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Call of the Wild: My Escape to Alaska
Guy Grieve's life was going nowhere - trapped in a job he hated, commuting 2,000 miles a month and up to his neck in debt. But he dreamed of escaping it all to live alone in one of the wildest, most remote places on earth - Alaska.
And just when he'd given up hope, the dream came true. Suddenly Guy was thrown into one of the harshest environments in the world, miles from the nearest human being and armed with only the most basic equipment. And he soon found - whether building a log cabin from scratch, hunting, ice fishing or of course dodging bears in the buff - that life in the wilderness was anything but easy...
Part Ray Mears, part Bill Bryson, CALL OF THE WILD is the gripping story of how a mild-mannered commuter struggled with the elements - and himself - and eventually learned the ways of the wild.
And just when he'd given up hope, the dream came true. Suddenly Guy was thrown into one of the harshest environments in the world, miles from the nearest human being and armed with only the most basic equipment. And he soon found - whether building a log cabin from scratch, hunting, ice fishing or of course dodging bears in the buff - that life in the wilderness was anything but easy...
Part Ray Mears, part Bill Bryson, CALL OF THE WILD is the gripping story of how a mild-mannered commuter struggled with the elements - and himself - and eventually learned the ways of the wild.
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2006
137 people are currently reading
1121 people want to read
About the author
Guy Grieve
11 books19 followersAdventurer, outdoorsman, shellfish farmer, writer and TV presenter; resident in Scotland. Began his current career in 2004 after leaving a desk job in sales at The Scotsman newspaper to spend a year in Alaska - and sending articles about it to the paper instead. These later became the basis for his Call of the Wild book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
June 24, 2013
Throughout this book, I was very angry with Mr. Grieve for leaving his family for a year to "find himself". Many of us are approaching middle age, commuting, working in cubicles, parenting toddlers, and chafing at the sameness of our lives. His type of adventure is something he should have done before marriage and before having kids. Every time I read about his calls home and his sorrow over missing his children I felt angry again. His wife deserves all the credit for keeping the family together while Guy went on this venture. I wonder how he would have handled it if Juliet (his wife) had decided she wanted to take a year off to go someplace far away.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the book. I love reading about how he came to Alaska without ANY skills or ideas about survival, and how he learned and adapted. His struggling with insects, felling trees, starting fires, trapping beavers, melting enough snow to drink, mushing sled dogs and learning to shoot firearms was impressive. I especially enjoyed reading the step by step instructions he gave for building a cabin and clearing a portage, and the footnotes he used throughout the book to explain certain terms he used. The photos he included were a great addition to the story, too. He included several lists in the back of the book, which explained what gear he used and how he cooked some of his meals. I would have liked to see a list of the foods he took with him, and their quantities. I would also have liked to read the articles he sent to The Scottsman newspaper.
Guy owes a huge debt to the family who lent him tools, a snow machine, and their time and experience in building his cabin. He is very lucky to have found other people willing to lend him a four wheeler and to teach him to handle a dog team. I wonder if he has stayed in touch with them since his adventure ended.
Overall, this is a good book for those who dream of building a cabin and living in the wilderness. Mr. Grieve has a very humble and honest way of telling his story. If you can get past the part where he left his family, you will enjoy the book.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the book. I love reading about how he came to Alaska without ANY skills or ideas about survival, and how he learned and adapted. His struggling with insects, felling trees, starting fires, trapping beavers, melting enough snow to drink, mushing sled dogs and learning to shoot firearms was impressive. I especially enjoyed reading the step by step instructions he gave for building a cabin and clearing a portage, and the footnotes he used throughout the book to explain certain terms he used. The photos he included were a great addition to the story, too. He included several lists in the back of the book, which explained what gear he used and how he cooked some of his meals. I would have liked to see a list of the foods he took with him, and their quantities. I would also have liked to read the articles he sent to The Scottsman newspaper.
Guy owes a huge debt to the family who lent him tools, a snow machine, and their time and experience in building his cabin. He is very lucky to have found other people willing to lend him a four wheeler and to teach him to handle a dog team. I wonder if he has stayed in touch with them since his adventure ended.
Overall, this is a good book for those who dream of building a cabin and living in the wilderness. Mr. Grieve has a very humble and honest way of telling his story. If you can get past the part where he left his family, you will enjoy the book.
March 19, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book but found it hard not to dislike a man that would put so many other people's lives at risk in order to satisfy his urge to live in the Alaskan interior. Without the incredible generosity of several locals he would have died.
