Not Really an Alaskan Mountain Man [Paperback]

Douglas J. Fine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Now here's a formula for near disaster: East Coast big-city guy, world-traveler, jounalist, and otherwise politically savvy fellow settles down in rural Alaska, where men are many and manly, and women with survival skills are good to count among your friends. He wants to fit in. But how does one learn to be a Mountain Man? By observing, imitating, and making near-fatal mistakes, that's how. The choices a boy has to make. Eat processed food or on-the-hoof food, learn to operate a chainsaw or freeze to death, figure out what a bunny boot is or lose a few toes, and by the way, which end of he barrel points up? This is the story of Doug's first difficult winter in a one-room cabin, trying to stay alive and come out of it with some semblance of Alaska cool. With side-splitting, self-depreciating humor, Doug shares his attempts to elevate himself past his perpetual state of greenhorn-ness by aligning himself with tough sourdoughs to someday claim the title of manly Mountain Man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a truly entertaining update on the status of the Alaska mystique at the start of the third millennium. -- Fairbanks News-Miner, November 18, 2004

Fine appreciates the natural beauty greeting him each morning, and his descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness are beautiful. -- The Oregonian, January 16, 2005

With a modern-day flair for self-deprecation, Fine recounts the sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrific story of his first difficult winter... -- Tuscon Weekly, January 13, 2005

With humor, Fine writes... he almost found out what [it's] like to see your headless body rolling down a mountainside. -- Alburquerque Journal, May 1, 2005

From the Publisher

If you have ever needed a little inspiration to get out of your boring, routine life and try something new, have we got a book for you. Doug Fine moved "outside the box" in a most extreme way, by ditching his concrete suburban life and heading up to rural Alaska in his own personal quest to find himself. Now, you don’t have to move to the wilderness to start a new life or to add some adventure to a monotonous existence, but Doug’s hilarious story of how he survived his first winter will show you that anything is possible. After all, Doug is just a regular guy living his dream. NOT REALLY AN ALASKAN MOUNTAIN MAN will make you laugh and look at your own life in a whole new way. Even if you don’t want to leave behind the comforts of home to live your dreams, grab a cup of hot chocolate, cozy up by a warm fire and live a vicarious adventure in Alaska through Doug Fine’s NOT REALLY AN ALASKAN MOUNTAIN MAN.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088240590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0882405902
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After college, Doug Fine strapped on a backpack and traveled to five continents, reporting from remote forests and war zones in Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan. He files radio work for NPR and PRI and is the author of Farewell, My Subaru and Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man. His print work has appeared in The Washington Post, Wired, Salon, U.S. News and World Report, The Christian Science Monitor and Outside. Fine lives in a remote valley in New Mexico among a few goats and many coyotes. Visit him online at www.dougfine.com. Fine enjoys hiking, running, kayaking, shamanistic drumming, dancing, gardening, siestas, Peter Sellers movies, hot springs, massages, reading and staying alive. He is not quite competent at the saxophone, though he can catch a mean salmon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, a humorous look at survival, October 15, 2004

By 

Dawn J. McGuire "Dawn and Figaro" (McKinleyville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Really an Alaskan Mountain Man (Paperback)

This is an excellent story which is told with a great sense of humor. Doug Fine morphed from New York City, through the American "west", to his rural Alaska living which he describes in the most entertaining manner. Since we share a love of animals, Doug's description of the moose around his cabin had special meaning. His free-spirited little dog, Sunny, is woven into the story leaving me surprised that a petite Golden Retriever mix could survive at all in the Alaskan wilderness, much less love her surroundings so much. Doug's trip to Barrow and beyond on the ice was yet another sensory level for me and perhaps for anyone who read Going to Extremes. Doug makes the ice and the native Americans feel like adventuresome but familiar friends -- it is a matter of focus. Doug's story struck home to the part of me that years ago secretly wished to homestead in the wilderness in Alaska - to live remotely and simply in a beautiful place without population pressures. (In my day dreams I added a dog team and sled training to my daily regimen, though it sounds like human survival would have been more than enough.) Though I worked in Alaska for several summer "field seasons" out of the Anchorage-Palmer area, and have been to Homer and the Kenai Peninsula, I never lived there and remain curious about Alaskan winter.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self Discovery, October 23, 2004

By 

Barbara H. Wecker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Really an Alaskan Mountain Man (Paperback)

ARRIGAA!! Journeying with Doug Fine on his many adventures in Alaska in pursuit of becoming "An Alaskan Mountain Man" is a truly wonderful experience. He leaves the safety net of a stable environment and heads for rural Alaska. His purpose was to discover his indigenous roots by learning the skills necessary to survive the subartic winter temperatures, create suitable shelter, and prepare a food supply to sustain him and his dog, Sunny, through the winter months.He is a 'cheechacko', a tenderfoot, who has some harrowing experiences as he attempts to master these skills.
He elevated my heart rate while I anticipated the outcome of some of his adventures and had me laughing out loud as he mocked his foibles. He is a careful observer with an astute ability to give the reader and inside view. Can you just picture him eating his first piece of two-toned muktuk saturated in whale oil off his sword as a kabob? His interaction with the family of harvesters of this newly caught whale was both humorous an insightful.

As a nature lover, I enjoyed seeing the beautiful, pristine land of Alaska through Doug's eyes. His writing flows from his heart as he describes the meadows strewn with bluebells, the meditative silence of the spruce forest, rainbows across Kachemak Bay,and the glaciated peaks that framed the scenes. From woodpeckers to kittiwakes, to moose, to snowshoe hares, he acknowledges their place on this earth and their struggle to survive.

This book was a joy to read. Doug Fine is hilariously funny and an excellent writer. I look forward to reading about more of his adventures. In the end, he proves himself to be a true Alaskan Mountain man, a man unafraid to confront those challenges of growth and disconvery. AARIGAA!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, May 18, 2005

By 

Denali (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Not Really an Alaskan Mountain Man (Paperback)

I ordered this book from Doug after seeing him on a local TV magazine program discussing his book. My husband and I took a vacation of a lifetime last summer by traveling for 3 weeks through Alaska by car and hiking. We left our hearts there and this book brought back wonderful memories. I enjoyed reading about Doug's adventures, especially his experience at Barrow (one place we would have liked to visit). This is a great read for any lovers of the outdoors or who dream of escaping the rat race to come back to nature...