Let the Books Begin!

Back at the not-so-local mall and once again got sucked into B and N. I may not have any air fare yet, I may not have a hotel booked, but I can feel the inescapable slip towards a new adventure because the books have begun to flow. Before any trip one of the greatest parts is flipping through guide books and travel essays, pouring over maps. I want to learn the place names and hear stories of what it’s like there. I relish in the anticipation of it all.

Tonight I picked up Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales, and Peter Jenkins’ Looking for Alaska.

Deep Survival is our friend Bill’s fault after he was raving about it at the Vanguard Christmas party. The more he talked about it, the more I knew it was right up my ally. It’s packed with tons of tales of wilderness ordeals, those who survived and those who didn’t. The book tackles the question of why some make it while others don’t. He delves into brain chemistry, psychology, and spirituality, and I can’t wait to dive in as well.

Looking for Alaska is one I’d seen before and though it looked fascinating, I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy it, I just couldn’t justify it. Maybe when I’m actually planning a trip, I told myself. Well, I’ve now got it in my greedy little hands, and that can only mean one thing. I don’t have any concrete plans yet, but getting these books might be all it takes to tip the balance in that direction. The idea that’s hatching in my head is to fly up to Anchorage at the beginning of March to see the start of the Iditarod dog sled race! I may finally be going to Alaska! I’m feel myself giving in to this Call that’s been obsessing me lately.


Check out Deep Survival here

and Looking for Alaska here