North, To Alaska

   I have to confess to being quite overwhelmed by the current media obsession with All-Things- Alaska. It seems that there is suddenly a plethora of reality television shows devoted to our 49th state. On any given day, one can view Deadliest Catch, Ice Truckers, Flying Wild Alaska, Gold Rush, and Sarah Palin's Alaska. Every single show fascinates me- perhaps, because I became enamored with Alaska when my husband and I visited several years ago. In fact, we became such fans of Southeast Alaska's Tongass Wilderness, that we try to return ever year to hike, kayak, fly-fish, watch whales, bears, birds and just revel in the glory of old-growth forests in the largest temperate rainforest in the world.

   The beauty, wildness and lure of Alaska cannot  be overstated. Although HD television goes a long way in showing the breath-taking panoramas and natural vistas, as well as the dangerous remoteness of much of the state, visiting Alaska is far superior to an armchair tour by remote control. The state is extreme in every way imaginable- the temperature fluctuations, the sheer number of species of flora and fauna, the vastness of the land relative the number of people who inhabit it, the natural resources that bless the land above and below the surface. It only stands to reason that a place this unusual, this far away geographically, must have an extraordinary history.

   On our first Alaskan eco-adventure, Ed and I were fortunate to be with a group of very learned and respected students of Southeast's geography, geology, ecology and history. A book that kept coming up in lectures and conversation was Where the Sea Breaks Its Back, by Corey Ford. As the cover states, it is "The Epic Story of Early Naturalist Georg Steller and the Russian Exploration of Alaska." Prior to our visit, I was completely ignorant of Georg Steller, the young German naturalist, scientist, botanist, and physician who accompanied Vitus Bering on his ill-fated expedition to the Aleutian Islands. Steller was a brilliant, tenacious, complicated man. He discovered, on his brief trip ashore, Steller's Jay, Steller's Eider, Steller's Eagle, and Steller's White Raven.  In the ocean, Steller's Sea Cow, Steller's Sea Monkey, and Steller's Greenling are all credited to him, as well as the first recordings of flora and fauna of the new land discovered in the far reaches of the North Pacific. The path that led to the Aleutian Islands was tortured for the men who made the voyage with Bering and Steller. The return to Russia was even more perilous, and the member's of the expedition aboard the St. Peter suffered some of the most horrific experiences of Arctic exploration. Where the Sea Breaks Its Back is a story that explores the personalities, politics, and plans that led to the Bering expedition's sputtering start and tragic ending. It is a riveting tale of the race among nations to find a new way to the New World and claim the resources there.

   No matter what you have read about the early history of Alaska and the vast numbers of fur-bearing animals that inhabited it, this book will astound and shock you. The wholesale slaughter of sea otters that led them to the brink of extinction is sickening. The treatment and slavery that was endured by the native people is heart-breaking.  This story is a cautionary tale that presents a rational, historical argument for good stewardship of the land and waters that is Alaska. No matter how peculiar and difficult Steller was, he was, first and foremost, a brilliant  scientist and naturalist. Surely, no one else could have recorded so faithfully and accurately  observations of a land so strange and wonderful. Sadly, some of his discoveries were extinct within only a few years of his voyage and we have only his sketches and descriptions of these lost species.

   If you enjoy adventure,  real and historical, then Ford's book is a must-read. If you are just interested in channel-surfing, I understand a new series on Alaska taxidermy begins in April. Either way, Alaska and its ongoing evolution is compelling. I urge anyone who has the slightest desire to see what all the fuss is about to book a trip as soon as possible.