Alaska Books

As the author of 'Extreme Weather; A Guide and Record Book' I collected as part of my research virtually every book on the climates of individual states ever published. I was surprised that there were none on the state of Alaska, a state with one of the most varied and interesting climates of all.

'The Climate of Alaska' has mercifully and excellently filled this void. The book has comprehensive statistics and information on every aspect of Alaska's weather and climate.

A must buy for any weather aficionado's library!

If you like gardening, you might scratch Barrow off your list of places to live. Alaska's farthest north town experiences about 10 frost-free days each year. Also, you would have trouble watering your plants there, especially in 1934, when an Alaska-record low 1.4 inches of precipitation fell. All year.

In stark contrast, your broccoli would have needed an umbrella in Angoon on an October day in 1982, when 15 inches of rain fell. And you probably needed more than a shovel if you were driving through Thompson Pass at the end of December in 1955, when more than five feet of snow fell in one day.

On the bright side for Barrow, its citizens are gaining 15 minutes of sunlight every day right now, in early February, while Annette in Southeast Alaska gains just four minutes per day. And Barrow is also a great place to fly a kite; the town experiences calm conditions just 1 percent of the time.

I know these things because I own a copy of "The Climate of Alaska," by Martha Shulski and Gerd Wendler, two climatologists who work for the Alaska Climate Research Center. The University of Alaska Press just published their new book, which is packed with cool facts about Alaska for weather nerds like me and anyone else who wants to learn more about this "large peninsula" we call home.

Shulski and Wendler have gathered all the reliable weather records--most of which are younger than a century old in Alaska--and have written about trends and oddities, like the fact that the farthest north tornado swept through the village of Kiana in August, 1976.

The Climate of Alaska exposes the extremes of Alaska, including the facts that it didn't snow or rain in Gulkana for two months straight in 1950, and in 1999 it didn't stop raining for 49 consecutive days in Juneau. Gah.

As the Juneau example illustrates, the book gives you a decent feeling of what it might be like to live in different areas of the state. People in Anchorage, for example, can see 39 miles on an average day. Fairbanks has a daily average of 35 miles visibility, but it might be tough to be a Cessna pilot in St. Paul, where the average visibility is six miles.

The state capitol of bluebird sunny days is Kotzebue, which features an average of 100 days each year with clear skies. If you're into clouds, Cold Bay would be the place, with an average of just 13 clear days each year. That includes an average of zero clear days in June, July, August, and September.

If you get the chills thinking about Cold Bay, Southeast's Annette is the state's warmest town, based on its yearly average of about 46 degrees F (which is due to its stable, maritime climate. If you really want heat, the town with the warmest average high temperature in July is Fairbanks, at 73). The coldest town with long-term weather records is Barrow, with an average yearly temp of 10.4.

We all hear that Alaska's climate is changing, and no one can tally that up with more certainty than a couple climatologists. Shulski and Wendler found that from 1949 to 2005, the state warmed 6.3 degrees in winter, 4 degrees in spring, 2.3 degrees in summer, and just 0.9 degrees in autumn. Every major town and city in Alaska with a dependable weather record for that half century got warmer during every season, except Bethel, Delta, and Fairbanks, which cooled ever so slightly in the fall.

This book is a great reference for an Alaska writer like me, and now sits within reach of my desk. Climatology is a young science in Alaska, and I trust this book.

I am an elementary school counselor. This is an excellent book to share with children who are (grieving) missing a parent because of divorce, deployment, or death. Wonderful pictures and text. A peaceful, gentle read.

