We Die Alone by David Howarth, 1957

I know, I know. What a title, right?

Listen, I was scouring the public library shelves for a great audiobook this weekend as I planned to trek to central Michigan and thought I could spend the time learning something. And the title caught my eye. It is, after all, an adventure story, and you know I'm a sucker for those. So I grabbed it, hopped in the car, and headed north to Michigan and into the northern fjords of Norway.

It gets really cold there.

Here is the story of Jan Baalsrud, the lone survivor of a Norwegian resistance unit sent from England to northern Norway during the Nazi occupation of WWII. Jan escapes into the bleak islands and fjords of his homeland after his boat is attacked and destroyed by the enemy. Being the only escapee, Jan, wet and freezing, must rely on his own training and the kindness of his countrymen to make it to the safe haven of neutral Sweden. Now all he has to do is stay hidden from Nazis in his Norwegian soldier's uniform, battle the treacherous elements of that region (wind, snow, blizzards, fjords, etc.) with absolutely no supplies, find some scraps of food to eat, and receive help from Norwegian loyalists who must risk everything to help him and are living on meager, rationed food themselves.

And you thought you had a rough day?

David Howarth just sort of relates the events of Jan's epic feats, and I appreciate that. There's a militaristic element to the writing with precise mileage and terrain descriptions as well as a care for precision and detail (it is incredibly well researched). This book isn't flowery or emotional. It's one of those "this is what happened" books. And the "what happened" is so darned amazing you don't need or want anyone waxing poetic and distracting you from the meat of the story. You will be in such awe of the incredible feats of the human spirit that all you'll want to know is what happens next.

I spent my drive to and from Michigan riveted. And it wrapped up just as I was pulling up to my apartment. Perfect!

If you're up for an inspiring account of one man's monumental story (complete with roaming wolves, self-amputated toes, and reindeer-herding Laplanders), find yourself a copy of We Die Alone.

And on a lesser note, I was inspired to visit some fjords again. I once saw a fjord in Montenegro, and it was one of the most beautiful landscapes these eyes have seen. I love me a good fjord.

P.S. The other audiobook I have on the floor of my car is The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring. Yes, you're thinking of the right Roald (a kid asked me for Ronald Dahl books today...loved it).

P.P.S. I met a brand new baby today (and I love her)! She looked tired.

NPR loves books.

Do you love NPR or do you LOVE NPR? Morning Edition accompanies me to school each morning.

NPR tells me all about books like Ready Player One which was AWESOME. After that spot on review, I put my trust in them. Here are some great interviews I've heard lately for books I'd like to read:

This girl (me) is a total sucker for adventure books, climbing, scaling, paddling, diving. You name it.   Of course, I enjoy reading them from the safety of my bed.

"These were just incredible men with the grit, you know, the strength of character, you know. These were men who just didn't know that there were limits to what a man could do." Wade Davis

I love that line from the interview.

*This link also includes a passage from the book.


Yes, please Mr. Sims. Shed some insight on E.B. White's "barn book."

And I could not embed the audio of this interview, but go to the link and LISTEN TO IT.

Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man by Walter Stahr, 2012

I have kind of read bits and pieces of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005) which is all about Lincoln's rivals in the presidential primary of 1860 who become members of his cabinet. So I've met Mr. William Seward as one of those rivals and am curious about this book. After all, who wouldn't want to read the biography of the man who "purchased" Alaska?

Do any of them sound intriguing? I see they're all nonfiction, MC. And so the pendulum swings back.

I went away.

I went away for July.

I went away in place and time.

I went paddling in Canada, canoe paddling, that is. And I found a little bit of myself, a little bit that was once a big bit, a little bit that I had let go dormant for 5 years. And I breathed life into that bit. It was difficult. It taxed my bones and my mind, but it was the best kind of difficult.

When I was in college, I spent my summers near Ely, Minnesota guiding canoe trips for Boy Scouts in the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park. I learned about a million and one things including J strokes, wet-foot portaging, and donut frying in the woods. But really, all of those sappy life skills like self reliance and confidence and living in a certain stillness made up the truly valuable bulk of my gained knowledge.

