Perseverance: Life and Death in the Subarctic

by Stephan Kesting

A jiu-jitsu practioner, firefighter, and adventurer embarks on a journey of a lifetime—a 1,000 mile voyage through the Canadian sub-arctic—after recovering from a life-threatening ilness.

The Canadian North is a vast and lonely land where bears roam free, fires rage unchecked, and storms blast every living thing on the tundra. When Stephan Kesting, already no stranger to pushing his own physical limits, was faced with a rare illness, he knew the only way for him to recover in both body and mind was to dig even deeper. Despite the dangers inherant in the sub-arctic, Kesting sets out on an unimaginably difficult jouney. Completely alone in the wilderness for six weeks, where a single mistake could cost his life, Kesting followed in the footsteps of the native peoples and earliest explorers. In this deepest solitude and wracked with self-doubt, he found the strength to endure.

Perseverance is the moving and nail-biting account of his journey from near-death to a raw embrace of adventure and life. Inspirational, vulnerable and honest, Kesting shares the lessons he learned in the wilderness that will help us hold onto hope in our darkest moments and show how we can find the strength to overcome any obstacle.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a ride. I felt like I was in that kayak on every mile of his perilous trip!



I couldn't put this down - and even kept it past the due date (today!) to finish it. I am not into biographies and memoirs, but this is not "spill the beans/expose the dirty laundry" story. You get to share this man's love affair with Nature as he paddles up and down streams, rivers and massive turbulent lakes to reach Hudson Bay.



A totally awe-inspiring read!
On sale today on Amazon for $1.99 - grab your copy now. You won't regret it. All the stars for this incredible story of endurance. Highly, highly recommended!

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Aug 1 2025
Update to the Update:
I'm on page 102 and this has held my interest and then some! Wow, wow, wow! I love nature - I'm about to head out for a hike along the Humber River after I finish typing this - but Stephan Kesting takes his love of nature to a whole new level. His reverence for the wilderness and all creatures great and small is a pleasure to behold. His writing is an homage - a love story about Nature. I'm racing to finish this because there are so many holds on this book at my library now!

UPDATE:
July 2025
Just got this book from my local library and so far, I am IMPRESSED. I avoid memoirs and biographies as a rule. Too many of these memoir/wannabe writers are fascinated by themselves, and they are all they want to talk about at the many amateur writers' groups that I have attended over the years. But PERSEVERANCE is about a journey - and is very well written. It reads like fiction and is action-packed. By page 5 and the writer has faced imminent death twice already. Excellent, clean writing. This is a former firefighter with the soul of a poet. Very hard to put this one down!


I love stories about survival - using only your wits and what you've brought into the wilderness on your back (or canoe, in this case.) For me, "endurance" is a word that is like cocaine to an addict: time to get my fix! I expect to be awed by Nature's majesty and this man's search for meaning.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It was 6:30 A.M., and I was ready to begin my 1,000-mile exploration of an ancient trade and migration route from the boreal forest into the Barren Lands of Nunavut and then down to Hudson Bay..."

I like reading accounts of real-life sagas, so I put Perseverance on my list when I came across it. These kind of books can be somewhat hit or miss in my experience. Fortunately, I'm happy to report that the author did a great job of this book. I really enjoyed the writing here.

Author Stephan Kesting is an adventurer, jiu-jitsu practitioner, and a firefighter. He has traversed the Canadian North for over forty years, both on his own and as a guide.

Stephan Kesting:


The storyline follows Kesting on an epic 1,000-mile canoe voyage he took through the Canadian sub-arctic. The book proceeds chronologically, chronicling his journey day by day as he went.
He writes with an engaging style here, and I found the book effectively readable. Kesting also narrated the audio version of the book I have, and he did a great job of that, too.

The author's journey:


Along with narrating the journey, the author also talks about his previous life experiences. He talks about getting married the day before leaving for the trip, and gives the reader some of his family history. Additionally, he also drops in little bits of Stoic philosophy throughout the book. I am extremely picky about authors inserting commentary into books like this, but fortunately, Kesting managed to thread the needle here, and delivered a narrative style that really worked.