October 8, 2020
The one-phrase rundown: exxxcellent, Smithers.
I loved this book. Ok, I freakin’ loved this book. I will say that I’ve read more than a few ‘tales of survival’, from classics like Shackleton to those lost at sea to POW escapes. Guy’s story, though less harrowing in some ways, is one of the best in the genre.
The whole things sounds like a recipe for disaster: a disillusioned Scottish exec, disturbed by the façade of modern life and wealth, decides to leave his family with relatives and spend a winter alone in Alaska for reasons he can’t actually articulate. He hatches this plan despite being a relative neophyte to the outdoors in general and to cold climates specifically. And from the start, he did almost everything wrong.
Honestly, I was not necessarily poised to like Guy at the beginning of the book. Although he was doing something that I’ve always dreamed of, he had little idea of what he was really getting into; he tried to prepare with NF gear and unsuitable boots but he could have easily ended up as just another chechako who made fatal, avoidable mistakes and died in the midst of a failed Alaska/Jack London/Farely Mowat fantasy. He also detailed how badly he felt being away from his family (a wife, one baked bun and another in the oven). At first, I was disappointed that we had little in common (I over-prepare and am not so family-oriented). But the more I read, the more I came to root for Guy. I now unabashedly count him among the few authors I’d stand in line to meet.
Guy succeeded in spite of his repeated misjudgments and, moreover, prospered, living a year that I would pay to experience (if I had any money). But you can’t deny that Guy made mistake after mistake, several potentially lethal, in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. He did things that made me cringe – my favorite was wearing a kilt to a backwoods Alaska bar – and I ended up lovin’ him all the more for it for it. Guy not only survives and gains valuable wisdom (about Alaska and life) but he tells the readers all about it, for goodness’ sakes. I would be unlikely to admit some of the things he did, but Guy gives it to us as a good writer should: with great wit and humility. So don’t get me wrong – if I ever tried something like this, I would want Guy with me. And Don. And Charlie. And Chris and Claudette and Carol. And Fuzzy.
The mention of that cast of characters brings me to what I thought was one of the central themes in this book: luck. Guy had the inexplicably good fortune to meet a number of incredible people, often at the moment he needed them. For instance: after discovering he’d cut down and peeled huge logs which he planned to use to build his cabin, he realized he had no way to move them to the cabin site. Poof! Two native guys randomly show up moose hunting and offer him the use of their beat-up ATV. Guy gives credit where credit is due, however, and it’s obvious that his friends made a big difference. I think it was ultimately Guy’s affability and humanity which gained him these friends.
Guy’s descriptions of his world book make it obvious why so many other musher/hermit wannabes end up crazy and/or dead in the interior. In that way, I found this a cautionary tale, as Into the Wild was when I read it years ago, but much more fun and accessible than Krakauer’s youthful reminisces of Devil’s Thumb. Guy makes us glad he went (yea! He found what he was looking for in Alaska, didn't go nuts, and he’s not dead!) And Guy, true to his honest, generous nature, gives all sorts of info in the back of the book about gear, how to avoid his mistakes, or how to make a good beaver rib dish.
Search Amazon and you’ll see another book that he recently put out concerning cooking: The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom. Not adventure, but I’ll add it to my stack of unused cookbooks.
I loved this book. Ok, I freakin’ loved this book. I will say that I’ve read more than a few ‘tales of survival’, from classics like Shackleton to those lost at sea to POW escapes. Guy’s story, though less harrowing in some ways, is one of the best in the genre.
The whole things sounds like a recipe for disaster: a disillusioned Scottish exec, disturbed by the façade of modern life and wealth, decides to leave his family with relatives and spend a winter alone in Alaska for reasons he can’t actually articulate. He hatches this plan despite being a relative neophyte to the outdoors in general and to cold climates specifically. And from the start, he did almost everything wrong.
Honestly, I was not necessarily poised to like Guy at the beginning of the book. Although he was doing something that I’ve always dreamed of, he had little idea of what he was really getting into; he tried to prepare with NF gear and unsuitable boots but he could have easily ended up as just another chechako who made fatal, avoidable mistakes and died in the midst of a failed Alaska/Jack London/Farely Mowat fantasy. He also detailed how badly he felt being away from his family (a wife, one baked bun and another in the oven). At first, I was disappointed that we had little in common (I over-prepare and am not so family-oriented). But the more I read, the more I came to root for Guy. I now unabashedly count him among the few authors I’d stand in line to meet.
