Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier
Published by Penguin Random House Audio
4.5/5
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Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu, a fascinating and funny journey into Alaska, America's last frontier, retracing the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition.
In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized a most unusual summer voyage to the wilds of Alaska: He converted a steamship into a luxury "floating university," populated by some of America's best and brightest scientists and writers, including the anti-capitalist eco-prophet John Muir. Those aboard encountered a land of immeasurable beauty and impending environmental calamity. More than a hundred years later, Alaska is still America's most sublime wilderness, both the lure that draws a million tourists annually on Inside Passage cruises and a natural resources larder waiting to be raided. As ever, it remains a magnet for weirdos and dreamers.
Armed with Dramamine and an industrial-strength mosquito net, Mark Adams sets out to retrace the 1899 expedition. Using the state's intricate public ferry system, the Alaska Marine Highway System, Adams travels three thousand miles, following the George W. Elder's itinerary north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continuing west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle. Along the way, he encounters dozens of unusual characters (and a couple of very hungry bears) and investigates how lessons learned in 1899 might relate to Alaska's current struggles in adapting to climate change.
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Reviews for Tip of the Iceberg
25 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Highly recommended for anyone who wants to go to (or is fascinated by) Alaska.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved this book. Learned a lot despite myself. With the environment so prominent in the news, Alaska is like the litmus test for the rest of US. Have a bio of John Muir I will tackle when back in KY.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reading about Alaska in the company of Mark Adams provides an abundance of history and humor, rolled into a delightful reading experience for basically a travel book. His ability to talk with all kinds of people and experience the things that he went through made for a fascinating story. No, it doesn't make me want to GO to Alaska but I do believe him about the wonders of the scenery---but I'll stick to pictures.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Makes you want to head for Alaska! The author retraces an Alaskan voyage from 1899. Interesting characters, humorous stories, and some insights into what the future may hold. A fun read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have wanted to take an Alaskan cruise for a while but have not done so yet. After reading this book, my excitement to take that cruise has grown even more. It kind of was like I had taken one with Mr. Adams. Mr. Adams did not just give me a bit of a history lesson but also an adventure that readers will want to experience for themselves. Yet, the beauty of Alaska can make you almost forget the dangers as well. Like the close encounter some fellow travelers had with a bear. What I liked the most about this book is that I never got bored. I kept learning so many interesting facts. As Mr. Adams says don't wait to take your journey but pack your bags and go.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I bought this book because I expected an entertaining and informative read from Mark Adams. It was everything I anticipated. Interesting history and a great cast of characters, both those a century before today and those who he met during his own trip to Alaska. I learned a lot about the history of Alaska from both an environmental view and a political standpoint than I expected. The current human cost of the US purchase of the state and separately, the environment changes wrought by climate change were new to me. The single map did not include locations for many of the important locations in the book. You need a good Alaska map at the ready to make sense of some chapters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating overview of our greatest frontier, then and now. Loved it.