North American Odyssey: 12,000 Miles Across the Continent by Kayak, Canoe, and Dogsled

by Amy Freeman, Dave Freeman

“Deep down, there is just something that draws us to the land, to wild places. We were there to listen to the land.”

When National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Amy and Dave Freeman marry, they set out on an unusual a three-year, 12,000-mile journey across North America. From Alaska’s Inside Passage to Florida’s Key West, they traverse the continent by kayak, canoe, dogsled, and skis, encountering wildlife, sublime landscapes, and harrowing challenges.

Along the way, the Freemans also bear witness to environmental degradation and climate change—from plastic-covered beaches to forest fires to retreating glaciers. And as they engage with Native and rural communities most impacted by the changes resulting from modern industrial society and meet individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the natural world, their adventure deepens in ways they never imagined.

From the white-knuckle rush of paddling white water to the wonderment of dogsledding across a frosted landscape where caribou and wolves roam, North American Odyssey is a celebration of our interconnectedness to the natural world and to each other. Beautifully written, engagingly told, and inspiring throughout, Amy and Dave Freeman’s story is a clarion call for change in the way we live.

Genres: Travel, Nature, Nonfiction, Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Amy and Dave Freeman are the authors of A Year in the Wilderness, a rousing cry of witness activism and a beautifully illustrated account of their year living in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to raise awareness about the threats of sulfide-ore copper mining. They have traveled over thirty thousand miles by canoe, kayak, and dogsled through some of the world’s wildest places, from the Amazon to the Arctic. National Geographic named them Adventurers of the Year in 2014, and their images, videos, and articles have been published by a wide range of media sources from the CBC, NBC, and FOX to the Chicago Tribune, National Geographic, Outside, Backpacker, Canoe and Kayak, and Minnesota Public Radio. They also run the Wilderness Classroom, an educational nonprofit organization that introduces children to wild places and unique cultures.

Reviews

[Alex Curry · Rating 4 out of 5]

These people are wild. If you want to feel lazy, read this book. The level of willpower and determination needed to complete a journey like this is well beyond standard aptitude. Not only is the story impressive, but the authors display a thoughtful and compelling understanding of the environment that they are visiting and the gargantuan challenges that face it and all of us.

[Zach LaFond-Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for Gunflint weekend!

[Cody Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel like this book might have changed my life

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have neither the wilderness experience nor the courage to attempt a journey such as the one chronicled in this book, but I admire people who do. I enjoyed vicariously traveling with the Freeman's on this ambitious adventure. I kept searching Google Maps for where these lakes and rivers were located to track their progress. Another reminder to be better stewards of the earth before it's too late.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Amy and Dave Freeman's journey from Alaska to the Florida Keys. Over the course of three years they travelled by kayak, canoe, portage and dog sled. While traveling they updated school children on their progress and shared what they were seeing and learning outside in nature. I love outdoor memoirs, and this one did not disappoint. I read this a little at a time, returning to it between other books. The Freemans' descriptions of coming across plastic trash in the most remote environments have stuck with me, and they also examine other ways humans are negatively impacting the environment. I previously read and enjoyed the Freemans' book "A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters." Recommended reading for nature buffs or those who, like me, are fond of armchair traveling.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting journal of the Freeman's long adventure from the Inside Passage into Alaksa, then across the continent and eventually down along the East Coast to the Everglades and Key West. This was more of a travelogue than the sort of book Natalie Warren penned on her joint canoe trip on the Cree trip, where you felt the passion between the paddling partners and learned to appreciate their growing together as friends. Perhaps that is on me and my expectations, for I learned nothing about either of the Freemans. Yet, reading about something I will never do in the backcountry I love kept me going. I was curious how the writers/adventurers would handle the paddle down the Atlantic coast, and how they skipped through that part was hardly a surprise. This was a good mid-winter read.

[Mike Mikulski · Rating 4 out of 5]

North American Odyssey follows the 3 year 12,000 mile journey around North America by kayak, dogsled and canoe from 2010 to 2013 of Amy and Dave Freeman. Most of the account focuses on the wilderness they traverse and the pressure on the environment from global warming, mining, development, pollution and plastic waste.

Odyssey mixes scenes of wilderness beauty and serenity, encounters with First Nations people whose subsistence lifestyle is disappearing contrasted with wildfire, abandoned uranium mines and toxic blue green algae. The Freeman’s find themselves beside humpback whales, grizzly bears and moose and in the eye of 2012’s hurricane Sandy in New Jersey.

Odyssey is an eye opening account of the environmental threats facing our wilderness treasures and our planet.

[Linda Spyhalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! I just loved it! I recommend it to anyone who would love the story of 12,000 miles across the continent by Kayak, canoe, and dogsled!! Definitely a fantastic North American Odyssey! At the same time teaching children and adults the perils we face in the future! Thanks to Any and Dave Freeman for sharing their journey!

[Tim Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insight into an incredible journey that very few people will have the fortune to experience in their life. The book rekindled my hope in humanity and in our collective ability to change things for the better.

[Ew Lake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escaping to tales of dogsledding across Norman Wells was just what I needed to soothe the stress of the last month. While the writing didn't knock my socks off, I thoroughly enjoyed following along on this adventure. Oh, to be in constant physical motion in nature.

[Lydia A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there was a better map to follow along on their journey. I kept flipping back and forth from the book to Google maps and getting lost following rivers in Canada trying to see where their route took them.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!!!