These astonishing stories tell of miners terrorized by spirits wandering their claims, of roadhouse owners visited daily by ghosts, and of reindeer herders who run in fear as one of their own departed comes back in spirit form to continue his duties after death.
A tale of a father, a son, and a fishing trip in the wilderness of Alaska that will delight readers young and old. Nanook is an exciting story of an Inuit father and son’s fishing expedition in the Alaskan tundra. Young Nanook is about to embark on an adventure that will test his responsibility and his readiness to provide for his family. But one dangerous decision will teach him a lifelong lesson . . . From the rushing waters and abundant salmon of the Canning River to his close encounter with dreadful Old One Ear, Nanook’s journey leads to a message that shows the unbreakable love between father and son.
A rich collection of personal stories -- both whimsical and contemplative -- in which the writers open their hearts and homes to reveal the Alaska that few tourists ever see.
Into the Wild meets Helter Skelter in this riveting true story of a modern-day homesteading family in the deepest reaches of the Alaskan wilderness—and of the chilling secrets of its maniacal, spellbinding patriarch. When Papa Pilgrim, his wife, and their fifteen children appeared in the Alaska frontier outpost of McCarthy, their new neighbors saw them as a shining example of the homespun Christian ideal. But behind the family's proud piety and beautiful old-timey music lay Pilgrim's dark past: his strange connection to the Kennedy assassination and a trail of chaos and anguish that followed him from Dallas and New Mexico. Pilgrim soon sparked a tense confrontation with the National Park Service fiercely dividing the community over where a citizen’s rights end and the government’s power begins. As the battle grew more intense, the turmoil in his brood made it increasingly difficult to tell whether his children were messianic followers or hostages in desperate need of rescue. In this powerful piece of Americana, written with uncommon grace and high drama, veteran Alaska journalist, Tom Kizzia uses his unparalleled access to capture an era-defining clash between environmentalists and pioneers ignited by a mesmerizing sociopath who held a town and a family captive.
For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel
Mergler has scoured Alaska's literary tradition for the best writing the state has to offer. "The Last New Land" gathers a rich and comprehensive sampling of fiction, nonfiction and poetry about the Northland.
An Alaska family celebrates Hanukkah with a stubborn moose in their backyard and the Northern Lights as the best-ever menorah. Hanukkah in Alaska is unlike anywhere else. Snow piles up over the windows. Daylight is only five hours long. And one girl finds a moose camped out in her backyard, right near her favorite blue swing. She tries everything to lure it away: apples, carrots, even cookies. But it just keeps eating more tree! It's not until the last night of Hanukkah that a familiar Jewish holiday tradition provides the perfect—and surprising—solution.
With the elements against them, the state troopers of Alaska face every day with a fight for their lives. In the state of Alaska, anything goes. For the state troopers, an average day can include blizzard conditions, midnight sunsets, and subzero temperatures. Tales of the Alaska State Troopers gives insight to just how the brave men and women of the law combat these conditions while still upholding their duties to the fine people of Alaska. Follow trooper Dan Valentine as he finds himself in the midst of a crisis when an abandoned truck holds more than just an old blanket on the passenger seat. Dan’s responsibility for the town of Trapper Creek becomes a fight for survival when he realizes the truck has enough explosives in it to make a small dent in the Alaska Range. With his fellow lawmen, Valentine not only must handle the situation, but he must also make sure that the citizens of Trapper Creek are evacuated from harm’s way. Tales of the Alaska State Troopers is rich in content and action. Anyone familiar with the life of a lawman or the state of Alaska will be fascinated with the way Mathiesen delivers his narrative. It’s all in a day’s work for troopers like Dan Valentine, who never know what a new day can bring.