Although there were not any fantastical stories of extreme, near-death scenarios, the author still managed to make the story here interesting. Another touch I appreciated was the addition of many pictures at the end of the book. Pictures provide some great context, and I don't know why more books don't include them.






********************

I enjoyed this one. I love well-written books about real-life sagas, and Perseverance didn't disappoint.
I would recommend it to anyone interested.
5 stars.

[Donny Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephan’s book is an amazing account of his impressive 1000 mile solo journey in the Canadian wilderness, but it is also so much more. Introspective and thought provoking, he shares his life experiences (good and not so good) and how they have shaped him. He breaks down risk management and shares unique and useful wisdom for similar excursions. His sense of humor is universal and it was a very fun & engaging read.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed living vicariously through the author’s solo adventures through the arctic, knowing that I would never survive. But I like to think that I would, ha ha. I’ve been a fan of Stephan’s podcast and BJJ instructionals for years, and this book just increased my level of respect for him even more. 👊

[Darryl Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This account by Stephan Kesting is of a thousand mile 41 day solo canoe paddle in Canadian subarctic waterways, from Saskatchewan to the Hudson Bay.
When the author made this excursion, he was a 50 year old man with 1 functional, transplanted kidney, newly remarried for 1 day.
Kesting is a decent writer, but about half the book describes, in detail all the adversities and dangers of the trip. Time and again there are arduous portages around rapids, dangerous waves, difficult navigations, bad weather. It gets too repetitive. The reader is not spared descriptions of Kesting’s unsuprising physical misery. To be fair, the wonders of immersion in these wild places is included too.
For me, the backdrop of reading this is my judgement that Stephen Kesting is nuts, and I’m reading a book written by a danger seeking lunatic. Although he has very good outdoor skills, this married father of 3 encountered many potentially lethal hazards.

Got through this book quickly, but not easily.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Random book I picked up in the library that I truly enjoyed. It is the author’s own story of 1000 mile solo canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness to the Hudson Bay. Just wish the map had been a little bigger as I kept referencing it!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book far exceeds its mandate as a travelogue or collection of inspirational stories. I recommend it to practically anyone, but here are some reasons you might want to read it: If you’ve canoed, kayaked, or rafted. If you’ve ever thought of going it alone on an outdoor adventure. If you’re Canadian. If you’ve had to set aside big goals but find yourself coming back to them again and again. If you’re not sure how far you can push yourself. If you like wilderness travelogues. If you have an odd dream and you’re not sure if you should go for it. If you need inspiration to go for it. Why did I read it? I’ve been following Stephan on social media for years, but I had only just started when he posted that he was going on this adventure. I shook my head and crossed my fingers that he would be back. Since then he has done another similar trek. There must be a German word for worrying about the wellbeing of a stranger. In any case, I wanted to find out what he got up to on these treks. Reading the book one really gets a sense of Stephan’s drive, the technical demands, the day-to-day grind, but also you are pulled along with the current, as each day presents very different challenges. Lastly, as someone in the publishing world, I’ll add that this book is well edited and the story is delivered in just the right-sized chunks. It even has those classic pages in the middle with glossy color photos. Highly recommend.

[John Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. At first glance you may think it’s just another book about someone paddling in Canada’s north on a solo trip. But it’s a lot more than that.
I will admit, there were times where the author’s description of some of the physical pain he experienced on this trip (it was a gruelling trip) did start to feel a bit redundant to me. However, it’s through that pain that the author experienced that he was able to express and share some profound truths.
Most of the truths were ones I’ve certainly been aware of before, but it’s always important to be reminded of them.
One of the biggest takeaways was his view of enjoyment versus satisfaction. Since I don’t want to spoil it for anyone interested in reading the book, I won’t give it away, but it was quite interesting.
His description of the natural settings he was in was quite good. Also, he was quite upfront and frank about mistakes he made on this trip that could’ve put him in serious danger. He does not sugarcoat it.
“Perseverance” is certainly an appropriate title for this book, because not only did he have to persevere on this trip but throughout his life to overcome losses similar to those that many of us face; but he also had to overcome kidney failure - and did this trip at the age of 50 after getting a kidney transplant from his brother.
Perseverance, indeed.

