Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier

by Mark Adams

**The National Bestseller**

From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu , a fascinating, wild, and wonder-filled journey into Alaska, America's last frontier

In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized a most unusual summer voyage to the wilds of Alaska: He converted a steamship into a luxury "floating university," populated by some of America's best and brightest scientists and writers, including the anti-capitalist eco-prophet John Muir. Those aboard encountered a land of immeasurable beauty and impending environmental calamity. More than a hundred years later, Alaska is still America's most sublime wilderness, both the lure that draws one million tourists annually on Inside Passage cruises and as a natural resources larder waiting to be raided. As ever, it remains a magnet for weirdos and dreamers.

Armed with Dramamine and an industrial-strength mosquito net, Mark Adams sets out to retrace the 1899 expedition. Traveling town to town by water, Adams ventures three thousand miles north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continues west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle. Along the way, he encounters dozens of unusual characters (and a couple of very hungry bears) and investigates how lessons learned in 1899 might relate to Alaska's current struggles in adapting to the pressures of a changing climate and world.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Nature, Adventure, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

Mark Adams is the author of the acclaimed history Mr. America, which The Washington Post named a Best Book of 2009, and the New York Times bestsellers Turn Right at Machu Picchu, which Men's Journal selected as one of the Fifty Greatest Adventure Books of All Time, and Meet Me in Atlantis. His work appears in many national publications, including GQ, Rolling Stone, Outside and the New York Times. He lives near New York City with his family.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You didn’t turn your back on Alaska."

TIP OF THE ICEBERG. MY 3,000-MILE JOURNEY AROUND WILD ALASKA, THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN FRONTIER is a vastly interesting travelogue. Author, Mark Adams, tries to retrace the route of the Harriman Expedition of 1899. The Harriman Expedition was a sort of luxury, quasi-scientific cruise sponsored by a wealthy American industrialist who also invited leading scientists and environmental “explorers” to come along.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG is peopled with interesting characters, the type of people one would expect to find in Alaska. Mark Adams does a nice job of keeping himself out of the center of the narrative, which I appreciated. The book is much more about Alaska and the people Adams encounters there than it is about him. The chapters alternate between Mr. Adams recounting some aspect of the Harriman Expedition, followed by a chapter of his own experiences and adventures retracing their steps.

Like the best travel books, the main benefit of this one is that it allowed me to experience vicariously places I will probably never be able to visit. It also expanded my worldview. But more importantly, it gave me a hunger to know more about a part of my nation that I know very little about.

Alaska is huge. Its massiveness is breathtaking. Its wildness is astounding to behold and in this book Mr. Adams successfully gives a sense of all that grandeur. I have already ordered some of his other books to read. Not only that, but I've ordered other books about Alaska. So, all I can say is that I think TIP OF THE ICEBERG did what it was meant to do.
I end with a quote from the book that I just loved, and that I think sums up what I tried to express in this review. “In Alaska, it was still ‘the morning of creation.’”

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars equals "it was okay."

The book related the events of the 1899 Harriman expedition to Alaska while the author retraced the route in modern times.

Alaska is fascinating; this narrative is so-so. I felt that it never really hit a good rhythm in terms of the storytelling. It was a little more journalistic in tone, and often I had the sense that Adams couldn't not leave out a detail he found in his research (he was especially fond of quotations). A heavier editing hand would have improved the writing.

I almost stopped reading... but I wanted to get to the last part of the trip (the Aleutians and Nome), which I haven't visited.

But you know me... nonfiction has to be extraordinary to keep my attention. Some is! But this was a little humdrum.

[Jillian Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliantly devourable narrative offers humorous insight, and mind blowing history within in an arm chair traveler’s guide! It desperately makes you want to go to Alaska right now!

