Accidental Adventures: Alaska: True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness

Accidental Adventures: Alaska: True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness

America’s fascination with Alaska began at the turn of the last century, when Jack London and John Muir captivated readers with their fiction and nonfiction stories—and continues today with such popular books as Into the Wild and the explosion of Alaska reality TV shows. In such a giant and forbidding place, people lose their way. They hurt themselves. Their equipment fails. They clash with wildlife. And in Alaska, one stroke of bad luck—one small mistake—can mean catastrophe. This book recounts twenty true misadventures, all but one told from the survivor’s point of view. Its chapters describe getting lost in the wilderness, bear attacks, dead-stick landings, snowmobile mishaps , overturned canoes, and even escape from a steaming volcano. Told as cautionary tales, these chapters are not only a nail-biting good read on their own, but an illustration of the many perils of living, working, and recreating in the Last Frontier. "... A collection that will, first, put readers on the edges of their seats with surging adrenaline and then ease them into relief and appreciation for the clear-headed thinking, training and heroism that made for safe outcomes." - Anchorage Daily News "There are 20 chapters filled with uniquely Alaskan scenarios, like fishing trips and hiking treks gone awry." - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Chris Lundgren is the author of two books, The Runner’s World Guide to Running and Pregnancy, and Legendary Locals of Chugiak-Eagle River. She has written for Runner’s World, Alaska Coast, Morris Publications and other magazines and newspapers across the country. A 21-year resident of Alaska , Chris spends as much time in the outdoors as possible. She is a longtime volunteer at the Eagle River Nature Center, a place where local guides and outdoor experts teach workshops and through which thousands of tourists pass each year. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.