Guy succeeded in spite of his repeated misjudgments and, moreover, prospered, living a year that I would pay to experience (if I had any money). But you can’t deny that Guy made mistake after mistake, several potentially lethal, in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. He did things that made me cringe – my favorite was wearing a kilt to a backwoods Alaska bar – and I ended up lovin’ him all the more for it for it. Guy not only survives and gains valuable wisdom (about Alaska and life) but he tells the readers all about it, for goodness’ sakes. I would be unlikely to admit some of the things he did, but Guy gives it to us as a good writer should: with great wit and humility. So don’t get me wrong – if I ever tried something like this, I would want Guy with me. And Don. And Charlie. And Chris and Claudette and Carol. And Fuzzy.
The mention of that cast of characters brings me to what I thought was one of the central themes in this book: luck. Guy had the inexplicably good fortune to meet a number of incredible people, often at the moment he needed them. For instance: after discovering he’d cut down and peeled huge logs which he planned to use to build his cabin, he realized he had no way to move them to the cabin site. Poof! Two native guys randomly show up moose hunting and offer him the use of their beat-up ATV. Guy gives credit where credit is due, however, and it’s obvious that his friends made a big difference. I think it was ultimately Guy’s affability and humanity which gained him these friends.
Guy’s descriptions of his world book make it obvious why so many other musher/hermit wannabes end up crazy and/or dead in the interior. In that way, I found this a cautionary tale, as Into the Wild was when I read it years ago, but much more fun and accessible than Krakauer’s youthful reminisces of Devil’s Thumb. Guy makes us glad he went (yea! He found what he was looking for in Alaska, didn't go nuts, and he’s not dead!) And Guy, true to his honest, generous nature, gives all sorts of info in the back of the book about gear, how to avoid his mistakes, or how to make a good beaver rib dish.
Search Amazon and you’ll see another book that he recently put out concerning cooking: The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom. Not adventure, but I’ll add it to my stack of unused cookbooks.
March 5, 2018
Autor zostawia żonę i dwójkę małych dzieci w Szkocji, aby odnaleźć sens życia w temperaturach -60 stopni C na Alasce.
January 20, 2014
This is a book about a man sick of his corporate newspaper job in Scotland and craves to live in the wilds of Alaska, for one winter. He makes some internet friends, a grizzled former Hells Angels Alaskan and his wife. With the aid of these new friends and others, he builds a log cabin in the interior of Alaska, learns to hunt, cook and fish and get through one winter.
If you liked the Woodswoman books, you'll probably like this.
Throughout the course of the book, he relates how he gets tools from his new friends, how they help him, and you get to learn all kinds of things about moose, mush dogs, cooking and hunting in the wild. He also relates mushing adventures, adventures the few times he gets into town, including an almost fight with a drunk guy.
It's delightful. Just as on Amazon, there are people dumping on him because he "abandoned" his family back in Scotland for this allegedly selfish adventure.
Huh? Who can't relate to how he feels, suffocated in his job. Plus, it's not like he just dumps his family, he discusses doing this, and still getting paid from his old job, since he will write a weekly column for his newspaper about Alaska and what he's doing through sat.-phone-internet.
And he talks about his family constantly, and you can tell they love each other.
Also, Guy is very humble. He admits his gratitude towards others for helping him out. He's likeable, so it's no wonder people want to help him achieve his dream. Now, pay it forward, Guy!
The ONLY thing I didn't like was he was sort of mean to Fuzzy in the beginning, and I wanted to wring his neck. But then later, they are a team. Still, I didn't understand why he didn't take Fuzzy back with him to Scotland. By the end of spring, they were best friends. I could NEVER leave a dog I love. Never.
Great escapist nature read.
If you liked the Woodswoman books, you'll probably like this.
Throughout the course of the book, he relates how he gets tools from his new friends, how they help him, and you get to learn all kinds of things about moose, mush dogs, cooking and hunting in the wild. He also relates mushing adventures, adventures the few times he gets into town, including an almost fight with a drunk guy.
It's delightful. Just as on Amazon, there are people dumping on him because he "abandoned" his family back in Scotland for this allegedly selfish adventure.
Huh? Who can't relate to how he feels, suffocated in his job. Plus, it's not like he just dumps his family, he discusses doing this, and still getting paid from his old job, since he will write a weekly column for his newspaper about Alaska and what he's doing through sat.-phone-internet.