I’ve never quoted a book within the review but it shed such incredible light in this charismatic read~

‘Henry Gannett [...] concludes by offering a “word of advice and caution” for anyone considering a trip to Alaska. “If you are old, go by all means, but if you are young, wait. The scenery of Alaska is much grander than anything else of its kind in the world, and it is not wise to dull one's capacity for enjoyment by seeing the finest first.” ‘

Galley borrowed from the publisher

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished "God Save Texas" and this book on the same day. From now on, I'm only reading about big states. ;)

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an entertaining read! The author travels around Alaska, retracing a specific historical expedition. He travels by boat, small airplanes, kayak, etc. I loved the balance of history and current-day, the author meets many interesting people on the way. The book is really easy to read and kept my attention constantly. Not too intense or in depth, a great companion on a travel day. One of my favourite travel reads from Alaska so far.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fortunately, Nature has a few big places beyond Man's power to spoil - the ocean, the two icy ends of the globe, and the Grand Canyon," wrote John Muir more than one hundred years ago, whose shadow Mark Adams chased throughout the book. Reflecting on this quote, Adams writes, "The optimism of men like Muir and Grinnell helped preserve Alaska for generations that followed. As I type this, however, the ocean is warming and clogged with millions of tons of plastic. The frozen poles are melting into the sea at an alarming rate. America's new president is reviewing monuments preserved under the Antiquities Act and considering lifting a ban on uranium mining in the area surrounding the Grand Canyon, which could contaminate its waters.

"If you are old and want to see the finest scenery in the world, there's no time like the present. And if you are young, what are you waiting for? Check the ferry timetable, grab a sleeping bag, and go. Stay for a while. Believe me, it could be the event of a lifetime."

These two ideas, compared side by side, reflect the basic gist of Mark Adams' journey through Alaska. What was once pristine is now trampled, harvested, pillaged, disappearing. Even a frontier as wild and isolated and imposing as Alaska is impermanent and under siege by forces visible and invisible. Adams' description of his journey is interesting, especially as compared to Muir's voyage a century ago, and often touching and hilarious. But his encouragement to go, to see this disappearing place, is an important one. Soon, all we will have left is the records of those who did.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you want to head for Alaska! The author retraces an Alaskan voyage from 1899. Interesting characters, humorous stories, and some insights into what the future may hold. A fun read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tip of the Iceberg by travel writer Mark Adams is a fantastic mix of the history of the exploration of the 49th state, interspersed with vivid natural descriptions and the author's experiences following the same route as the famed Harriman expedition of 1899. Adams makes his nonfiction accessible with short chapters and his signature self-deprecating wit. Check it out if you're in the mood for an adventure!

[Leo Mccarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was eager to follow Adam's journey through Alaska after reading the jacket cover in my local library. Having traveled a bit in Alaska, I'm a big fan of everything Alaskan.

Adams tale started well, providing the background and basis for his travels, comparing to Edward Harrimans 1899 expedition.

Fifty pages in, I noticed a bit of an undertone take shape via a handful of negative comments about a town and a couple of people. The comments didn't quite fit the story, so they "stuck out" a bit. They didn't add any value to the story line either.

Then the "budget crisis" chapter revealed the authors true agenda. Adams morphed into a full blown rant against climate change, oil companies and Alaskan politicians. His rant had absolutely nothing to do with Harrimans expedition or the books story line. It was an odd place for a Adam's political platform.

Back to the library with this "book". Don't waste your time on this rant.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Adams recounts his travels through Alaska following the route taken by the Edward Harriman Expedition of 1899. Harriman traveled on a steamer with some of the country's notable people of the era in the realms of science, art, and nature, including John Muir and George Bird Grinnell. It is not for those who want a fast-paced adventure-oriented account. It is more meandering and wide-ranging. The author travels by various forms of transportation and takes his time. He covers a wide range of topics, such as Alaska’s history, terrain, earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis, fishing, hunting, the oil industry, economics, politics, glaciology, climate change, wildlife (especially bears), the fur trade, the gold rush, issues faced by the indigenous peoples, and much more. He meets many diverse people along the way. The author strikes a nice balance among topics. For me, it was a very pleasant reading experience. Recommended to those who enjoy combinations of travel and history, and don’t mind a leisurely pace.

