people live in the wilds of Alaska and got a feel for what people are capable of when driven by a singular desire to accomplish a goal no matter how worthy it may be.
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