It’s refreshing to read about an adventurer who isn’t in the game to break a record or drum up sponsorship for the next trek. Author Jill Fredston is both a gutsy outdoorswoman and a talented writer. She and her husband—both avalanche experts based in Alaska—spend every summer exploring the far north by boat. Together, they’ve logged more than 20,000 miles of the Arctic and sub-Arctic in an ocean-going rowing shell and a kayak. Their experiences are rich with drama: the couple has survived treacherous polar ice, horrific storms and dozens of close encounters with grizzly bears, polar bears, and humpback whales. Fredston weaves these high-adventure moments through a luminous narrative that is at its heart a celebration of wilderness and of love. Her respect for the land and for the people she encounters is apparent throughout the book; wry humor brings levity to dark moments. (When a grizzly bear attacks their tent one night and Fredston’s husband—sans pants—rolls out Rambo-style to confront it with a shotgun, she recalls: “I couldn’t help but laugh, aware it might be the last sound I made.”) This book will remind you of your best moments in the outdoors and inspire you to get out there again. 
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