[Raghu · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the summer of 1992, I traveled across much of Alaska without a car. Trains, small vans, boats and hitch-hiking were my modes of getting around. I ended my two-month journey by taking the ferry from Skagway to Bellingham down the lovely ‘Inside Passage,’ which is part of Alaska’s Marine Highway. The ‘Inside Passage’ is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific NW coast of North America. A one-way ride on the Inside Passage took about four days, but I took twenty-three days, exploring Haines, Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell and Ketchikan along the way. This book brought me back happy memories of those days. It is a chronicle of author Mark Adams’ journey into Alaska along its 3000-mile Marine Highway. His goals were much larger than mine was. He endeavored to follow the route of the expedition of Edward. H. Harriman, the Union Pacific tycoon, who made a two-month journey to northern Alaska in 1899 with some illustrious company. His boat, ‘The Elder’ had some of the country's most distinguished scientific personnel, artists, photographers, writers, and conservationists, including John Muir and George Bird Grinnell. The trip also had some despicable aims like big game hunting in Kodiak Island to bag the magnificent Grizzlies as trophies. Mark Adams, however, sets off alone unlike Harriman. It is a charming account that combines both travel and history. Adams goes by ferry from Bellingham to Haines and Skagway and then on to Sitka up along the Inside Passage. He then flies to Gustavus in south-east Alaska to visit the Glacier national park. Yakutat is his next stop to commune with the Hubbard glacier, followed by flights to Cordova, Anchorage, and Homer with a side trip to Whittier. He returns to the sea with his journey to Kodiak, Chignik, and Dutch Harbor. Finally, he flies north-west to Nome and remote Shishmaref before returning home to New York.

The narrative is juxtaposed between Adams’ own experience and the experience of the Harriman expedition in 1899. There are two heroes in the travelogue. Alaska is one and the environmentalist John Muir is another. Adams admires Muir for his pioneering initiatives on American environmentalism. Even though George Bird Grinnell, the father of American conservation, was also part of the expedition, we don’t see much of him in the narrative. In the late 19th century, environmental consciousness in America was in its nascent stages. Philosophically, the Utilitarians looked at an action as ‘right’ if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness— not just the happiness of the performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it. They viewed the management of America’s natural spaces for their potential resources, like logging, as something that promotes everyone’s happiness. On the other hand, the Preservationists like John Muir and George Grinnell, wanted wilderness to be maintained for its own sake, for future generations. Adams writes that the environmentalism of Muir and Grinnell stem from more fundamental conceptions of nature and the universe rather than merely from protecting the wilderness.

Adams says that Muir was deeply influenced by the philosophy of the German polymath Alexander von Humboldt. Humboldt viewed the species of the world as inextricably linked in a vast web, as part of a single living organism. Following this, Muir philosophized that everything is hitched to everything else in the Universe when we try to pick out anything by itself. It reminded me of the Advaita philosophy in India in the 8th century. Philosopher Shankara too viewed everything in the universe as interlinked manifestations of a single primordial entity called the Brahman. All through the book, we see Adams quoting from the Harriman expedition on how Muir related to the islands, glaciers, and wildlife in their way.

Any book on Alaska will naturally attract discussions on Environment. One would expect a book on Alaska by a New Yorker today to be heavily peppered with issues relating to environmental destruction, climate change apocalypse and the fossil fuel companies’ plunder of its natural wealth. Adams comes off as a mainstream environmentalist in the sense that he buys into the harmful CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, melting of glaciers due to climate change and the harms of oil drilling in Alaska. But he does not strike one as a climate-change fundamentalist. To start with, he does not romanticize Alaska by painting it as though it was an environmental haven in 1899. Even the Harriman expedition documents the wanton destruction through salmon fishing in Orca and the enormous waste in the canneries of Cordova. George Grinnell documents that everyone talked about the inexhaustible supply of millions of salmon in Orca. He noted that it was the same language he was accustomed to in other contexts. People had waxed eloquent about the abundance of fur seals, buffalo and passenger pigeons before their astounding numbers plummeted to near zero after fifty years of reckless hunting.

