Navigations

I read this after enjoying Merle's Door and was surprised to find writing of a higher level; MD was solidly written, but some of this book is quite poetic. Composed of various magazine articles and some essays written for the book, Navigations details fishing, skiing and other expeditions in the North and South Americas with much insight on the places and the author himself. The book stands out due to Kerasote's often quite brutal self-awareness, as in The Straight Edge where he chronicles his marriage falling apart in context of his nature/travel writing. In this and pieces about him almost but not quite catching a record fish in Costa Rica and feeling lonely but alive in Alaska, one is spared the typical heroics of many outdoor writers and instead gets a truly personal account of the wanderings of a man who clearly worships and is at home in real wilderness. There are also moments of true connection with the planet and these lead to some very moving passages and beautiful lines. Well worth reading.