And he talks about his family constantly, and you can tell they love each other.
Also, Guy is very humble. He admits his gratitude towards others for helping him out. He's likeable, so it's no wonder people want to help him achieve his dream. Now, pay it forward, Guy!
The ONLY thing I didn't like was he was sort of mean to Fuzzy in the beginning, and I wanted to wring his neck. But then later, they are a team. Still, I didn't understand why he didn't take Fuzzy back with him to Scotland. By the end of spring, they were best friends. I could NEVER leave a dog I love. Never.
Great escapist nature read.
April 29, 2025
What would you do if you were to live in the Interior of Alaska? How would you survive? What would your preparation look like?
These are all questions I asked myself while reading “Call of the American Wild”. Although I’m a self-professed outdoorsman (I like to hunt, fish, and occasionally camp), I’ve never done anything like what Guy Grieve accomplished.
His story is one of humility and patience. One of leaning on others in order to learn, grow, and ultimately survive. It is a story about getting out of one’s comfort zone and chasing passions no matter how ridiculous others may think they are.
Guy tells a beautiful story that made me feel as though I was in the Alaskan Bush alongside him. His interactions with the land, animals, people, and dogs of show us how there is so much more to this world than just ourselves. This story is one I will not soon forget.
These are all questions I asked myself while reading “Call of the American Wild”. Although I’m a self-professed outdoorsman (I like to hunt, fish, and occasionally camp), I’ve never done anything like what Guy Grieve accomplished.
His story is one of humility and patience. One of leaning on others in order to learn, grow, and ultimately survive. It is a story about getting out of one’s comfort zone and chasing passions no matter how ridiculous others may think they are.
Guy tells a beautiful story that made me feel as though I was in the Alaskan Bush alongside him. His interactions with the land, animals, people, and dogs of show us how there is so much more to this world than just ourselves. This story is one I will not soon forget.
December 11, 2023
Terrific Story!
I really enjoyed this journey into the bush of the Antarctic with the author who dared to risk everything for a life changing adventure. This story is riveting, inspiring, and heartwarming, while also very enlightening about wilderness survival. I really loved this book!
I really enjoyed this journey into the bush of the Antarctic with the author who dared to risk everything for a life changing adventure. This story is riveting, inspiring, and heartwarming, while also very enlightening about wilderness survival. I really loved this book!
May 23, 2021
What happens when a Scottish office worker becomes obsessed with leaving his family to spent a year in the interior of Alaska? Well, a lot. I love this kind of adventure, but I do have to say it felt like Guy got out of his situations pretty easily. If it had been fiction, I would have really been upset that his encounters with grizzlies, wolves, and moose didn't seem more life-threatening. If I was to analyze the story, I'd say the major theme is that man is not meant to be a solitary creature, that we need the company of our own kind to thrive.
My biggest pet peeve came when Guy left Alaska and didn't take a certain somebody with him.
SPOILER ALERT
How could he not take Fuzzy home with him? That dog was the real MVP.
My biggest pet peeve came when Guy left Alaska and didn't take a certain somebody with him.
SPOILER ALERT
How could he not take Fuzzy home with him? That dog was the real MVP.
November 15, 2012
I had to quit reading this book because the author was just making me too mad! He doesn't like his job in Scotland and feels overwhelmed by debt and family responsibilities so he decides moving to Alaska alone for a year and building and living in a cabin in the bush will somehow fix things. It really made me angry that he left his wife and two very young sons behind for an entire year to do this. Plus he has absolutely NO experience with building a cabin or surviving in the wild. The way he writes is like I'm a bumbling idiot but somehow everything will work out for me in the end. It was just too irritating so I had to stop reading it. Would not recommend this one at all!
May 31, 2020
"Better to seek out happiness now than to waste time scrimping and saving for a future that may not exist, and can never be tamed."
June 18, 2022
Well written and very enjoyable. It made me feel like I took a trip to Alaska while in the cozy world of my home - avoiding the dangers that surrounded the author.
I won't go on to explain the book as many people have already done in their reviews. What I took away from the story is that many people do not fit into the 9-5 office environment. Yet they find the courage and have the guts to challenge the norm and go against what seems a fool-hardy adventure, such as the author did. But what an experience! And isn't that what life is about? Pushing yourself to find that inner core of who you uniquely are?
I am amazed that this man from Scotland survived in the harsh Alaskan interior. He had great help from native Alaskans, who were generous with their time and support. One false step and you are dead, either by encountering a bear or getting stuck in a storm and losing your path in the sub-zero temperatures. I would not have survived, but then I think, why do I already know I would not survive? Maybe I'm just too lazy? Or perhaps underestimate myself, which is a sorry state.
I won't go on to explain the book as many people have already done in their reviews. What I took away from the story is that many people do not fit into the 9-5 office environment. Yet they find the courage and have the guts to challenge the norm and go against what seems a fool-hardy adventure, such as the author did. But what an experience! And isn't that what life is about? Pushing yourself to find that inner core of who you uniquely are?
I am amazed that this man from Scotland survived in the harsh Alaskan interior. He had great help from native Alaskans, who were generous with their time and support. One false step and you are dead, either by encountering a bear or getting stuck in a storm and losing your path in the sub-zero temperatures. I would not have survived, but then I think, why do I already know I would not survive? Maybe I'm just too lazy? Or perhaps underestimate myself, which is a sorry state.
March 20, 2019
A beautiful lesson in humility and the kindness of strangers, Guy Grieve’s tales of life in the Alaskan wilderness offers up a rich cast of characters that will restore your faith in humanity and ignite a passion for adventure.
Wonderfully descriptive, reading this book is as close as it gets to experiencing a brutal winter in the Interior without leaving the comfort of your own home.
A special salute to Juliet for holding down the fort and for creating an exciting new life for Guy to return to.
Wonderfully descriptive, reading this book is as close as it gets to experiencing a brutal winter in the Interior without leaving the comfort of your own home.
A special salute to Juliet for holding down the fort and for creating an exciting new life for Guy to return to.
December 29, 2020
dająca dużo radości historia młodego Szkota, który rzuca pracę w redakcji gazety w Edynburgu i wyrusza sprawdzić się w alaskijskiej zimie. Musi zbudować sam chatkę w głuszy, nauczyć się polować, powozić psami husky oraz nie dać się wielu niebezpieczeństwom czyhającym w dzikiej krainie. Wszystko to opisuje w sposób bardzo ciekawy, co pozwala wczuć się w jego sytuację i tym się autentycznie ekscytować. Dla fanów survivalu i outdooru na poziomie hard.
August 10, 2022
He can't explain why he did it. So, the inconvenience to his family while he plopped down in Alaska for months lacking skills and supplies has mysterious motivations. His success is due to the generosity and kindness of strangers stemming from the implicit imposition of his needy presence. It feels like a saga of selfishness lacking in honest self-reflection.
September 24, 2022
excellent adventure
I could not put this down. Having lived in a similar situation in Texas for 35 years, I made the semi-irrational decision to move to the mountains of Colorado. When I did, it transformed me into the person I had always wanted to be on the inside, and the outside.
Guy’s journey is empowering and inspirational!
I could not put this down. Having lived in a similar situation in Texas for 35 years, I made the semi-irrational decision to move to the mountains of Colorado. When I did, it transformed me into the person I had always wanted to be on the inside, and the outside.
Guy’s journey is empowering and inspirational!
August 27, 2011
Escape from the mundane day to day existence of sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat, work, sleep to the world of frozen adventures and self discovery. Guy Grieve ditches his day job in Edinburgh (and also coldly it could be argued his wife and child) to follow his dream of building a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness and living there alone for the winter. It takes a brave guy (excuse the pun) to stay true to yourself and follow your dreams when all around you think you've gone totally bonkers. He manages to make you feel like you are there with him and are sharing in his successes and disasters. The cold harsh Alaskan winter is made to feel that little bit warmer by the relationships he develops with the local people and his team of dogs. A great read that makes me want to walk into work on Monday and tell my boss to stick it...I'm off to get a map, compass and some supplies..see you in a year. Tchau!
June 5, 2013
Guy Grieve leaves a corporate job he hates in Scotland to make a life for himself in Alaska. With just the basic equipment, Guy learns to build a cabin, hunt, fish and survive in the Wild.
I didn't finish this book. Guy may be a great hunter but he is a poor writer. I found Guy's motivations selfish as he left his wife and young children to pursue something he though was noble, but very well could have been eaten by a Bear or froze to death and left a widow to raise his children (think Chris McCandless).
I would steer clear of this book. If you are looking for a story about someone who leaves a corporate job to find himself..go with John Krakauer's, "Into the Wild."
I didn't finish this book. Guy may be a great hunter but he is a poor writer. I found Guy's motivations selfish as he left his wife and young children to pursue something he though was noble, but very well could have been eaten by a Bear or froze to death and left a widow to raise his children (think Chris McCandless).
I would steer clear of this book. If you are looking for a story about someone who leaves a corporate job to find himself..go with John Krakauer's, "Into the Wild."
April 1, 2020
Conflicted. I found the actual content interesting and the writing was serviceable, but I found the author thoroughly unlikeable and unsympathetic - he left his wife and sons (1 and 3) for an entire year on a jolly for which he was completely unprepared, then had the gall to complain often about missing them. He frequently puts 'friends' at risk, treats his dog badly, and snaps at people trying to help him and is completely dependent upon the charity of the family he meets to prevent him from dying, then has the arrogance to list a 'how to' survival guide at the end, baffling.
May 15, 2011
This would have been a lot more awesome if someone had sat the author down and had some stern words with him on the subjects of vocative commas and putting the %^&!#$% punctuation inside the %^&!#$% quotation marks if it is part of the %^&!#$% dialogue. Fortunately, once he got to Alaska, he talked to fewer people.
May 8, 2015
Guy's adventures are compelling, and it's fascinating to read an authentic account of living through an Alaskan winter in a remote cabin, but he comes across as a little selfish and entitled, so it's hard to warm him as a person (no gag intended).
However, I'm glad I read it, was never bored, and learnt a lot.
However, I'm glad I read it, was never bored, and learnt a lot.
January 20, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I have read similar stories of extremists who go out into the wild to test their endurance and push their limits, and most of these books became a bit tedious by the mid-mark. What set this one apart from the others is the fact that Guy Grieve is such a good writer, which is what he was doing for a living before he decided to abandon his desk at a newspaper in Scotland, leave his family behind, and strike out for the extremely remote Alaskan wilderness to face an unbelievably harsh winter, mostly isolated and surviving with minimal modern conveniences.
Along the way, readers learn the same sort of secrets and knowledge that Grieve had to learn in short order to make it through the better part of a year in the forest, hundreds of miles from civilization. Grieve explains the laborious process of constructing a cabin by felling trees and hauling them to the building site without the aid of heavy equipment. Readers learn all sorts of tricks to keep from freezing to death in temperatures that dip down to 60 below zero. The author throws in a few narrow escapes from disasters and animal encounters along the way to keep it suspenseful. Oh, and the bears -- we learn a whole lot about bears, like how it typically takes a human victim of a bear attack about an hour to die because these ferocious predators prefer to munch on the extremities and soft tissue before diving into the vital organs.
I suspect what Grieve considers his crowning achievement of this incredible adventure was learning how to command (mush) a team of Alaskan Huskies. These dogs served as his primary form of transportation and hauling, not to mention protection from a variety of threats from an unforgiving environment. He spent a disproportionate amount of time writing about acquiring, training, and working with the dogs. Some readers may find these sections go on a bit too long.
I wouldn't call Grieve foolhardy or careless for what he did, mainly because he was willing to learn and get help from locals, without which he would certainly have perished in a matter of weeks. He seemed to be surprised at times by certain challenges of making it in the wild, of how much he missed his family, of how difficult it was to find food, and of how much of his day would be taken up by cutting firewood. He almost becomes a bit predictably romantic toward the end of the book as he thinks back on his experiences after returning home to his family and society. That's okay. I would argue that he earned a generous serving a nostalgia.
(Production note: Steve West, the narrator of this audiobook, does a good job creating multiple voices for the people in the book, although when he attempts to mimic the author's children, I think he misses the mark. They come off sounding a bit too much like they came from a Dickens novel. Nevertheless, his cadence throughout the book keeps the listener engaged, even to the point of suspense.)
Along the way, readers learn the same sort of secrets and knowledge that Grieve had to learn in short order to make it through the better part of a year in the forest, hundreds of miles from civilization. Grieve explains the laborious process of constructing a cabin by felling trees and hauling them to the building site without the aid of heavy equipment. Readers learn all sorts of tricks to keep from freezing to death in temperatures that dip down to 60 below zero. The author throws in a few narrow escapes from disasters and animal encounters along the way to keep it suspenseful. Oh, and the bears -- we learn a whole lot about bears, like how it typically takes a human victim of a bear attack about an hour to die because these ferocious predators prefer to munch on the extremities and soft tissue before diving into the vital organs.
