Customer Reviews

Wild Men, Wild Alaska: Finding What Lies Beyond the Limits

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Rocky McElveen is the kind of man, the kind of "real man," who puts desk jockeys like myself to shame. While I spend nearly endless hours sitting at my desk in Canada's suburban sprawl, McElveen leads parties of bedraggled hunters through the wide open spaces of untamed Alaska. Though he was trained and educated at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, and employed by a church in California, he was drawn back to Alaska, the land of his youth and the land where his father served as a missionary. On almost a whim he began a career as an Alaskan fishing guide. "We help from some dear friends, I began my quest. I had professional-looking brochures printed, conjured up a business name, and made big plans." That was several decades ago and today McElveen continues to guide hunters and fishermen into the Alaskan wilderness. He boasts an impressive client list, including President George Bush Sr., Chuck Yeager, Dave Dravecky, Chuck Swindoll and many others.

Wild Men, Wild Alaska is not exactly an autobiography, though in many ways it reads like one. McElveen writes well and in a down-to-earth style that is both appealing and fun. Each of the book's chapters relates one of the adventures he has either enjoyed or suffered through during the length of his rather uncouth career. He writes about the strange difficulties inherent in serving as guide for the President (which gave him opportunity to learn that pulling a knife to cut the President's fishing line is not a great idea) and the challenge of helping a one-armed man fire a rifle. He writes about coming face-to-face with grizzlies (and living to tell the story) and spending a couple of nights in the company of wolves. He describes the trials that faced wilderness guides like himself when the skies were closed to all manner of air travel in the days following September 11. All-in-all, it makes for a fascinating read and for a book I just didn't want to put down.

Woven through McElveen's adventures are spiritual lessons, dropped often subtley into the text. While he shares some interesting and important spiritual insights, these are often seem just a little bit forced. They do not detract from the tale, but neither do they add a whole lot to it. For example, at the end of a chapter in which McElveen faces down a grizzly, he writes, "When the grizzly arrived and I faced him head-on, it was he who became afraid and submissive, not I. Why? I belive it was God. He enables us to face what we greatly fear and will give us the strength to overcome that which intimidates us the most. That certainly has proven true for me." The lessons are there and are generally sound (though I was sorry to see a brief nod in the text towards John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, even though there are few real comparisons between the books.), but they are clearly secondary to the stories he tells. While it may attempt to be something else, this is really a book of entertaining short stories.

The book is written with a dry wit that offers many opportunities to chuckle. Here is a fairly typical example in which McElveen writes about Roscoe, an enormous moose he has seen and often hunted but has never been able to shoot. "I excitedly told the famous evangelist Franklin Graham, son of the even more famous evangelist Billy Graham, about Roscoe. Franklin wanted a chance to match his sit with the moose's and win himself a trophy rack like no other. Franklin is a great friend of mine, so I told him where Roscoe was, some tips on how to hunt him, and where he could try to land. I also cautioned him that Roscoe was a hardened reprobate, had little use for preachers, and would resist any invitation to Franklin's table."

As much as I enjoyed Wild Men, Wild Alaska it made me realize that I am in the right line of work and live in the right part of the continent. I am content to leave the adventuring, encounters with grizzlies and plane crashes to others, though admittedly these stories make for a far more exciting book.

While not the most spiritually-edifying book I've read this year, Wild Men, Wild Alaska served as great entertainment for an afternoon or two and I'm glad to recommend it to others.

Wild Men, Wild Alaska is the best hunting and fishing book I've ever read. Hemingway's great novels about hunting and fishing fall short of Rocky McElveen's impressive real life experiences. If you've never been to Alaska, this book will call you there.

A few years ago, I attended a conference where people told stories about their most amazing vacation adventures. I was riveted by one fellow who recounted tracking wild bears unarmed. The closest he got to a bear was to hear some rustling in the woods. Who knows if this was a bear, or a skunk? But he was following bear spoor. His ancient guide had long before fled in fear. Realizing that he could easily be outrun by a bear, he decided to leave rather than find out what was in the woods. Ever since I've heard that story, I've been wondering what it would be like to be close to a large, angry bear.