Talking on the history of the state, Adams says that Alaska had seen three gold rushes. The first one was the Alaskan fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries when the Russians scotched through the Aleutian Islands, killing most of the sea otters in their path and then shipping the furs off to profitable markets back home in Russia and China, Japan, and Europe. As a fall-out of this greed, the hunters also decimated a relative of the manatee called the Stellar’s sea cow which provided the ‘take-away’ meals the hunters needed. The second gold rush was the real rush for gold in Klondike, about which Jack London has vividly written. The third and the biggest one was the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline of the 1970s.

The issue of Alaska’s glaciers vanishing right under our eyes keeps propping in the media all the time. Adams says that in Glacier Bay, the John Hopkins Glacier retreated catastrophically during the first three decades of the twentieth century, then reversed course and began growing, extending farther now than where it was in 1929. He also quotes Bruce Molnia, research Geologist at US Geological Survey, on Alaska’s glaciers. Molnia says that glaciers are not external fixtures of the landscape. They have come and gone on a continental scale all through the past two billion years, ever since the Earth has had an atmosphere. Some 125000 years ago, sea levels were twenty feet higher than they are today. Subsequently, when temperatures fell, and the ice advanced, they fell to a good four hundred feet lower than today, exposing the Bering land bridge. Molnia says that people make emphatic statements like ‘it has never been this warm, sea levels have never risen this fast’ and so on. His advice is to see it in perspective. Twenty-one thousand years ago, the Atlantic coast as seen from the Empire State building today, was a good seventy miles farther away. All through the book, author Adams strikes a balance on the issues of environment and its many-sided arguments.

Finally, I have to return to hunting as a sport and the bagging of trophies as a result. I have always been puzzled by Western environmental culture’s attitude to this ‘sport.’ It tends to be severe on lumber companies decimating trees and forests, oil companies polluting lakes and oceans, man polluting the atmosphere and industries mining the Earth rapaciously. But, when it comes to the widespread practice of game hunting as a sport which prevails in much of the Western world, it treads lightly on this practice. It is passed off as a necessary evil in conservation. Even in this book, Adams mentions in passing Harriman’s quest to bag a Kodiak bear as a trophy. He does not seem horrified by this desire. The only comment on this is made indirectly through how much John Muir was appalled by this quest of Harriman. It reminds me of a visit years ago to the Yellowstone National Park. A few of us were admiring a magnificent Elk from our position. Then, one amongst us said, ‘Oh, how I wish I had a gun on me.’ I happened to be the only one horrified by this suggestion.

This is an entertaining and informative book, though somewhat slow-paced, on Alaska and its recent history. I learned a good deal not only about the Alaskan coast and its native people but also about John Muir’s environmentalism and John Burroughs as a naturalist. Anyone who reads the book would want to book a berth on the boat along the Inside Passage and then wander down the Alaskan Panhandle. If you like a hybrid account of travel and history, you will love reading this book.

[Therese Lichte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun read for anyone who is curious about Alaska or an Alaska enthusiast. I would say it’s even a good read for a local to get a summarized history of the 1899 Edward Harriman expedition. I did not expect to be reading so much about John Muir. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know beforehand how much John Muir content there would be since I’m not a fan of the glorified white colonizer. But, the whole Harriman expedition was white male colonizers and I have to say, this book potrayed John Muir as the biggest advocate for nature and natives out of this entire group of men. That was unexpected since I haven’t read an entire book about John Muir before.

This book flips back and forth from the Harriman expedition and modern day on the ferry. The author has a great sense of humor and his description of Alaska and its people had me laughing sometimes. It taught me alot about many places I’ve been and many places I’ve only heard of.

I definitely want to take the ferry up to Alaska now whenever I make that permanent one way move.

[Poiema · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journalist retraces the 1899 journey of railroad magnate Edward Harriman into the Alaskan wilderness. Harriman had assembled a team of the best and brightest of his time, including John Muir, and the journey was consequential to conservation practices and to the declaring of some lands federal reserves.

Mark Adams had to travel differently, of course, since steamboats are no longer available! He secured local guides in each stopping point and truly experienced the beauty and the brutality of Alaska, and at each stop compared his current perceptions with the recorded observations of the 1899 travelers.

Since I have read Michener’s Alaska, and some of John Muir’s Travels in Alaska, I had some familiarity with the places Adams visited, and was intrigued by his perceptive assessment of the places and the changes. The glaciers are receding and he found some of the landscapes significantly changed from what the 1899 group encountered.