IF YOU LISTEN...wow, that title get's attention. I have so much to share with/teach my child and this book's title is perfect to whisper to her and get her in the mood to LISTEN. "How do you know if someone far away is loving you?" a little girl asked her mother. Truth is, we all ask ourselves this with so many family/friends over the miles. The mother answers in a way that is very interesting and beautiful with simple, yet great descriptive writing that pulls the reader into the pictures and beyond..."You have to stop when you're lonely and listen," said her mother....If you listen hard you'll feel someone far away sending love to you." After listening to her mother's examples, the little girl sits outside under a clear blue sky. "One bird circled and circled overhead. She watched until he flew away." There is so much more I'd like to say but get this book and share it with your child and encourage them to become listeners. Listening is something that we never "graduate" from. It is a continuous learning experience and more importantly, a gift of love and respect to the speaker.
Soar!

Imagine a world where humankind is considered part of the environment and our elected leaders consider the needs of the commons when making decisions. Imagine a world where neither unbridled communism or capitalism reign. This is the world described in Wally Hickel's new book, "Crisis in the Commons: The Alaska Solution."
If you haven't read this book yet, you should. It is a well-written lesson for every citizen of the planet. Even if you don't agree with all of his ideas, Wally Hickel's book will make you think about how we can co-exist with nature and how our potential as residents and stewards of the planet is limited only by our imagination.
The story he tells is a lesson in Alaska's battle for statehood and the world's struggle to find balance between bottom-line exploitation and lock-it-up environmentalism.
It is a story every student should read. Our youth need to understand the battles that were fought by some of Alaska's greatest leaders to win statehood. They need to learn about how the federal government has broken its promises to the people of Alaska. They need to read about how outside commercial interests have exploited Alaska's resources at the expense of Alaska's citizens and the environment. They need to learn about how the environmental movement is trying to lock up Alaska and take humans out of nature's equation.
Everyone should listen to his message of entitlement. He explains with refreshing clarity how the creation of Alaska's Permanent Fund has fostered an atmosphere of doubt, greed, and narrow-sightedness. And his theory that the Permanent Fund has stolen Alaska's pioneering spirit is worthy of consideration. As Alaska faces its current fiscal crisis, it would do every Alaskan good to understand that the Permanent Fund was established as a "rainy day account" and not as a giant trust fund.
Our local, state, and federal leaders would serve us well to read this book, debate its ideas and concepts, and consider the arguments. Perhaps then they would move beyond the rancor of political jousting and act in the best interests of Alaska, the nation and the world.
Wally Hickel's life has been one of challenges, victories, defeats, vision, leadership, and controversy. This book is the culmination of an amazing life. It brings into focus an idea that has been nurtured over 50 years - an idea from a man respected around the globe for his vision and straight forward manner.
"Crisis in the Commons: The Alaska Solution" is a textbook - a textbook for the present and the future.

Don Stolworthy
Juneau, Alaska

Walter J. Hickel's "Crisis in the Commons" is must reading for anyone interested in land use patterns and environmental issues. Hickel's analysis is truly a view from the top as he has shaped land use policy both as an advocate for Alaska statehood,as governor of Alaska, and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under Richard Nixon.

Hickel takes the reader through his trials in negotiating a state land grant for Alaska in the 1958 statehood bill. We then move to the builidng of the trans-Alaska pipeline and later examine the issue of oil drilling in the Santa Barbara channel when Hickel was Secretary of the Interior. Hickel provides insightful analysis into various crises in the Nixon administration, including an account of his own firing.

The book is also a view from the top in its discussion of a new form of land ownership that has emerged in America's most northern state. Hickel calls this the "owner state." In Alaska the state, rather than the federal government or private individuals, owns a vast portion of land, including the Prudhoe Bay Oil field. Unlike earlier American states, Alaska's goal is not to place such land in private hands, but to develop it for the benefit of all the people of Alaska.

All readers may not agree with every policy that Hickel developed to "manage" the owner state. But there is no question that the "owner state" points to a new concept and vision of the public lands.

Finally the personality of Hickel, a fascinating state and national figure, comes through with vibrance in this volume. The reader will truly come to know Walter Hickel by reading "Crisis in the Commons."

Buying this book prior to my Alaska cruise proved to be well worth the investment. Per Ludmer's suggestion, we rented a car in Skagway and drove to Carcross, Yukon, Canada. What a wonderful outing away from the ship and for less then 25% the cost of us all taking the train. Get more tips from Ludmer by reading this book.

