Crossing The Gates Of Alaska

by Dave Metz

The snow forms the beginning of a near vertical chute that falls at least a thousand feet. My feet, shaking, manage to hug the thin edge of solid rock. I feel my heart creep to my throat and warm sweat drip down my back, defying the subzero Arctic air. Somehow I reach a plateau and think the worst is behind me. I couldn't be more wrong.

This is the story of Dave Metz's death-defying, breathtaking, and passionate journey through the Arctic outback. Driven by his lifetime reverence for the outdoors, Dave, with the help of his two beloved Airedale terrier dogs, embarks on a three-month epic of survival and astonishing determination that rivals the most daring world-class explorations.

I find myself on a gigantic trench hemmed in on both sides by peaks that look like ice-daggers from another world. The idea that I'm at the mercy of the wild sinks in. . .and I desperately want out of this endless, icebound maze.

Skiing up frozen rivers, enduring bitter nights at twenty below zero, and staggering across vast reaches of barren tundra and scrub woodlands, Metz's unprecedented 600-mile trek took him to the remotest regions of the untamed North. In frightening and stunning detail, he shows us an unwavering spirit and a compelling sense of adventure that can only be satisfied when truly free...

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure, Travel

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Crowinator · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this book to be something like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer: a thrilling survival adventure story mixed with a well-researched running commentary on humanity's affect on these last few wild, remote, amazing natural wonders. So, it's no wonder that I was disappointed by Metz's rambling, unfocused narrative, his hard to follow timeline, and the inadequate map in the front of the book. At times, his ruminations on the natural landscape he experienced while journeying across Arctic wilderness are quite profound and beautifully described, and I learned some interesting things about the Arctic and about the wildlife there (and about dogs) and how one survives in such a place. And there's no doubt that his physical and mental endurance of the elements and the isolation are something to respect, but for the most part I was bored reading this book.

I never understood why he decided to undertake such a journey and what he hoped to accomplish through it. There are people who do these difficult, crazy things because of their love of being "at one with nature", or because they are the kind of people who enjoy challenging themselves and their bodies, but I never got the idea that Metz did this for either of those reasons. In fact, he states how much he loves the natural wilderness only to undercut it by several comments that seem like he is merely avoiding people and his problems at home (it seems like he has a lot of those); he talks about challenging his body but then often seems surprised at how challenging the journey turns out to be. I don't think this is because he didn't have strong reasons for doing this trek; I just think he lacks the storytelling skill to convey them in writing.

I did admire how much he loves his dogs, but because I couldn't really understand why he was out there starving and freezing, I really couldn't understand why he would do this to the dogs he loves so much. He talks a lot about the training he does for this journey, but his dogs don't seem to have had the same training; he remarks they are less than a year old (or only a year old). He talks a lot about the dog he lost previously - Jonny - and it seems like the impetus for this trip was in some part to honor Jonny's memory, because he'd always intended to take this trip with him. Jimmy and Will, his two new dogs, just don't seem ready like Jonny would have been, so I felt bad for them in a way I didn't feel for Metz.

The journey Metz took was definitely remarkable, but his recounting of it didn't live up to its potential.

[Paul Marculescu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Foarte plictisitoare și fără prea multă valoare, în afara situației în care plănuiești să faci un traseu similar.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book this year that I have read about taking Airedale Terriers on Alaskan arctic adventures. The first book, Arctic Adventure by Tina Gargan, describes Airedale Jerry’s role in assisting Alfred M. Baily’s scientific team in 1921-1922. My review of that book is on Goodreads.com
Here is my review for Crossing The Gates of Alaska: In this book, very young Airedale brothers William and Jimmy accompany Dave Metz on a breathtaking and arduous hiking journey through Alaska. They all went on this journey by hiking east to west, through Kobuk Valley National Park and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. They carried their own gear and food on two small flat bottomed sleds. The Airedales pulled the sleds and sometimes traded off with Dave, depending on what obstacles needed to be overcome. All their food was carried in packs or on the sleds, and Dave had arranged for an airplane food drop during the trip. The most stunning part of the journey to me was to know that the Airedales, bred as hunting dogs, were barely a year old. They had no training in hunting or retrieving, sled pulling, swimming, or even obedience. Somehow, they managed to exuberantly demonstrate their breed characteristics and survive some tough going. The book is written in the style of a journal. Each chapter contains a description of the journey, what was encountered, and what was seen; Dave also wrote about his thoughts and reminiscences, philosophy, advice for roaming in the wilderness, and the activities of the small group of three. What I most appreciate about the book is about how honest the writing is about how Dave felt and the decisions he made during the trip. This makes this book a great travelogue. The book could use some more organization and editing to make it easier to follow. I recommend using a map of Alaska while reading. While the book describes the journey well, descriptions of the natural areas could be better. There are no pictures or illustrations. Even just a few would have improved the book. The following didn’t affect how I rated the book, it’s just a suggestion. If you are lucky enough to be traveling in a natural area, especially one so few people may have a chance to visit, please be a citizen scientist. Record lists and describe the living organisms, or the environment that you discover, and then share these valuable observations on the web, or in places like ebird.org
Locations/settings: [Alaska: Kotzebue, Kiana, Kobuk River to Ambler, Gates of the Artic National Park and Preserve, Nakmaktuak Pass, Anatuvuk Pass, Coldfoot; Oregon: Portland, Roseburg]

