In her debut, Paddlenorth, radio producer and naturalist Jennifer Kingsley describes herself as a prickly person. Like many with a slightly cantankerous disposition, Jennifer found refuge in the space and freedom of the great outdoors. She had already made many treks into the Canadian wilderness, but in 2005 she and five friends undertook their most ambitious trip yet: a 54-day canoe journey through the stark Canadian tundra, following the Back River to its source in the Arctic Ocean.
With three canoes, a small mountain of supplies and amazing boldness, they said goodbye to their friends and family and headed into the unknown. Over the next two months they encountered dangerous rapids, ice-choked rivers and brutally cold winds. They endured agonizing swarms of mosquitos, excruciating blisters on their hands and feet, and an increasing sense of isolation from the outside world. In those 54 days, they spoke to a mere handful of people outside their group, forcing them to confront their own social and personal boundaries.
Kingsley beautifully describes the gorgeous, deadly tundra, with its herds of caribou and pervasive bugs; the Back River is practically a seventh member of her group. Each of the six friends must come to terms with the power of the river and the feelings that result from being isolated in such wilderness. The physical and emotional rawness of the trip is keenly felt in Kingsley's prose, leaving the reader to ponder the incredible toll such a journey would take. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm