Arctic Traverse

A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range

De: Michael Engelhard

Narrado por: Patrick Lawlor

A lyrical memoir that interweaves wilderness, homeland, cultural connections, historical figures, humor, and gritty experiences across northern Alaska

From the award-winning author of Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon comes an intimate exploration of Alaska's northernmost mountain range with observations on Indigenous cultures, conservation, and intense cross-country travel, all shaped by respect for the land. Follow author Michael Engelhard through tussock-studded tundra for a remarkable tale of bear encounters and white-knuckled river moments, as well as poetic reflections on a vast, untamed landscape. A trained anthropologist, Engelhard evokes classic writers like Edward Abbey, Barry Lopez, and Ellen Meloy with profound dives into human and natural history and vivid meditations on Alaskan wildlife, flora, and geology. When he embarked on this thru-hike, fewer people had completed it solo in a single push than had dived to the floor of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of Earth's oceans.

Much more than a captivating account of a human-powered solo thru-hike and float, Arctic Traverse illuminates the spirit of Alaska, drawing on encounters with Indigenous elders, guided clients, scientists, and others as well as on Engelhard's long-held dream and his experiences of the land itself.

©2024 Michael Engelhard (P)2024 Tantor

I was on this trip with him

It took a little bit to understand how the story was being told but it was worth the listen. I was with him the whole way wishing I was on the journey myself. I listened to the book in one day while traveling. I did question the pronunciations of local place names, peoples and ptarmagin. The pronunciations weren't consistent with what I've heard living in Alaska for the last decade+.

Ok Boomer

I found the book difficult to navigate - caught between the author’s overstated opinions and off topic rants - it seems as though he was looking for a last shot at how to ensure readers understood his relevance.