Then, I did things like internships and graduate classes and vacations in the summers ever since. I had burned out, so to speak, and thought that part of my life was over. Each summer I'd put out the feelers and see if I could go up. Maybe I could squeeze in a trip or two? And then I'd back out. There were valid reasons, but there were also excuses to stay away.

Until this summer. My good friend from Ely, Mr. Fred Marks, had begun directing another Boy Scout base in Bissett, Manitoba, a teeny, tiny gold mining town about 3 hours northeast of Winnipeg. And he encouraged me to return. Again and again. So finally, I did. And I spent some time paddling in the Atikaki Provincial Park.

Can I tell you what it means to go back to your college job, a job that you loved so much it became a part of your identity during that time in your life? Even though I was at a different base, guiding Boy Scouts through the wilderness once again gave me some severe flash backs. The gear, the smell of it, the tents airing out, the canoe bruises on my forearm, the trail food, even the few people I know who continue to work for the base, their mannerisms, it brought me back in such a poignant way. And I was admittedly overwhelmed. But now that I am back here in Indiana, I can see that I really needed that perspective to show me how much has happened in my life since college, how deep down, I am still the same person. And that is a person I like. I always want to be the person I was when I was 20. (*Thank you for teaching me that lesson, Fred.)

Then:

Now:

Not much has changed, right?

While I was there, I read a book by two employees of the base. I know real authors! Fred Marks and Jay Timmerman, both guides, paddled from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, a journey of about 1400 miles (!!!)...and then they wrote a book about it, a book I stayed up late reading with my headlamp and the mosquitos and a chill in my bones during the truly frightening parts. Jay and Fred and several other former guides packed up a few summers ago and portaged and paddled along historic fur trade routes once traveled by Native Americans and voyageurs alike with York Factory on Hudson Bay marked as the last stop. The story of this adventure is recorded in Far Distant Echo: A Journey by Canoe from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay.

Fred and Jay both describe every, darn detail of their expedition from food packing to navigation, from legendary North Woods folks to the welcoming people who call the area home today. Delicately interwoven into the logistics of their story is the route's historical relevance. This mix of logistics and context helps the book remain not just an account but a window into a place and a culture. Despite their no nonsense writing styles, the emotion comes through when either Fred or Jay write of a particularly interesting piece of history or an inspiring adventurer.

The real climax of the story occurs on Lake Winnipeg, a massive lake the crew must cross while heading north...a distance of about 250 miles. Imagine, if you will, the wind and waves whipped up on a lake of that size. Do so in the safety of your own bed where you can rest at ease. For me, reading this book even on my week long trips this summer gave me the heebie jeebies and real anxiety. Jay talks of crew members praying as they paddled thinking they had seen the end of their days on such harrowing water. This setting is where the group is truly tested and the reader finds out who will push on and who will back out.

Anyway, I couldn't get enough of Far Distant Echo and strongly encourage you to read it whether you consider yourself at home in the great outdoors or if you'd prefer living your adventures vicariously. And if you don't believe me, check out this review. We both agree!

I promised Fred that every library I'll ever work in will have its own copy of Far Distant Echo. And that is a promise I intend to keep even at my new elementary school library where I start work in 4 short days! More on that later.

Tightrope Walkers

I read this book review of A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Kraus in Outside magazine the other day. And I would like to get my hands on the book though I am curious if most of the message is right there in the review. But the ideas were interesting and struck a chord with this member of a young, overwhelmed-with-options generation. Matthew Power, the reviewer, describes a nonfiction account of a 20-something bashing around Europe overly conscious of creating an experience. Lewis-Kraus decides on a whim to hike the 500-mile pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela through Spain. Power writes, "He will exchange directionless choice for "pointless direction."It seems like Lewis-Kraus is self-deprecating enough to make the book humorous rather than pretentious. Anyway, I haven't even read the book, but you should and then tell me how it is!

