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Erin McKittrick
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A Long Trek Home: 4,000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski Paperback – Illustrated, October 19, 2009

by Erin McKittrick (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
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Purchase options and add-ons

* Compelling adventure with an environmental focus
* An informative natural and cultural history of one of our last wild coastlines
* Author is a pioneer in "packrafting," an emerging trend in backcountry travel

In June 2007, Erin McKittrick and her husband, Hig, embarked on a 4,000-mile expedition from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands, traveling solely by human power. This is the story of their unprecedented trek along the northwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean-a year-long journey through some of the most rugged terrain in the world- and their encounters with rain, wind, blizzards, bears, and their own emotional and spiritual demons.

Erin and Hig set out from Seattle with a desire to raise awareness of natural resource and conservation issues along their route: clear-cut logging of rainforests; declining wild salmon populations; extraction of mineral resources; and effects of global climate change. By taking each mile step by step, they were able to intimately explore the coastal regions of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska, see the wilderness in its larger context, and provide a unique on-the-ground perspective. An entertaining and, at times, thrilling adventure, theirs is a journey of discovery and of insights about the tiny communities that dot this wild coast, as well as the individuals there whom they meet and inspire.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    221 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mountaineers Books
  4. Publication date
    October 19, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.58 x 0.57 x 7.46 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781594850936
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1594850936
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ERIN MCKITTRICK had already logged more than 3,000 miles through Alaska's untracked wildernesses, before embarking on her 4,000-mile trek from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands. She received an MS in molecular biology from the University of Washington, but left academia to pursue more wilderness experiences and to concentrate on environmental activism. She lives with her husband and baby in Seldovia, Alaska.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1594850933
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mountaineers Books; Illustrated edition (October 19, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 221 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781594850936
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594850936
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.58 x 0.57 x 7.46 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

About the author

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Erin McKittrick

Erin McKittrick

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From my desk at the dining room tale, I can look out past the lattice of the yurt I live in, across the waters of Cook Inlet to the trio of volcanoes on its far side. Most of the time, this is where I live. Seldovia, Alaska is a 300 person village just beyond the end of the road system, rich in mountains, beaches, bushes, and community.

Once I walked to those volcanoes. Once I walked from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands. Once I walked a few hundred miles on Arctic sea ice. I could keep going here... I've walked, paddled, and skied more than 8000 miles across the Alaskan wilderness, with my husband, and now with my two young children. You might say I'm a habitual adventurer.

Once, I was a molecular biologist. I don't have a lab, but that scientific training has infused all of my writing. I start with insatiable curiosity, then head out into blizzards and quicksands and bear-infested tide flats to try and answer all my questions and come back with some pretty good stories. I learn things--from people and from observations--about topics from climate change to fishing traditions to how to handle two kids in a tent in a blizzard. And then hopefully share that all with you--in these books.

I'm also a regular contributor to the Alaska Dispatch News, and you can find more of what I do on the website of the nonprofit I helped found: Ground Truth Trekking (www.GroundTruthTrekking.org), or on the Ground Truth Trekking Facebook Page.

How did I end up here? I grew up in Seattle, exploring the nearby Cascade Mountains, on a comparatively tame set of trails. Then I met my future husband, Hig, at Carleton College, where I was studying biology. Two crazy people together is more crazy than the sum of the parts. The summer after graduation, we took off on our first major Alaskan adventure, and haven't looked back since then.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
99 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Paxson Woelber
5.0 out of 5 stars 4,000 miles in 200 pages
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
You might expect this book about a 4,000-mile two-person trip to pivot around the personal dynamics between author Erin McKittrick and her husband Hig, but it really doesn't. Hig has maybe one full page of dialogue in the whole book; the fact that he's there is often signified just by a change in pronoun: "we" rather than "I".

You might also expect the book would try to entertain readers with poetic descriptions of exotic places and perilous events, but again, it really doesn't. A few well-placed adjectives add just a little color to a writing style that is overwhelmingly unadorned and unpretentious. There is no Muir-ish gushing over the scenery, and the dangers of the trip, from spooky bear encounters to the ocean waves rolling over the bows of their tiny boats, are retold with Scandinavian understatement.