Wild Men, Wild Alaska is jammed with much more harrowing and thoughtful stories than the one that had previously riveted me. Now, I think of that earlier story as being like a walk in the park.

If Jack London were alive today, he would envy Rocky his experiences and stories.

Rocky McElveen operates Alaskan-Adventures with his wife Sharon. Sharon organizes, and Rocky leads the adventures . . . most of which are hunting or fishing trips with an emphasis on capturing trophy animals. His clients have included former president George H. W. Bush (and the book includes a fishing tale involving that gentleman), Chuck Yeager, Dave Dravecky, Pastor Chuck Swindoll and Bob Seiple. There's also a story about Mr. Dravecky hunting after having his arm amputated.

Each story takes you deep into the Alaskan wilderness to places, problems and animals you've probably never dreamed of. The middle of the book offers 16 pages of stunning color photographs that help make the stories come alive. As an example, one photograph reveals a hand holding open the mouth of an enormous (and presumably dead) bear. Imagine looking down that view up close! In another memorable photograph, a man's hand is placed next to a bear track that's twice the length of the hand.

The book contains fourteen vivid stories about Alaska, beginning with how Rocky ended up in the Alaskan adventure business. The book ends with some final musings about what the lure of wilderness adventure is all about.

Several stories focus on the dangers of flying into the bush to land in locations where there is no landing strip and to take off overloaded or into unexpectedly stormy conditions. To me, the most memorable stories are those where Rocky comes into dangerous, up-close contact with wild animals. As these contacts occur, his mind is filled with stories about what can go wrong . . . and many unexpected and thought-provoking events take place. His hunters also take some impressive risks, such as those who use bows and arrows for weapons rather than high powered rifles with scopes and the people who choose to run rivers that have never been run before.

What is the most dangerous game? You cannot help but think it's man as you learn how even the largest and best protected trophy animals can fall to gun shots from several hundred yards. Rocky has his own experiences in this regard after building a model camp as a jumping off point for wilderness adventures.

What is courage? Rocky responds in an instant to threats from animal, air, river or fellow hunter. But he finds himself sorely tested when tragedy strikes his family.

Like many of the best books about hunting in Africa, you'll feel your stomach start to tighten as Rocky tells about tracking wounded animals into dangerous territory.

The book is also grittily realistic. Butchering huge elk, caribou or bears is messy business. You are often packing 150-200 pounds of meat and hides long distances with little water and many predators lurking who would like to eat that fresh meat on your back.

Those who love to hunt and fish will no doubt be intrigued by the astonishing size of the animals that roam free in Alaska. Can you even imagine a bear that's 10 feet tall . . . or an elk which weighs 2,000 pounds?

I was once on a fishing trip near the Arctic Circle in Labrador. While there, I kept thinking about what a good idea it was not to get hurt. Reaching the nearest doctor could take a day, even in good weather. In bad weather, all bets were off. That trip was like a walk in my garden compared to what Rocky does. The book is deeply enlivened by tales of injuries and rescues that you'll never forget.

Rocky feels God's hand in all this. Each story ends with a reflection on the spiritual experience that transcends the physical adventure. In the final musings, Rocky points out that following what Jesus wants us to do is an even bigger adventure than one of his Alaskan hunting trips. And you know what, Rocky is right!

Whether you want to feel the Alaskan wilderness in your bones . . . or want to come closer to God through experiencing the primitive or testing yourself to the limits, Wild Men, Wild Alaska is an ideal book for you.