[Lou Yonke · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 600-mile 3-month trek across barren uninhabited Alaskan wilderness is not my idea of a fun adventure, and reading about it is unfortunately not much fun either. Author Dave Metz was not able to entertain or impress me with his journey; he pretty much only proved how far out there one has to be to voluntarily leave behind all human contact, almost starve oneself to death, and come frighteningly close to both falling and drowning to death out-of-contact and hundreds of miles away from anyone else. On the other hand, just because I couldn't imagine doing what the author did, doesn't mean no one else should. His warm relationship with his two companion dogs does make the author likeable, but selfishly leaving his girlfriend to go on this journey really offsets that likeability and leads to the obvious breakup at the end. I can not recommend this book to anyone.

[Bogdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daca iti place frigul, iarna, zapada care trosneste sub talpi, salbaticia, tovarasia cainilor in natura, atunci astave una dintre cartile recomandate.
Tipul traverseaza muntii Brooks din nordul Alaskai de la vest la est, plecand din localitatea Kotzebue.
Cine a citit Jack London sau Prin taigaua extremului orient de Arseniev, dupa care s-a facut filmul Dersu Uzala, ii va placea aceasta calatorie din anii 2000.
Insotit de 2 caini terrier airedale, dar amintindu-si permanent de vechiul tovaras patruped care murise prematur, depaseste tot soiul de obstacole: foame, degeraturi, lupi, dezorientare sau depresie.
Este jurnalul unui tip rezistent fizic si mental caruia nu-i este frica sa mearga 5 luni prin locuri pe care cei mai multi le contempla doar la televizor.

[Tess Unfair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite honest, straightforward and somewhat naive narrative about his journey and attitude to life. Can't say I didn't enjoy it, but it's not a kind of story I would read one more time. Also russian translation is far from good - translator is not "into" the subject and has hardly any idea about mountains and wilderness. Unfortunately I couldn't get original text.
Anyway, it's worth reading, just don't expect too much.

[Ana Bîrliga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to 'The invisible border', this book is about the long distances resistance, not great heights. On the other hand, I've read about the same thing: being in the wilderness, conquering places that no man alive has ever conquered, living simple and in harmony with nature, doing what you love without being influenced by those who don't understand you and who want to discourage you. I respect those people who follow their dreams no matter what. I think this is the way to really find that inner peace we all are looking for.

[Sandra Futch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite an amazing journey and he can be quite proud of himself. I dont know how he survived. He took so many chances and got himself into so many dangerous predicaments. His writing got a little tedious.

[Doug Cornelius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave Metz decides he wants to spend four months crossing the Alaskan wilderness with no human company. Just him and his two dogs. He tells us his story in Crossing the Gates of Alaska: One Man, Two Dogs, 600 Miles off the Map.

With two young kids at home, I’m now an armchair adventure and after a few years of Adventure Doug. So I enjoy a good adventure story. The publisher sent me a free copy to review.

In the spring of 2007, Dave Metz sets out from Kotzebue, on the west coast of Alaska, with two dogs to traverse the Brooks Range on foot. It was a tough journey covering 600 air miles (far longer on the ground) through some of the most remote territory on the planet. For four months, Metz and his dogs, battled bitter cold, rugged terrain, wild animals and the threat of starvation before arriving at Anaktuvuk Pass.

Metz spent the first six weeks skijoring up frozen rivers toward the interior mountain ranges. What is skijoring? Strap on skis, tie up your dogs, strap on their leashes and the let them pull you. For Metz, he had the dogs in front of him and tow heavy plastic sleds behind him towing his supplies. Since Metz wanted to travel up the smooth surface of frozen rivers rather than bushwhack through underbrush, they had to race against the spring thaw.

At one point he encounters a local. When Mr. Metz tells him his plan to ski from Kotzebue to Ambler, he gets “a blank face, like he isn’t sure why anyone would want to do what I’m doing.” The book left me wondering the same question.

I never got a good sense from the book why he had taken on this adventure. At times, it seems the reason is to get back to nature in the sense of Thoreau and Walden. He wants to live alone with nature. But then he craves the companionship of his girlfriend, brothers and friends. He looks forward to drinking tequila and smoking cigars with them at the end as they are supposed to hike together on the second leg of the journey from Anaktuvuk Pass to Coldfoot.

