I can’t resist a book that features grizzly bears, a great white shark, hurricanes, and Russian Mafioso. I’ll read it even if the writing is bad. And if the writing is good, well…it’s all good. This is the happy case with Colin Angus’ Beyond the Horizon: The First Human-Powered Expedition to Circle the Globe. The fact that Angus survived what he calls the first human-powered expedition around the world is no small miracle. From rowing across the Bering Sea to biking through Siberia in winter to weathering three Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in a small rowboat, the Canadian explorer makes it clear that for him, extreme is the only kind of adventure worth having. Though the pace slows when Angus chronicles his unraveling relationship with expedition partner Tim Harvey, the adventure cranks up to full blast during his final 5-month leg across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat with fiancée Julie Wafaei. Despite up to 18 hours of rowing each day, insanely cramped quarters and near-death encounters with other boats—not to mention hurricanes—Angus waxes romantic about how the difficult journey brings the pair even closer together. They manage to laugh in the face of approaching storms and convey a sense of wonder and gratitude when mysterious creatures swirl up from the deep to inspect their bobbing vessel. Review by Kali.
{ 0 comments }