So why is this a five-star book? Because what it does well it does almost perfectly. A single paragraph will fling you from a forested valley over a soaring ridge, down the other side, and across an ice-clogged bay to a desolate beach covered in bear tracks and driftwood. The pace of the book is a lot like how I imagine the journey itself must have felt: plodding restlessly, hypnotically forward with every step and every page. At 200 pages, the book flies through 4,000 miles at 20 miles per page, and this dizzying pace gives the book a surreal, captivating, dreamlike quality. You soon come to see that the sparseness of the writing and the restrained presentation of the characters are two of this book's greatest strengths. It would have been easy to write a monster volume about every little event, detailing every tussle with her husband, every animal encounter, every desolate stretch of coastline. Instead, Erin McKittrick manages to tell a quietly beautiful, understated, and immensely enjoyable story of an epic odyssey through one of the least-traveled corners of the Earth.
3 people found this helpful
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Beach Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2010
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Although I love the outdoors and I value books that describe the adventures others have had there, I felt I was taking a gamble when I bought this book. It's apparently the author's first book,and I've often been disappointed by new authors' first efforts. Also, the publisher's description emphasized that "environmental concerns" had motivated the book and the trip it described. So I was concerned the book might be preachy and narrow minded. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that none of my concerns were justified. Although the author is indeed concerned about environmental issues (who isn't?), her discussion of these issues was balanced and unobtrusive. In most respects, this was a genuinely interesting description of what must have been a truly great adventure. Frankly, I'm somewhat awe struck that the author and her husband actually completed their amazing trek. And the writing is so good that I look forward to reading more by this author. I believe she has a great future ahead of her, not only as an adventurer but as a writer. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves the wilderness and who cherishes the life-changing experiences that they and others have had there.
15 people found this helpful
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dmb3428
4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it for the adventure
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
I liked it for the adventure, and as someone who loves the outdoors and nature I could relate with their endeavors. I think many people who are into hiking dream a little bit of leaving the hussle of everyday life to a more carefree lifestyle . However I could live without the global warming nonsense, though the book is not "preachy" the science agenda is questionable and those who try to present the case have done a poor job over the years with flawed data or outright lies ( hello east Anglia emails-nasa doctored data) . Other than that issue the book is well written though I would have liked more details about daily routines.
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Elie Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Trek Home
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2011
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An amazing adventure in this modern age, from a thoughtful, strong female perspective, in the vein of "Two Women", by Velma Wallis. It's completely different than most adventure stories -- more a matter-of-fact what-they-did with no braggadocio. Erin McKittrick's writing is skilled, interesting, easily understood, kept me enthralled to the end, and has me eagerly looking forward to her next book.

Erin and her husband, Hig, have another adventure under their belts already in which they include Katmai, their two-year-old son -- who was conceived during the trek recorded in this book -- on a 200-mile trek on the North Slope of Alaska in Summer 2010. That adventure should be very instructional for young women today, showing them that today's woman can be as strong, resourceful, competent in the wild, and adventurous as those women who helped settle this country, if they choose to make that effort to educate themselves in the needed skills.

I got a second copy of this book for my sisters to read. A Long Trek Home: 4000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski
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caroljeanne
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Journey
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2015
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Erin and Hig completed a most amazing, epic journey with only the most spartan of creature comforts. They kept pretty good spirits and good health throughout, and rarely (maybe never) actually required help from anyone else. They had everything planned and mapped out well in advance.
I am most intrigued by the packraft they had with them always. It was almost a character in its own right. They could not have done this trip without it. Where can I get one?
Somehow Erin was able to keep a lovely journal throughout and I am glad for that. This journey was much more than putting one foot in front of the other. I look forward to reading more of Erin and Hig's adventures, now exploring with their kids!
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Kim Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars a captivating book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2010
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I couldn't put this book down. Erin does an amazing job describing their epic journey that I almost felt like I was right there with them. It is also clear from the photos throughout the book that both Erin and Hig are talented photographers and I'm hoping that they publish a photography companion book. Rarely do I want to read a book again having just finished it, but I'm looking forward to a second read. I think this book will appeal to a wide variety of people and think it will make an excellent gift for any person who is interested in environmental issues or who appreciates hiking or nature.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Chris Paterson
4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining and readable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very entertaining and readable. The descriptions make you want to be there to see it for yourself. Incredible perseverance and determination.
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Global Citizen
5.0 out of 5 stars She makes it sound easy peasy when in reality it was a tough grind
Reviewed in Canada on November 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
She makes it sound easy peasy when in reality it was a tough grind, but well worth it.
Plus, you aren't just reading your typical adventure tale, but are getting an ecological education alongside the journey. She snuck that in quite nicely, like adding a bit of vegetables into your fruit smoothie :-)
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