Concise, easy-to-read information fills every page of this bestseller. Unlike most cruise guidebooks, Cruising Alaska puts the emphasis on hard facts - not pretty pictures. Every detail is here, including stateroom size, passenger-crew ratio, dining options, current cruising routes, ship decor, onboard facilities and more. A candid analysis of the routes is given for every ship in Alaska this season, with details on the highlights, as well as what is missed. Maps, index.

This book is worth the entire price of the book if you just take in one piece of advice from the author - Get off the bus! The author gives over 40 options for getting off the bus and truly experiencing the park. There is a suggestion for every situation from a leisurely stroll to a back-breaking, multi-day, circuit around glaciers and passes. But don't forget that there are thousands of other options in the park that are beyond the scope of this book.

Also, the author shares a lot of photography advice that is often as specific as which bus to catch and which side to sit on to improve your chances of getting the shots you want. In general, the photography advice is not overly technical, but his intimate knowledge gained over the years comes through well. All in all, a very good book.

Denali National Park is different from the majority of US parks, as most of the area has no developed trail system (as opposed to Yosemite or Olympic which have very well-established trails). You are encouraged to hike around and explore on your own, which can be a bit daunting. Hence, a lot of visitors stay on the shuttle buses, content to just watch the scenery flash by.

Ike Waits brings your attention to how beautiful this park can be with just a bit of exploration off the bus stop. With the low-lying vegetation (most of the park is tundra, not forest), it is hard to get lost, and the rewards in terms of natural splendor and wildlife viewing grow exponentially.

This book brings dozens of easy-to-understand trail areas and maps to the Denali visitor. Informative, well-researched, these descriptions come with a background of decades of hiking and exploring Denali. You couldn't be in better hands, so step off the bus and go explore the park!

Small enough to bring in a stuffed backpack, this excellent guide will make you travel along the trail to the top of Denali before even taking the plane. Perfect to plan your trip, everything is in it: gear check, clear maps, day-by-day detailed itinary, breathtaking pictures...

Since i bought this book in the first time, i ordered some to all my expedition partners as gifts...!

I never saw a guide like this one!

ML

First of all, I am the author, so the 5 stars might be a bit subjective :)
As the information above does not say anything about the book itself and it appears nearly impossible to update that info, I though I'd tell a bit more about the book here, so you can decide if this is useful for you.

At 6194 m (20,320 ft) Denali (Mt McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America. Its arctic latitude makes for extreme weather conditions and its remote location in the Alaskan wilderness means that climbing teams must be self-reliant and experienced. The book focuses on the West Buttress route used by 80-90% of climbers.

The pocket-sized guidebook provides all you need to plan and enjoy your summit attempt:

* concise advice about preparation and planning
* how to prevent and manage altitude sickness
* practical tips on load-carrying and, glacier travel and camping
* an extensive gearlist and advice on the use of sleds
* fold-out map showing the West Buttress route
* step-by-step description of the route and campsites
* 96 waterproof pages with open-flat binding
* in full colour, with over 60 photographs, some of them full page.

It is the same size as the Aconcagua pocket guide and fits in most pockets, being only 115grams/4oz and 14.5 x 11.5 x 0.8cm in size (5.7 x 4.5 x 0.3 inch). It can handle the snow you will meet on Denali without weakening the pages.

We had some knowledgeable people proofread the book, here are their reactions:

*** Reviewed by seven-summiteer Jake Meyer ***
This is the ultimate `bible' dedicated to climbing McKinley. What a pleasure to read an up-to-date, comprehensive guidebook for climbing in one of the most beautiful yet inhospitable environments on Earth. The wonderful pictures remind me of the awe-inspiring scale of the Alaska Range and a memorable expedition. It's informative, enjoyable and beautifully presented, and should be top of every Denali adventurer's kit list, to accompany them every step of the way.