I appreciated that Adams dipped into his predecessor’s journals, gave interesting tidbits of history, and gathered oral histories from the locals. He also had a great sense of humor! I really enjoyed this journey and it gave me a better understanding of the need for careful stewardship of this amazing place.

[Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author traces the steps of the famous Harriman expedition to Alaska in 1899 and shares his own experiences and observations interspersed with those of the expedition participants (including John Muir, George Grinnell and John Burroughs - all luminaries in the conservation movement). For those who have taken an Alaskan cruise up the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay, his description of the towns visited will bring back memories. The remainder of the journey becomes somewhat more rugged and can be enjoyed vicariously through his narrative - unless the spirit of adventure leads one further into the wild.

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting and often humorous journey into Alaska by our author Mark Adams.
The aim is to retrace the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition using the states intricate public ferry system travelling 3000 miles following the itinerary. He meets some funny characters, scary wildlife and opens our eyes to the climate change as each year it gets hotter.
At times I found it a bit slow meandering off topic from the expedition but it certainly was an eye opener.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was our second audio book choice to read driving through Alaska. (Well third, but we quit the second after 20 minutes because it was so boring.) It was a great pick! So interesting and relevant to everything we were seeing. Highly recommend if you are going to Alaska — or are just interested in it.

[Jamie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1899 a railroad magnate assembled a group of scientists and naturalists, including John Muir, charted a luxuriously outfitted steamer, and sailed up Alaska’s Inside Passage, along the Aleutian islands, and as far north as Nome. It was apparently a good time had by all, and the report of the trip turned Alaska into the prime tourism destination it is to this day. This book retraces that trip, using it as a narrative hook to examine contemporary Alaska and Alaskans. It reinforces the standard view of the state as the last frontier, full of oddballs and colorful characters who don’t fit in anywhere else.

The small towns visited along the way could not be described as charming, since most seem to consist of a handful of weather-beaten houses, a general store, and heaps of rusted and abandoned vehicles and appliances. Still, people call those places home, and many of them are happy to live there. These towns generally share two attributes: magnificent scenery, and bears. The glaciers, even in retreat, are an amazing sight, ringed by steep snow-clad mountains, and providing a habitat for a wide array of plants and animals, including eagles, otters, porpoises. And bears. The people who live there share the forests and seashore with black and brown bears, which are unpredictable and can be very dangerous. They are treated by the residents as just another fact of life that you have to be prepared for, like people living in cities have to know how to negotiate busy intersections.

It’s not all hiking and kayaking in places of great natural beauty. This is Alaska, and the North Pacific is an unforgiving place, so rain, wind, and fog are prevalent much of the time. In the summer, which was when this trip was taken, when the wind stops the biting critters come out, swarms of midges and mosquitoes that can make life miserable.

There is also the sorry story of depredation of the native peoples and their natural resources. It is a sad tale too often told, of “civilization” destroying age-old cultures with alcohol and disease, and plundering the land and sea of everything of value. It is amazing that any of it survived long enough to make it into the start of the 20th century and the first concerted efforts at conservation. Those efforts were in fact given a big boost by the reports of the naturalists who made the 1899 journey that the author follows.

Over everything in Alaska hangs the specter of global warming, as each year sets a new all-time record for hottest ever. The prospect of an ice free Northwest Passage during the summer months will not offset the ecological devastation that follows thawing permafrost, rising waters, and more and more powerful storms. The bungling state government, which serves at the beck and call of the oil industry, is only going to make things worse in their manic pursuit of more and more drilling even if it brings environmental disaster.

Alaska is a beautiful place, and definitely worth a visit but, as the author says during his conclusion, if you want to see it you had better go soon. The longer you wait the worse things are going to get.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1899, railroad tycoon Edward Harriman organized a multidisciplinary expedition to Alaska, bringing with him some of the best scientists and artists in America. They sailed -- or rather, steamed -- their way around the coast of Alaska, pushing as far north as possible. Over a century later, Mark decided to repeat their journey, to discover for himself the stirring beauty of America's 'last frontier', and to compare his experience with those of Harriman's. The result is a winsome mix of history, nature writing, and travel that concludes with Adams' urgent message to readers: if you want to see Alaska, go now, because it's a land continually re-created, and even now many of its places are melting away, are being reclaimed by the sea, or likewise stand on the brink of transformation.