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Pegasus Books @pegasus_books and Stephan Kesting @stephan_kesting for this free book from your IG giveaway!
“Perseverance: Life and Death in the Subarctic ” by Stephan Kesting ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Adventure Memoir. Location: Subarctic Northern Canada.

Stephan Kesting is an adventurer, firefighter, and jiu-jitsu practitioner. After battling a rare, life-threatening illness, he knows he has to push his limits to recover in body and mind. He embarks on a difficult 1,000 mile voyage through the Canadian Subarctic: a vast, lonely land where bears roam free, fires rage unchecked, and storms blast the tundra. Alone in the wilderness for 6 weeks, Kesting follows the footsteps of Canada’s Indigenous people and earliest explorers. In this solitude, he finds the strength to endure.

Author Kesting has written a nail-biting, real-life thriller account of his Subarctic journey. He shares survival and self-understanding lessons he learned that could help others hold in their darkest moments and find the strength to overcome obstacles. Kesting‘s positive mindset encourages us to train hard and train smart through repetition, repetition, repetition-and never give up. It’s inspirational, it’s honest, it’s gripping, and it’s 4 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️🎀 #pegasusbooks #stephankesting #perseverancelifeanddeathinthesubarctic

[Jerren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an inspiring story, and the author told it simply and clearly. I enjoyed his attitude and his outlook on life (and death). He has an adventurous and curious heart and that's such an admirable trait. At a certain point, though, this got so incredibly repetitive that I had to start skimming a lot to get to the end. When he starts his trip writing about unimaginable pain and unbearable attrition, it's hard to go anywhere from there. Pretty much every chapter ends with something like "I'd been paddling for twelve hours straight and my body was falling apart, the storms and the winds were unprecedented, how can I survive?!?" And then there's like 20 more chapters of that. I am glad, though, that people are finding this story captivating, and living vicariously through it.

[Thomas Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book pretty much says it all. The author's incredible journey in a single watercraft over an extremely challenging water route is inspiring. The book is full of encouraging quotations and historical passages through the ever changing and dangerous terrain. So glad I found this book.

[Eva Schubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving account of one man's journey through the wilderness, both literally and metaphorically. The narrator's decades long quest to reach a remote northern waterway takes the reader through a personal story of loss, grief, uncertainty, and hope. This is a book that inspires, whatever your own quest may be.

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy had kidney surgery and decided the best way to heal his body, mind, and soul would be to canoe to the coldest part of Canada by himself. He may drown, get mauled by a bear, or die of hyperthermia. He did not do this for fun, but nature called. I listened to this book, and sometimes it read like a how-to manual.
I took away that white boulders can be a polar bear.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read. I want to try his recipe at the end! There were great moments recounting the trip, flashbacks to his past (and sadness with his brothers), and great quotes and learnings to power through really rough moments in the wild.

[Camille Lore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great tale of Stephan's canoe trip- full of humor, tips, misadventures and just good old insight. It was kind of a wild ride. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes to spend time in the outdoors. It was a great escape.

[Tom Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Love the subject.

[Lynn Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. Wow! I listed to the audiobook read by the author. Highly recommend.

[Brian Earnest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads’s giveaway. I found it well written and insightful.

[Abraham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quixotic attempt of a 50 year old man to be 20 again. Naive, immature, but somewhat pleasant read.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good journey. Well written.

[Richard C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It blends a biography, a great journey, and wisdom about life. I said to my wife a couple days after finishing that I missed reading it.

[Brian Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy solo adventure stories and this one did not disappoint. A nice balance of the natural beauty of the area, difficult journey aspects, historic references, and the author’s personal growth.