I suspect what Grieve considers his crowning achievement of this incredible adventure was learning how to command (mush) a team of Alaskan Huskies. These dogs served as his primary form of transportation and hauling, not to mention protection from a variety of threats from an unforgiving environment. He spent a disproportionate amount of time writing about acquiring, training, and working with the dogs. Some readers may find these sections go on a bit too long.
I wouldn't call Grieve foolhardy or careless for what he did, mainly because he was willing to learn and get help from locals, without which he would certainly have perished in a matter of weeks. He seemed to be surprised at times by certain challenges of making it in the wild, of how much he missed his family, of how difficult it was to find food, and of how much of his day would be taken up by cutting firewood. He almost becomes a bit predictably romantic toward the end of the book as he thinks back on his experiences after returning home to his family and society. That's okay. I would argue that he earned a generous serving a nostalgia.
(Production note: Steve West, the narrator of this audiobook, does a good job creating multiple voices for the people in the book, although when he attempts to mimic the author's children, I think he misses the mark. They come off sounding a bit too much like they came from a Dickens novel. Nevertheless, his cadence throughout the book keeps the listener engaged, even to the point of suspense.)
January 24, 2022
Enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought the writing was excellent - I read this book during a fierce heatwave, but the author’s beautiful descriptions of the Interior made me shiver at times. His respect for the wild places he had once called home, as well as for its creatures and its people is palpable and praiseworthy. And to read of the vital help and kindness he received from interesting and characterful strangers was heart warming.
I can’t say I was entirely comfortable with his decision to leave his young children, but on the other hand I can completely identify with the unexplainable need to follow a path that only you understand. No doubt all their lives were improved by his adventures and his sons surely look up to such a father. He is lucky to have a wife who understood that too and supported him so well. Yes, he may have been gone from their lives for a year, but in this modern world with its unending rat race and the personal prison of our electronic devices - how “together” are we anyway?
I can’t say I was entirely comfortable with his decision to leave his young children, but on the other hand I can completely identify with the unexplainable need to follow a path that only you understand. No doubt all their lives were improved by his adventures and his sons surely look up to such a father. He is lucky to have a wife who understood that too and supported him so well. Yes, he may have been gone from their lives for a year, but in this modern world with its unending rat race and the personal prison of our electronic devices - how “together” are we anyway?
April 5, 2023
It was difficult for me to get into this book as I found myself disliking Guy Grieve from the start... when he's on the plane leaving for Alaska he writes "Opposite me a fat woman... Her size and dark clothing made her look like a real seal".. really? that's what you were thinking about? how rude and maybe think about the fact that you just abandoned your wife and two young children. His family has to move out of their home and rent it out since he's taking off and won't be around to pay the bills. It seems it's some kind of early mid-life crisis for him or he needed to prove his masculinity. Also he seems to have no real knowledge and is not at all prepared for being outdoors and/or building a cabin. Some locals get wrangled into helping him, they probably felt obligated since he would have died otherwise. I agree with one of the other reviewers who suggested reading Into the Wild instead. On a side note, I Googled to see if Guy Grieve is still married to Juliet and big surprise he is not.
October 1, 2020
The author leaves his office job and young family in Scotland to fulfil a dream of living in the interior of Alaska for a year. Supported by the very helpful locals, an outfitting company and a whiskey company, this amateur builds a log cabin, manages a dog sled team, fends off wild critters and braves a very cold winter in the Galena area of Alaska. Although he feels that he is benefiting from this clutter-free life, he really needs to be ever well-prepared and very vigilant whenever he steps out the door. Sort of sound like the lives we are living today. At the year’s end, he is extremely sorry to leave the wild, his dogs and new friends but has so missed his young sons, and his plucky wife who worked so hard to hold it all together. Although ebooks are not my favourite format, I loved this one from the library about one of my favourite places.
December 22, 2023
Fuzzy
This was an intense and exhilarating read. Any man or woman who goes into the Alaska wild leaving their young family thousands of miles away for a year clearly needed something more for themselves--good for them that survive.
The author, a professed cat lover, found himself relying on sled dogs.
Fuzzy, not a sled dog, garnered Guy's love after quite awhile. Sadly, when Guy's adventure was over, he left a distraught Fuzzy in Alaska and returned to Scotland. I had hoped to read Guy went back for Fuzzy but it seems he didn't--it was heartbreaking bc they both gained each other's trust. Fuzzy would have been loyal to Guy, Juliet and the boys until the day he died.
