Darswords

The Wild Side of Alaska by Donna Morang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since my husband and I took a small cruise from Juneau to Glacier Bay back pre 9-11 in June 2001 (TMI?) I have had a love-hate relationship with Alaska. The cruise was marvelous. I loved every minute of it. I just knew could I never live there. I would never be able to handle the cold winters and long winter nights. When we were on the cruise having only a couple hours of night was perfect for me. Kayaking next to icebergs was so exciting!

But this is supposed to be about the book. I highly admire Donna Morang and her spirit of adventure so it was a given that I would love the book. And I did! Even though I am a gluten-free vegan, I understand the fishing and hunting thrill. I, also, appreciate the survival need for these activities. I suppose if I needed to I might push myself to partake. Since the Kilcher Alaskan Show (name slips my mind right now) I feel there are ways for me to survive there diet wise. But this old body would cease to exist in the cold.

Why am I making this about me? Well, the above thoughts would be prominent as I read Ms. Morang’s story. Okay, maybe I would have made it in the sixties. also. I think I am about Donna’s age. In fact, I was a cosmetologist in the late sixties and early seventies. But I was in Southern California at the time.

What an adventure! Bear attacks, nearly drowning in the rapids, raising a baby so far from town. Flying above the Alaskan scenery! It was so fun to live, vicariously, through Donna’s eyes. Such a different kind of life from mine.

There were grammatical errors, but not enough to ruined it for me. I think I wanted more emotion? Deeper connections between Donna and her husband? I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe because she is drawing on journal entries and memories, and who remembers accurately that far back? I barely can remember yesterday. Maybe I needed more of my senses involved?

I did love the pictures. I wanted more of them. The scariest picture was of the baby and the wolf. I felt all the emotions Donna must have felt at that moment.

I give it 5 stars. I will remember this book for a long time, and I may want to re-read it someday just to bring back the Alaska feelings. I already miss it.

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Everyone of us looking in different directions. There was so much beauty! And mountain sheep.

Me getting ready to kayak. I didn’t need all those layers I learned as I huffed and puffed.

We cruised by gems of icebergs, some blue, some green. All fascinating!

It was a larger iceberg like this one that we saw a line of puffin lined up. Not sure where the puffin picture is right now.

Ice flows. Okay, this isn’t the picture of the the soup of ice that our captain had to maneuver, but it almost looked this bad! Scary!

Me in my orange coat with orange nails in front of Mendenhall Glacier. My husband had bought us matching orange coats. At the time they arrived I felt it a little corny, but it was meant to take this kind of cold. Those nails are shown because I was wearing thermal reacting polish that was pink in color when warm. I was surprised that when they were cold they matched my orange coat.