James Campabell
loves the Alaskan wilderness. He wanted his teenage daughter, Aidan,
to experience it, but more than that he hoped the wilderness
adventure would help her increase her self-sufficiency and strengthen
their relationship.
The adventure has
three parts. The first time the pair went to Alaska it was late
summer. The task was to help Jim's cousin, Heimo, build a new cabin.
The description takes you to a remote location where grizzly bears
may wander into your camp, a land with thousands of mosquitoes, and
the ever present need to beat the approaching deadline of winter to
finish the cabin.
The second adventure
takes place in winter. The cabin is finished. Now Jim and Aidan help
Heimo and his wife on their trap lines and experience the intense
cold. The descriptions make you feel as if you're there trying to
stay warm, even if you're reading the book in summer.
The final adventure
was my favorite. Aidan and Jim with two friends set off to canoe down
the Hulahula. This is the most exciting part of the book where the
rapids pose a serious danger to the canoe and immersion in the
freezing water can lead to hypothermia and possibly death.
I highly recommend
this book if you enjoy descriptions of the wilderness, and how special
people manage to live so far from civilization. Although the
adventures were exciting and kept me turning the pages, the best part
was the relationship between Jim and Aidan. While not perfect, it was
wonderful to see a father trying to understand his daughter and give
her room to grow and experience a unique part of life.
I received this book
from Blogging for Books for this review.
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