Nonetheless, pretty amazing story. Glad there natives guided and helped him through this cleansing. Guy has one loving spouse.
This was an intense and exhilarating read. Any man or woman who goes into the Alaska wild leaving their young family thousands of miles away for a year clearly needed something more for themselves--good for them that survive.
The author, a professed cat lover, found himself relying on sled dogs.
Fuzzy, not a sled dog, garnered Guy's love after quite awhile. Sadly, when Guy's adventure was over, he left a distraught Fuzzy in Alaska and returned to Scotland. I had hoped to read Guy went back for Fuzzy but it seems he didn't--it was heartbreaking bc they both gained each other's trust. Fuzzy would have been loyal to Guy, Juliet and the boys until the day he died.
Nonetheless, pretty amazing story. Glad there natives guided and helped him through this cleansing. Guy has one loving spouse.
October 7, 2020
Incredible tale of one man's attempt to turn his hum-drum life around. Grieve draws on huge depths of drive, determination and indomitable purpose underpinned by a desperate need for the project to succeed. This includes the turmoil of leaving his wife and children for a year, and surviving the extreme conditions of an Alaskan winter in an endeavor to emerge rebalanced, stronger and happier. What a way for one man to 'gain some perspective'! This tale could easily by seen as self-indulgent but one has to admire Grieve's conviction that the experience will lead to a better way of life and his becoming a better family man. A well-written, honest, entertaining read, full of danger and mishap, that is both gripping and moving.
October 30, 2022
After just a few pages this book grabbed me and didn’t let go. The easy, measured unfolding of events as the author left Scotland soon gave way to a wild, wonderful ride once he landed in Alaska.
The hard work, ingenuity, adventurous spirit and raw courage of his daily life in the bush make for wonderful reading. (And in a minor miracle of storytelling, he takes us through his time in the bush without a hint of brag!)
I became a huge fan of Mr Grieves’ Alaskan helpers (humans and dogs) and hope that he won’t mind me saying that while he is the “star” of the book, Don, Fuzzy and Juliet are the true heroes.
The hard work, ingenuity, adventurous spirit and raw courage of his daily life in the bush make for wonderful reading. (And in a minor miracle of storytelling, he takes us through his time in the bush without a hint of brag!)
I became a huge fan of Mr Grieves’ Alaskan helpers (humans and dogs) and hope that he won’t mind me saying that while he is the “star” of the book, Don, Fuzzy and Juliet are the true heroes.
June 26, 2019
Excellent book... makes you want to pack your bags and head for the wilderness... but is also filled with enough scary stuff to make you think twice !
He couldn’t and didn’t do it alone - The characters he met who selflessly helped him and kept him alive, the amazing wife who let him follow his dream and the beautiful dogs (my favourite chapters were those about learning to mush and establishing his dog team at the cabin).... and most importantly fuzzy... broke my heart when he had to leave him.
He couldn’t and didn’t do it alone - The characters he met who selflessly helped him and kept him alive, the amazing wife who let him follow his dream and the beautiful dogs (my favourite chapters were those about learning to mush and establishing his dog team at the cabin).... and most importantly fuzzy... broke my heart when he had to leave him.
May 23, 2021
This Scottish man’s attempt to build a cabin just miles from the Artic Circle in Alaska is full of humor, adventure, danger, and the humility that comes with being a beginner at anything. Personally I think he was nuts to do this and leave his sons and wife for a year..... but reading about his growth and determination with the sled dogs was worth the read. A man who preferred cats and pretty much that whole “hands off” approach to everything emerges as a character full of a zest for life like a wild puppy running full out, tongue lolling , towards a future of happiness !
February 23, 2022
I'm torn on this one. The adventure was interesting and well told. But how he approached it really rubbed me wrong. He was completely unprepared with no location, no supplies, and no knowledge.
His self-sufficient cabin-building experience living in the wilds ended up actually being an adventure fueled and funded by the charity and help of others. I have no idea why so many people gave so much of their time, hard work, and possessions to a stranger especially considering how unlikeable a character he came across as.
His self-sufficient cabin-building experience living in the wilds ended up actually being an adventure fueled and funded by the charity and help of others. I have no idea why so many people gave so much of their time, hard work, and possessions to a stranger especially considering how unlikeable a character he came across as.
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