The format is snowproof, windproof and probably climberproof. In the military, we use TAMs (Tactical Aide Memoires) to cope with every imaginable situation, and Harry's book is the ultimate TAM for climbing Denali. Whether it guides you to the summit, or merely adds to the library of the armchair adventurer, this book is an essential part of the team.

-- Jake Meyer, who in 2005 became the youngest man to complete the '7 summits'.

*** Reviewed by Daryl R Miller, Denali Park Ranger
"This book contains lots of good information and advice and it'll help you prepare for your expedition. But to climb Denali you also need patience and hunility"

-- Daryl R Miller, South District Ranger, Denali National Park & Preserve

Mr Miller is absolutely correct, do not underestimate this beautiful mountain. Thanks for your attention, hope this guide will make your climb safer, more enjoyable and more successful.
As always: Keep climbing, but be safe.

Sherwonit has put together an excellent collection of stories of cultural and natural history in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would HIGHLY reccommend this book to anyone planning to visit the area. I can't wait to visit Denali National Park and know that I will feel more closely connected to the park and all of its wonder after hearing some of the stories it has to tell.

This collection stands out among many as a great resource for any traveler wanting to learn about Alaska from people (historical and modern) who experienced it firsthand. It's especially strong in presenting the classics of history, natural history and adventure travel: excerpts from the early explorers and mountaineers, descriptions of wildlife from Denali pioneers Adolph Murie and Charles Sheldon, and even some Native sacred stories. Those excerpts make Sherwonit's book a classic Alaska bookshelf sandwiched between the soft covers of a single book. Additionally, this anthology includes modern accounts by thoughtful writers and pioneers: a great essay on moose by Sherry Simpson, an account of the life of a grizzly cub observed by a ranger Rick McIntyre, and more. As an Alaskan and guidebook writer I've used this book often for my own research, as well as for my reading pleasure. Sherwonit has done readers a great service by collecting these 23 essays and excerpts, many of which are otherwise hard to track down. They make a great addition to a serious traveler's library -- but they're portable enough to pack for plane, ferry and tent.

Filled from cover to cover with glorious full-color photographs, Dogs Of The Iditarod by Anchorage-based professional photographer Jeff Schultz celebrates the canine participants in Alaska's famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race. These dogs' athletic endeavors, their incredible endurance, and their very special bonding with their owners are all showcased in this fantastically visual and highly recommended read for dog lovers everywhere.

Being partial to sled dogs myself (I am owned by two) I very much enjoyed leafing through this book. I actually bought it as a gift for my brother who adopted an Alaskan Husky last year, but I may have to buy another copy for myself!

Good portraits of the various types of dogs which nowadays run this intense and challenging race. The photos and text give you a glimpse into the world of sled dog racing, yet the book also shows the "gentler" and "calmer" side of these magnificent animals (lets enjoy the quiet times, as we know, calm or slow is not really an important part of their vocabulary!).

If you love sled dogs, get this book, it is worth it.

I bought this book and donated it as a birthday book at the elementary school I work at. The librarian has been reading it to the classes that come in for library. I have gotten so many hugs and THANK YOUS from the kids at school. They have all said it is a "Great Book" or "Awesome Book". They were doing a unit on the iditarod races and sled dogs, so I checked with the librarian to see if the library had this book and if they would be interested in it for the library.

Having met the author and heard her tell the story at my school, it was wonderful to read the book! Pam Flowers tells an exciting true story well and my students hung on every word! The illustrations are absolutely beautiful as well as the story.

After having just read Gary Paulsen's book Winterdance, I was anxious to learn more about the iditarod race and this book answered every question I could have dreamed up and more including history of mushing and the race, how mushers and dogs prepare for the race, what kind of equiptment they carry, and descriptions of the trail itself. It also has a very large bibliography which gave me a list of other books I would like to read.

This is a great book. The training section helped me with ideas for my dogs, as did the parts on equipment and feeding.