Play Book Tag discussion

Those who are familiar with my reading are aware that I am concerned about the environment and the impact of climate change and that I love a slow travel book. When these subjects can be combined as Adam Weymouth's book Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North, I am delighted.

Weymouth traveled down the Yukon River by canoe following the journey of a King Salmon and stopping by indigenous communities to understand their position on fishing, the decline in numbers of King Salmon and how salmon impacted their lives.

He begins his journey on the Nisutlin, a tributary of the Yukon with traveling mate Hector MacKenzie who will raft with him down through a very trying rapids to get to the Yukon. Weymouth was not a skilled rafter or canoeist as he says " I have spent perhaps a week in a canoe, on British rivers that look, to Canadian eyes, like trickles—the Medway, the Dart, the Wye."

He was lucky enough to spot a fingerling when camping at the start of the journey.
I am scrubbing porridge from out the pot when I see the dart of little fish emerging from the shadows, pecking at the oats. And I gasp because it was as easy as that to find them. They are exactly where they were supposed to be. These are king salmon, a few months old, the first I have ever seen. I watch them as they feed on our breakfast.

As he travels we encounter many animals and meet people in the community who have had life experiences with salmon. Weymouth is greatly impressed by the generosity of the people he meets.

I found myself, loving this journey and the way in which Weymouth told it by giving information about the flora and fauna, the salmon and the people along the Yukon. I appreciated that he didn't get in his own head too much the way some travel writers do but really provided insight and understanding to the land, people and animals he encountered.

My one tiny quibble is I wish that he provided chapters in the book to break it down a bit. I found that it jumped a bit without my being prepared for it.

Overall it is an excellent book and I'm looking forward to reading another by him. I believe he has Lone Wolf: Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wildness which has just been released.

I enjoyed this book too! I'll check into the one you linked.

Joy D wrote: "I enjoyed this book too! I'll check into the one you linked."

I was checking out that one when I found Kings of the Yukon. I was really impressed with his writing.

I was also interested in what he found out about salmon, because of course they are an issue here in California.