Aren't adventure stories great this time of year? Or really, any time of year because there is something special about being burrowed in your bed during a wind-howling winter night while digging through Into Thin Air or Eiger Dreams. (And because I've brought up Jon Krakauer, you should know Dave is reading Under the Banner of Heaven which is a fascinating book about the history of the Mormon church and Mormon fundamentalism...he makes me want to do a reread).

But if you're in the mood for an adventure quick fix, you should watch this preview of a daring documentary:

I stumbled on it at this great blog A Cup of Jo. Make sure you watch until the end. The last minute may make you queasy!

Canoeing Nightmares

Do you remember your dreams? I usually do. This memory can be both exciting and terrifying often blurring the lines between the real and imagined leaving me tangled in my blankets with a pounding heart and wide eyes wondering if that really just happened. My dreams often reflect my real-life fears. As a result, the plotlines are a mish mash of oversleeping, getting fired, forgetting to wear pants while out in public, people choking, etc. What do these things say about me?

Last night I had a nightmare about canoeing which seems silly but is, in reality, a manifestation of my current concerns. This June I am headed back to my college summer job as a canoe guide for teenagers, and I guess it’s safe to say I’m a bit nervous. 

You see I haven’t done this in a few years and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to cut it. Also, instead of paddling in the border country of Minnesota and Ontario, I’m bumping it up a notch and heading to an even more remote locale deep within the bowels of Manitoba (3 hours northeast of Winnipeg) for what has been deemed a more challenging experience. Can I still portage a canoe? Am I up for weeks of limited personal hygiene? Do I remember how to pack for these trips, start a camp stove, read a map, feel comfortable in the woods? Yes. Of course. I know I do deep down, but until I get back in a canoe, get lost a few times, and sleep on the hard ground, I won’t feel confident. I’ll worry. 

And I’ll dream.

Anyway, last night, in my mind, I accidentally took my crew down these life-threatening rapids within the first 10 minutes of our trip. Everyone came out downstream unscathed, but all of our gear and selves were out of our canoes bobbing about. We took forever retrieving our flotsam. Also, I hadn’t done a gear check with them before we left. Only after the rapids did I discover the impractical things they had packed like glass bottles and an entire book cart full of books (my two worlds mixing)! I woke up flustered and worried.

So I’ve taken on a new approach to these anxieties. I have too many other things on my plate right now to worry about one month of my summer that is supposed to be fun and renew my spirits! Therefore, I am not dwelling on it until I am done with school. For now, I have the library to worry about and if you know me, worry I will. I refuse to allow silly canoe nerves to get in my way. When asked about my preparations, I'll say I don't feel like talking about it (Do you ever do that? It works.). Instead, I'll continue to read and I’m starting my marathon training plan this week and I’m youtubing musicals.

I certainly won't be reading this book:

Lost in the Wild by Cary J. Griffith, 2006

My dad picked this book up on a visit to Minnesota when I was there a few years ago. He said he stayed up late reading it worried about me paddling around out there. So I read it once I was safe and sound come fall in my college town and could see his concern. The book follows two separate stories of young people as they (spoiler alert) get lost in the wild. One of them just so happens to have been a former employee in the same position that I once held. He falls and suffers a concussion while searching for a portage trail and is left behind by his crew. Yikes! It is interesting to see that a few seemingly minor decisions can end up making the difference between life and death.

And I won't even read this book even though it isn't as nerve inducing:

Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid, 1935

Written by Mr. Eric Sevareid who made his journalistic name as a reporter in Europe during WWII, this is a candid account of Sevareid's canoe journey with his childhood friend Walter Port from their home near Minneapolis all the way to Hudson Bay. In one adventure-filled summer, these two recent high school graduates completed what many thought impossible for two inexperienced paddlers. And remember, this is in the early 1930's, years before radios and moisture wicking fabric. One of my favorite books and an easy read, not only is Canoeing with the Cree a great adventure tale, it is a relatable coming-of-age story of two average kids who do something extraordinary. 

Instead, I'll start crafting a list of books I will read this summer, books that will keep me both company and calm alone in my tent. Stay tuned!

Thank you for the book covers Barnesandnoble.com!