| "Boating Alaska" presents a sampling of the numerous opportunities available to experienced voyagers, weekend paddlers, and first-time tourists looking to explore the Last Frontier by nonmotorized watercraft. With 30,000 miles of coastline, 3 million lakes, and some of the wildest, most remote rivers on the continent, Alaska boasts more possibilities for adventure by water than can be explored in a lifetime. "Boating Alaska" takes the reader on a harrowing raft trip through an ice-choked torrent and accompanies a canoeist’s reflective journey with his daughter. It describes kayakers braving 16-foot waves in the far reaches of the Aleutians and portrays the challenges of maneuvering a sailboat through the dramatic landscape and stormy seas of the Inside Passage. Join seasoned guides as they recount their experiences including a canoe crossing of the Kootznoowoo Wilderness and humpback whale and sea lion sightings while kayaking in Aialik Bay. Traverse the splendidly isolated Wood-Tikchik Lakes and descend the legendary Koyukuk River. Penetrate the largest internationally protected wilderness in the world on a raft trip down the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers or share the excitement of grizzly bear, muskox, and caribou encounters on the Hulahula River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Boating Alaska visits annual events such as the competitive, fun-spirited Nenana River Wildwater Race and the delightfully wacky novelty boat race held during Nome’s Midnight Sun Festival. This book also presents tips for safe and comfortable travel by water and lists resources for planning boating excursions in Alaska. Boating Alaska is an adventure- and fact-filled book, illustrated with dozens of color photographs, that will stir readers to pick up paddle or oar and start planning their next trip by kayak, canoe, raft, or sail. |