Truly captivating. I could not stop reading. I needed to finish this book, but hoped it would never end.
9.17.06
I read chapter one online from the publishers website, www.wildmenwildalaska.com, and could not get enough. Not only is he spiritual he has a huge sense of humor and knows just how to recount his experiences with a perfect recipe of honest self-introspection, humorous euphemisms, and a constant but subtle reference to Deity and His role in our everyday life. Can't wait for the book to arrive.
9.25.06
USPS delivered the book about 3pm. We opened them here in the office but only had time to read the foreword and introduction. I read the introduction out-loud to Phill and Danny and quite enjoyed their reactions. Looking forward to reading the book tonight.
9.26.06
Read a full chapter to my kids last night before they went to bed. They were as spellbound as I. "Is he going to die?" "Will he get eaten by one of the grizzlies?" "How bad was he hurt?" "Dad, how can they land a plane on the top of a mountain?" "Why would they.........?"....... Aren't children a delight? After they settled down and went to sleep, I continued to read until mid-night when I finally put the book down and went to sleep with visions of twisted planes, caribou herds, and nine-foot-tall bears in my head. At 4:30 in the morning I found myself wide awake and looking for the book. Feeling as I read, that somehow I was there with them, wondering if, within me, there is enough mental and physical discipline to battle through similar experiences and emerge the victor, not just once, but time after time. Long before I turned the last page I realized that this book is not just about Alaska, it is about the deep introspection that each one of us should do on our own, but most of us won't until we are forced to by one of life's wake up calls that usually blindsides us on a quiet Tuesday afternoon.
9.27.06
This book takes a powerful hold. I can't stop myself from telling family and friends about it and that they have to read it.

This book single handedly brought me back to reading for pleasure. Something that I have not done in a long time, but do regularly now. Rocky's adventures range from funny to quite harrowing. For anyone who has experienced Alaskas vast wilderness, or has hoped to, this is a must read.

Absolutely first-rate--hard to put down once I started it. Very well written, thoroughly entertaining. Rocky brings out the excitement of each hunt--each experience in a riveting fashion. Simply one of the best books I've read on experiencing the wilds of Alaska. Highly recommended!!!

Wow! This was a Christmas present from my wife. I'm 26 years old and I have to tell you I was finding it hard to sleep at night. I would read 1 or 2 chapters a night and wouldn't want to put the book down. When I did I would set and dream about the bears and wild adventures that take place in this book. One that really got me was the tale about the wolves beating the snow down outside the tent around and around in the night. Eerie stuff! I would definitely recomend this book to anyone who likes HIGH CLASS ADVENTURE!!!! This is a must read for every hunter!

Rock on ROCKY!

This book is fun to read before going on a hunting adventure. It helped me to understand what hunting in Alaska would be like and made me chuckle at some of the people who went hunting. If you like to hunt, and or are going on an Alaskan hunt, then this is the book for you!

First off, this book was a pure joy to read. If you have ever shared bone chilling tales around the campfire, you will instantly relate to the amazing tales Rocky tells in "Wild Men,Wild Alaska"!

I particularly enjoyed NO BEAR NO! I have had more than a few run ins with bears in the wild but never have I handled a GRIZZ, or a black bear for that matter, in the way Rocky does. You really have to read this tale...and since you know the ending of this vignette, aren't you as curious as I was as to how Rocky did it ?

The mark of any enjoyable read, you'll pass the book around to your friends ( the cheap ones who didn't buy it themself) and share which tale you could relate to or enjoyed the most.

Things happen in Alaska that don't happen anywhere else and thankfully Rocky has shared those marvelous tales with us down here in the lower 48!

Great read! Highly recommended!

Tom DeNapoli
Sacramento ca.

This is an amazingly different and unique adventure book that tells true stories of incredible experiences about real men(some very famous) who have braved wild Alaska. Fourteen harrowing tales of danger, love, excitement and man's quest to find himself. It includes photos and awesome details about alaska and is written for both sexes. I laughed often, cried some and simply could not put this book down. My wife has read it 5 times and is crazy about it. Our kids love it too. Each chapter is a showstopper. Rocky, the author and main character, is fascinating. He will make a big impact and his book is the first I have bothered to review.

This book is an adrenaline filled adventure that almost everybody would enjoy reading. The author has a gift of inserting the reader into the story as it is told; I felt that I vicariously hunted through McElveen. A real life adventure as described in the book, can cost in the ten thousands & up, therefore the story is the closest I'll ever be to Alaska with my budget. McElveen has exceeded expectations of our former President, George Bush, Sr, in the wild as I would suspect meet yours. Enjoy the Wild Outdoors!