Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska
In this ambitious volume of adventure writing, editor Kaniut (Alaska Bear Tales) presents wide-ranging views of his beloved state. An Alaska resident since 1966, he celebrates the wonder and beauty of his adopted home. It is a place that "has lured men to her shores for over two centuries," he says in the introduction, a place that "continues to cast an aura of mystery, magic and mystique." The 25 pieces here focus on topics from fishing and flying to conflict and conservation. In "Coming Back Alive," for example, Spike Walker examines the dangers of commercial fishing. He writes of Skip Holden, who prefers to fish for salmon in the deep waters of the ocean-"He liked the sight of free, open spaces and uncluttered horizons. He'd been raised that way"-and recounts his harrowing rescue one day by the U.S. Coast Guard in Prince William Sound. In "Dogs on Ice in Alaska" and "Iditarod Classics: Mary Shields," authors Dana Stabenow and Lew Freedman, respectively, describe varying aspects of dog-sledding and the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome. (Its participants cover more than 1,100 miles in 10 to 17 days.) Perhaps the most entertaining piece in this eclectic collection, however, is one co-written by Jay Hammond and Jim Rearden, "Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor." Hammond, governor from 1974 to 1982, talks of his stint in Juneau, his initial hesitation to campaign and the things that were eventually accomplished during his time in office. The discussion is honest and occasionally hilarious, a definite highlight in Kaniut's multifaceted tribute to the 49th state.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.