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Being Caribou: Five Months On Foot With An Arctic Herd
written by Karsten Heuer
Studio : Mountaineers Books
by Mountaineers Books
Publisher : Mountaineers Books
Released : 2005-11-30
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781594850103
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 8 reviews)
List Price : $24.95
Our Price : $15.47
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Product Description |
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What begins as a wildlife research project becomes much more as the author and his wife learn to hear the earth, pay attention to their dreams and slowly change, beyond their expectations, into being caribou. ·Wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer and filmmaker Leanne Allison spend five months migrating on foot with more than 100,000 caribou
·Both gripping adventure and stark portrayal of an Arctic ecosystem threatened by oil development
·Fresh off a nine-city tour in Spring 2005 for his book, Walking the Big Wild, the author will tour in Fall 2005 for this new book and a film by the same name In April 2003 newlyweds Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison embarked on a five-month research journey to migrate more than 2,000 miles with a herd of 120,000 Porcupine Caribou. From Old Crow, Yukon, to the calving grounds in Alaska, and back again, the Heuers followed the ancient paths and primordial rhythms of the herd from its winter range through Canada and across the border to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the United States. The couple traveled by foot and by skis through unforgiving landscapes—fording swift, deadly cold rivers, as well as encountering ravenous grizzlies who tracked them as prey. Having begun their expedition with the practiced pragmatism of two seasoned outdoor adventurers, Karsten and Leanne soon learned that they would only be able to find and discern the intent of the herd by adopting the ancient ways of the area’s indigenous people. Given advice by a Gwich’in native in Old Crow at the start of their trip to "listen to dreams", Karsten and Leanne find they must shed the many insulating layers of pragmatism that distance them from the natural world. They discover that there is a truth that is transformational in listening to the music of the earth, paying attention to the urgings within dreams, and in truly, beyond their expectations, being caribou. |
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A story of the instinct that drives both human and animal |
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Birds are not the only animals who make regular long distance migrations...The caribou indulges in this practice as well. "Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd" follows their journey across countless rivers, mountain ranges, and passes for a thousand mile journey to the Caribou's ancestral calving grounds and then all of that over again so they can return home. A story of the instinct that drives both human and animal, "Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd" is recommended to community library wildlife collections with a crossover to true adventure shelves and for any non-specialist general reader who wants to learn more of these fascinating creatures. |
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in the footsteps of the caribou |
Having enjoyed the movie by the same title, I decided to read Heuer's book in the hope that it would fill in more of the details of this epic journey in the footsteps of the Porcupine herd of caribou. Without detracting from the movie, the book provides more insight into those aspects of the story that could not easily be addressed on film, such as logistics, nature observations, the passage of days, and the more personal side of what, at times, must have seemed an impossible journey.
While the narrative follows the progress of the caribou herd's trek along a continuum spanning three seasons, it is interwoven with backflashes to planning and preparation for the expedition, reflections on the ecological and cultural place occupied by caribou, and forays into the politics of oil exploration and its impact on the Arctic wildlife.
Having now watched the movie and read the book, I remain amazed at the logistics of this journey -- from both the perspective of this expedition, and for the caribou which they follow. The book fleshed in much of what I suspected from the start -- that the annual migration of the caribou is a grueling marathon through a landscape that is both beautiful, but fraught with perils far beyond our imaginings.
From the perspective of adventure writing, Heuer delivers a fast-paced narrative that provides a good understanding of the landscape and the logistics of the journey. We are given enough details to vicariously feel the weight of a 70 pound backpack, the chill of wading a half-frozen river, and the helpless sense of frustration while watching a lost caribou calf straying from the herd to certain death on the tundra. We're given a generous glimpse into the thoughts of the writer as he and his partner face fear, pain, and fatigue, but also experience joy, excitement, and a growing respect for the caribou - as well as a grave concern for their future.
But this book should be regarded as much more than a travel or adventure narrative. It provides a much-needed window into the lives of the caribou and their place in the unique and fragile web of Arctic ecology. It also provides a background to the political and environmental issues that endanger the future of the north. |
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Pretty good |
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His message on the caribou herd is 5 star message. It is a shame what may happen to the caribou herd if or when drilling happens. All in all a pretty good book. |
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Adventure in a Place Most of us Will Never Visit |
It takes a special kind of couple to spend their honeymoon following a herd of caribou across northern Canada and Alaska for four months. Getting used to each other is hard enough, but then to be swimming rivers that are barely free of ice, to climb mountain ranges in the snow, meeting up with grizzly bears that are not overly friendly.
They traveled over a thousand miles to study the caribou to produce a film of their migration to the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The flyleaf of the book says that it is an 'Adventure Narrative' and it is. It's also a lot more than that as most of us don't know what the current debate about drilling for oil and gas in the ANWR is all about. Needless to say, as a wildlife biologist the author has very definite views on the subject.
The ANWR is a place that most of us will never see. It's a place that most people never heard of. And unfortunately, it's probably a place that will be damaged, if not destroyed in the search for energy. As a congresswoman told the author: 'the bottom line for voters on this issue is cheap gas.'
This book is a story of the life of teh animals in the north, and of the people who study them. It's a story worth reading about. Thank you Mr. Heuer for bringing this to our attention. |
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Why ANWR must be preserved, even made a Nat'l Monument or Park |
Husband and wife team of Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison decide to spend their honeymoon in just about the most off-the-beaten-track way possible: they're going to migrate with caribou.
Not just any caribou, but the Porcupine herd of northern Canada and Alaska, the herd whose calving ground is the 1002 Section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the place where Exxon wants to drill to get what will likely be less than six months, maybe one year's worth of U.S. needs of oil supply.
So, skiing and hiking, the duo spend April-September 2003 covering hundreds of miles in the wake of thousands of caribou, starting from Canada's Yukon, going into Alaska, then coming back. On the way, they cross and recross multiple mountain ranges and rivers, the latter frozen on the way up and roiling currents on the way back, battle swarms of summer mosquitoes and other bugs, cut their food budget tight between plane drops, and make psychological connections with both the herd instinct of the caribou and with each other as newlyweds.
Portraying the caribou instinct as a more jazzy, free-form version of the salmon's drive to spawn, their trek sheds valuable new light on caribou activities. It also underscores the fragility and the absolute importance of ANWR's 1002 Section.
To see just what is at stake on the side of the aisle opposite Exxon, and to fall in love with the Arctic North, read this book. Sixteen pages of full-color plates provide a wonderful photographic sidebar. |
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