Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction) [Paperback]

Ned Rozell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2002 | Series: Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction

In Walking My Dog, Jane, readers travel 800 miles across Alaska along the trans-Alaska pipeline, beginning in the south at Valdez and ending at Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. Rozell describes the extraordinary wildlife and spectacular scenery of Alaska, but perhaps the greatest wonders in this story are the people who live near the pipeline: homesteaders who in the 1960s nearly starved on a diet of grouse and hares while taming their piece of Alaska; a husband and wife recovering from alcohol and drug addictions by running a hamburger stand on the Yukon River; gold miners who stubbornly pick at a hillside above the Arctic Circle with tools a century old; a pipeline worker who commutes 3,000 miles every two weeks to be with his son in San Diego. As Rozell discovers on his 120-day journey, the frontier still exists in Alaska, but it's not the same frontier that stampeders encountered 100 years ago, or the one to which pipeline workers rushed 20 years ago. Instead, it is a spirit found in these people who live there, now, at the end of the century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rozell has managed an entertaining narrative of his great walk, and one that is characterized by a contemplative, unassuming, and inviting literary style..." -- Western American Literature. "Rozell is in august company. Some of the most respected authors have produced books about long journeys innocent of formal objectives -- people like John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac, William Least Heat-Moon, and Bill Bryson. But Rozell's opus can stand with its tail held high among this body of work..." -- Christian Science Monitor.

About the Author

Ned Rozell

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Duquesne University Press (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820703354
• ISBN-13: 978-0820703350
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,686,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ned Rozell has walked, skied, driven, and flown across Alaska, and he's lived there more than half his life, so it must be home. He's written more than 700 weekly newspaper columns about natural history and science, and has written 80 more for Alaska Magazine. He has three Alaska-related books and counting; Walking my Dog, Jane, is about that hike across Alaska with a dog that won't come along again. His latest work is Alaska Tracks; Footprints in the Big Country from Ambler to Attu.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a walk with us, July 16, 2000

By 

Sheila Bishop - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book immensely, in part because Ned Rozell writes about things that I know, places that I've been, and the land that I love. He also strikes a chord in me when he writes about what Alaska means to him and the people that he meets along the way, and how so many of us have families in the States that just don't quite understand what keeps us here. I hope Ned's words help explain. I have lived in Alaska for 13+ years, and still I am reminded of the wonder and magic of the mostly wild land which surrounds us. Ned tells a wonderful story of the land and the history of the places he walks, interspersed with the adventure of crossing the largest state in the nation, and funny dog stories courtesy of his traveling companion, a chocolate Labrador Jane. As they traverse three mountain ranges and over 800 water crossings, Ned learns things about himself and his surroundings that he never expected. If you ever dreamed of traveling to Alaska, or if you have a dog that insists on walking you every day, you'll enjoy this adventure/history/travel story as much as I did.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an alaskan adventure, July 16, 2000

By 

edward liston - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction) (Hardcover)

This book is a good read for all "free spirits" who have thought about going to Alaska and experiencing this new frontier the hard way. No cruise ship or guided tour in a luxury bus. This is stictly about "hoofing" for 800 miles across some magnificant country. It is also about being alone and sometimes being afraid. My immediate reaction was one of envy. Envy for those who have the dream and the TIME to pursue that dream. The reader also develops a great deal of respect for individuals who have the perserverence to follow their dream. Dog lovers will particularly love this book since they understand the special bonding that often takes place between dogs and their owners. Some readers will want to schedule a trip to Alaska after finishing the book and others will be happy to settle for the new knowledge that they have acquired. Clearly, Alaska is not for everone. Read Ned Rozell's book to see if you experience the "call of the wild".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only the Start of a Great Journey for the Reader..., June 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction) (Hardcover)

"Walking My Dog, Jane" will take you on an amazing adventure with Ned and his dog Jane, not just into the far reaches of Alaska and into the lives of the unique people who live there, but to a place where you are challenged to begin your own personal adventure. If you check this book out of the library, you'll just decide later that you want to own it, to lend to certain friends, to re-read certain chapters as you suddenly decide to travel to Alaska and to quote some of the finely crafted, simple but meaningful wisdom and information you'll find in this book. And then, you'll want to get a dog if you don't already have one. This is a special book by a gifted, candid, informative and inspiring writer. I honestly and literally couldn't put it down.