His main companions are his two dogs, Will and Jimmy, big Airedale Terriers. All three of them end of running out food and close to collapsing from starvation by the time they stumble in to Anaktuvuk Pass.

The book lacks an interesting story and gets repetitive. He finds a big river that is hard to cross, he encounters nearly impenetrable brush, he falls down, again. I really didn’t care if Metz made it to his destination. Since there is a book, you know he made it.

Crossing the Gates of Alaska goes on sale January 26, 2010.

You can see some of his pictures on Flickr: "Crossing the Gates of Alaska" by Dave Metz

I also put together this map of his route: Crossing the Gates of Alaska.

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pretty much a straightforward recounting of Dave Metz's journey across Alaska on foot with his two dogs. He certainly has his moments of philosophizing and preaching (what journey wouldn't have some of that?) but it isn't the focus of the book. He's an interesting guy, with a great perspective on wilderness, and his dogs add a lot to the story. His struggle with the past and the dog that he lost become the real reason for the journey and inform you on his personality and the impetus for the trip. He really understands wilderness, and Alaska itself and gives you a beautiful picture of the landscape. For example, he spends quite a bit of time describing the different types of ice he encounters and how to tell which are reliable ways to cross rivers and which are not. It makes it easy to feel like you are along on the trip.[return][return]I tend to think that the author has some serious reasons for withdrawing from people and that shines through in the book. It seems unfortunate to psychoanalyze the poor guy, but it does affect how you'll take the book. For example, the dogs are a great part of the story, but in some ways, you'll find that he seems motivated by his immense pain over the loss of an earlier dog. In the book, you kind of see that he has stronger ties to his animals than to the people in his life. The same with the wilderness. I understand that he loves it and his soul is drawn to it. We need those kinds of 'prophets.' But he seems drawn to it partly to avoid real relationships with people. Most of his philosophizing centers around fewer people, spread further out and solitude and isolation being good for you. Maybe he feels this way because he has been hurt and wants to protect himself? I don't know, and I don't know him, but all of that definitely bleeds through onto the pages. It's your call whether that makes it more interesting, less interesting, or maybe even annoying. Come on dude, you'd call for a rescue if your dogs were in danger, but not if you were going to die? And you'll take this journey at the obviously painful expense of your relationships to your girlfriend and your family? But thank you for sharing with us, it is fascinating... I hope you find what you are looking for some day.[return][return]His struggle to keep going, the threat of starvation and deprivation, and ultimately, the struggle to stay sane, all make for a fascinating read. It is well written, but simple, making it easy to digest and read quickly as well as a great book to read late at night!

[Silviu Reuț · Rating 2 out of 5]

O aventură minunată, incredibilă, scrisă total fără talent, parcă de un copil de clasa a patra. Dave Metz a parcurs uluitoarea călătorie prin Gates of the Arctic, în fundul estic al Alaskăi, fiind aproape să moară de foame. Însă, pe decursul cărții, se vede lipsa de stofă de scriitor, lipsa de talent, lipsa de creativitate.

Mi-a fost greu să o termin. A fost curiozitatea de a vedea cum se termină aventura asta minunată versus chinul de a citi modul extrem de slab în care este povestită aventura asta minunată.

De altfel, autorul pare un om foarte mișto, genul meu de om. Iubitor de natură și sălbăticie, de aventură și solitudine. Și de multe altele. Dar chiar nu le are cu scrisul deloc. Păcat. Aș fi crezut că astfel de experiențe îți inspiră un elan creativ chiar și atunci când îți lipsește din naștere.

https://silviureut.ro/2019/02/08/alas...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 out of 5 stars. An excellent tale of a risky solo adventure that few others would want to undertake themselves. He has to cross so many iced-over rivers and various other dangerous bodies of water that occasionally the story gets a little repetitive, but other than that it's a lively account that makes the reader feel that they are right there crossing Alaska on foot themselves.

[Karl K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Dave speak about his adventure in Alaska. I don't really want to read the book, but it was a book club selection. In reading the book I understood the drama and hardships of his trek. When I finished the book, I thought why did he do it.

[Debra Askanase · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. I wanted to even LIKE this book. I frankly wasn't excited at all by it, and after 60 pages I skipped to the last 50. The other reviewers really capture the non-excitement and rambling nature of this book.

[Robin]

Author's account of his death-defying journey through the Arctic outback. He is from Philomath, Oregon. Publishing date is Februrary 2010.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the physical feat the author accomplished is to be admired, as the other reviewer said, this book gets very repetitive. I think I cared more about the dogs.

[Gregp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure book in an very remote area of Alaska.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent adventure story. Perhaps not as dramatically or visually written as it could have been. (One part did make me cry, but that's not saying much.)

[Karen Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and dangerous travel. Bravely done

[Comanu Florin · Rating 2 out of 5]

great traveler, poor writer.