The Alaska witnessed by Mark Adams here is, in every respect, an utterly beautiful place -- and a strange one, where people are often more dependent on the ocean and bush pilots for transportation, where a given town's entire population fishes for their own food. In its remoteness, self-sufficiency, and scorn for Outside oversight, Alaska fully lives up to its motto of the Frontier state. I could not help but think of the American west when reading this, or of the eastern frontier even earlier in American history. There is danger in that isolation; bears are a common menace, and Alaskans actually experience the majority of earthquakes within the United States. They're more at risk from tusnamis, too; while Hawaaians may have several hours warning of a tsunami, Alaskans may only have minutes to prepare. To the beauty of the landscape -- the mountains, glaciers, and wilderness expanses -- Adams adds historical interest not only by retelling the story of the Harriman expedition, but pointing to its effects. The conservation movement was born around this same period, urged on not only by near-mystics like John Muir, but by would-be hunters in the form of Harriman and Theodore Roosevelt. (Roosevelt wanted to go to Alaska, but that bum McKinley got himself shot, so TR had to be president, instead.)

Although I've never previously been interested in Alaska, Tip of the Iceberg has made it a far more compelling place, both for its natural grandeur and its culture.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting travel book which I found to be a quick read. Mark Adams travels the Alaskan wilderness to find out more about it. The glaciers are melting, it's getting warmer and a black or brown bear is difficult to identify from each other. And it's important because while you might want to play dead with one, the other is more likely to leave you alone if you fight back. Hmmm. Mark meets a variety of people and uses a variety of transportation to get around. One turns out to a member of the famous Capra family as in Frank Capra who wanted to get as far away from Hollywood as possible. A nice book that was entertaining to read. Pack your garbage out and keep the land and water pristine please.

[Tamara York · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because I love Alaska, history, John Muir, Glacier Bay, adventure stories, nature, and travel. If you love those things too, this book is for you. The author follows the route of the 1899 scientific (and pleasure) expedition along Alaska’s coast. Who was on the boat? The father of every American science (or so it seemed), John Burroughs, and John Muir. Their adventures and discoveries are recounted along with the author’s experience following the same journey 119 years later. Mark Adams reminds me of Bill Bryson’s humor with more history and information thrown in. This was the perfect book to get me ready to plan our Alaska trip next year. So good.

[Em'Ly Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I was excited about the history I was going to learn but a third of the way through I decided it was a little too slow. This wasn't about a trip as much as about a political agenda. And I felt like the agenda wasn't spelled out, almost like he wanted to share his opinion but by beating around the bush. If you have something to say, say it.

I was disappointed but from the reviews I was in the minority. I thought from the reviews this would be more of a story and I became bored of it about a third of the way through.

[Bill Jackman · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I thought would be a wide ranging tour of Alaska turned out to be a plea to save the glaciers from global warming. Climate "deniers", oil companies, and hunters are all in Adams' cross hairs as he travels from one glacier to another quoting "scientists" and guides who share his apocalyptic view of climate change. He even takes a gratuitous swipe at Sarah Palin and her daughter as if he couldn't help his liberal New York self. The book manages to be preachy and grumpy at the same time. You wonder why Adams left the comfortable ideological confines of New York City.

