A short but unique travel memoir focusing on the couple Hig and Erin McKittrick as they walk from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. They hike, ski, and packraft there way up over the course of a year, summer to summer and them some. There is strong environmentalist flavor to the writing but its insightful and not too preachy. I found myself wondering more about logistics for such a trip which Erin goes into, but I wanted more of that. I also found myself wishing I could read a version of this story from Hig's point of view because he seemed to be the type of guy that I could relate to. Not that Erin was unrelatable but it was sort of like reading the version my wife would tell. Speaking of, my wife and I saw the documentary of the trip that this book is based on and Erin and Hig were at the screening. They were kind enough to answer a lot of questions afterwards including the ones about the social dynamic couples often get when they are isolated from the outside world for so long. I was impressed with their resolve and nonchalant way of answering the questions. These guys are resourceful and capable. That's why I'm currently reading Erin's other book about her further adventures in Alaska, this time with kids in tow. A father of two in Alaska who want to continue to get out in the wilderness, I am very interested in how they managed to take two children across the Harding Ice Field. If anything, it offers hope. ( )

Un libro fantastico, come fantastica è l'autrice che insieme al marito Hig, ha percorso 400 miglia lungo la costa occidentale da Seattle all'Alaska senza veicoli a motore, a piedi, utilizzando all'occorrenza il canotto o gli sci.
Un volumetto di appena 240 pagine, con le mappe dell'itinerario e suddiviso in quattro sezioni, una per stagione. Vi è contienuto un mondo meraviglioso, inviolato, paesaggi incredibili e nessuna retorica, nessun fanatismo.
Una biologa e un geologo si confrontano con la purezza dei paesaggi, con naturalezza senza sensazionalismi. Un inno alla bellezza della terra che le logiche perverse di massa continuano a contaminare, violare, ferire.
Vi invito a visitare il blog di Erin e Hig : www.groundthruthtrekking.org
e il sito www.aktrekking.com ( )

Erin McKittrick and her husband, Hig, walked from their home in Seattle to the farthest reaches of the Aleutian Islands in just over a year, a distance of over 4000 miles. I like first person accounts of this kind of adventure travel, but I think it must be hard to put the day to day drudgery of a walk like this into a compelling narrative. This was my major complaint with the first half of this book, which seemed to be a series of vignettes that lacked a compelling story to knit the pieces together. It is only in the second half of the journey and the book, that a theme seems to develop that drives the action. Erin and Hig decide that this is the kind of life they want to lead, and decide they will settle in Alaska in a small, out of the way community. By the end of the book, Erin is pregnant and both are changed in a permanent way by their long walk.

An interesting book, but not one that takes hold either as a personal and insightful narrative or as an exploration of the land. ( )

For one year, Erin McKittrick and her husband Hig walk and paddle from Seattle, Washington to Unimak Island on the Alaska peninsula. They use only man-powered transportation, either hiking or paddling their single-person pack-rafts. Erin and Hig travel for the love of being outside, for the love of nature and the Alaskan wilderness, and also to raise awareness about environmental issues from the disappearing wild salmon populations to logging on the coastal rain forests.
I've read many travel narratives about wild adventures that test the intelligence and endurance of the author, and this one ranks up there. Erin is a great writer and although I felt the book was a little slow to start, soon I fell into the captivating journey she took with her husband. I felt the excitement and anxiety along with them as this team tackled everything from bear encounters to short rations and seemingly un-passable waterways. The next best thing to experiencing adventures through such gorgeous areas yourself is to read about someone who genuinely loves and appreciates it doing it. ( )