[Douglas Lowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written. I am a big fan of Turn Right at Machu Picchu. I guess I just did not find the subject matter as interesting. There are still great anecdotes and stories from people Adams meets though... particularly good was the three levels of fun from one of his guides. I have definitely incorporated that philosophy in describing things with people I travel with... if you are really interested in Alaska and it’s history you will enjoy this book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but there were definitely parts that dragged. The truth is I think that the expedition he was writing about wasn't that fascinating but Mark Adams' trip was interesting. In the past I haven't been too excited about Alaska but this book changed my perspective and I would very much like to visit Alaska. I am intrigued by the history of Alaska and also by the the people currently living in Alaska. It is definitely a different kind of living!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated between four and three stars, but I thought in the end it was a pretty good account of both the Harriman expedition and his own excursion along the edge of Alaska. Probably his account of seeing the glaciers is the best part. It did make me want to see this part of our country. My son has been there three times and loved it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've lived in Alaska, as has my husband. That was my initial draw to read this book. But what KEPT me reading it was the excellent intertwining of the historical trip and the current trip the author took, and written with fascinating facts.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I had heard that Wrangell was, to put it bluntly, kind of a dump.” (pg. 57)

Maybe travelogues just aren’t for me. Or maybe Mark Adams just isn’t the best author in this genre. With the exception of a few entertaining anecdotes about bear encounters, I found Tip of the Iceberg to be painfully boring. Adams’s “adventures” are mainly riding ferries (describing the décor and cafeteria offerings onboard) and wandering aimlessly around small towns, seeking somewhere to check his email (and repeating the same stupid jokes about how small each town is). His descriptions of the landscape were bland; I beg the author to invest some time learning some synonyms for the color green. This book has hundreds of pages devoted to descriptions of Alaska, and yet all Adams has to offer the reader is that the landscape is green. It’s green, green, GREEN (except where it’s white or blue, of course).

Green, a color seen in Alaska:

“mile after mile of hilly green shoreline” (pg. 30)

“the deep green mountains that stood behind” (pg. 46)

“the whiteness of the snow on the peaks, the blue of the water, the green of the spruce trees” (pg. 104)

“Its upper two-thirds are covered by ice, and its lower third is a green valley” (pg. 136)

“rocky faces decorated with patches of green” (pg. 147)

“the lower hillsides beneath the peaks were a velvety green. The water was blue and clear” (pg. 148)

“glaciers, cascades, green mountainsides, snowy peaks, and the deep blue waters of Passage Canal.” (pg. 204)

“the sky cleared, revealing the high green sides of the scooped-out valley” (pg. 221)

“the treeless green hills” (pg. 262)

[Shveta Bansal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tip of the Iceberg
Mark Adams

This was my second read by the same author and I must say I am again thrilled and excited to the core , the cycle repeating after ‘ Turn right to Machu Picchu’.
This time it was a repertoire of events mimicking the Harriman Alaska Expedition of 1899. It was a 3000 mile journey around wild Alaska. Perfect for armchair travellers , a captivating true account of Adam’s experiences features lush descriptive writing taking the reader along to the awestriking places in the wonderland of Alaska.
The Harriman expedition had many connoisseurs in geology, entomology , glaciology and so on .. A valuable advice from a geographer from 1899 trip
“If you are old, go by all means to Alaska. But if you are young , wait! The scenery of Alaska is much grander than anything else if it’s kind in the world and it is not wise to dull one’s capacity for enjoyment by seeing the finest first”
But this advice seems to be reaching its expiration date coz with the current trends in climate change, the spectacle will become a little less spectacular with each passing year!!

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read dozens of books on Alaska; this was not "just another" book on Alaska. The author's journey was a replica of the famous Harriman expedition of 1899, and he goes back and forth between the two journeys easily and meaningfully. He seeks out the real wilderness, the real towns, and the real people. And yes, he seeks out the effects of climate change. His final paragraph sums up his thoughts on travel to Alaska perfectly: "If you are old and want to see the finest scenery in the world, there's no time like the present. And if you are young, what are you waiting for? Check the ferry timetable, grab a sleeping bag, and go. Stay for a while. Believe me, it could be the event of a lifetime."

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5 stars for me. Picked this up at the airport on the way to Europe and finished it when I got home. Very enjoyable and informative read as Adams follows in the steps of a historic 1899 expedition that hauled the likes of John Muir and Edward Curtis to the frozen north. I found this book a good mix of telling that story and documenting the current state of Alaska with side trips that included some wild and wooly characters. Adams writes with a sense of humor, like Bill Bryson, but has the chops as a journalist, too. I appreciated his research and knowledge of the great state. Random airport pick, but good read all around.