Synopses & Reviews
In a remote kingdom hidden in the Himalayas, there is a trail said to be the toughest trek in the worldandmdash;twenty-four days, 216 miles, eleven mountain passes, and enough ghost stories to scare an exorcist.and#160;In 2007 Kevin Grange decided to acquaint himself with the country of Bhutan by taking on this infamous trail, the Snowman Trek. He was thirty-three, at a turning point in life, and figured the best way to go at a crossroad was up. Against a backdrop of Buddhist monasteries and soaring mountains, Grange ventured beyond the mapped world to visit time-lost villages and sacred valleys. In the process, recounted here with a blend of laugh-out-loud humor, heartfelt insight, and acute observation, he tested the limits of physical endurance, met a fascinating assortment of characters, and discovered truths about faith, hope, and the shrouded secret of blossom rain.
and#160;Beneath Blossom Rain, Grangeandrsquo;s account of his journey, packs an adventure story, a romantic twist, and a celebration of group travel into a single entertaining book. The result is the ultimate journey for any traveler, armchair or otherwise. Along with high adventure, it delivers an engaging look at Bhutanandmdash;a country that governs by a policy of Gross National Happiness and that many regard as the last Shangri-La.
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Review
“These stories are quietly powerful, adventure without braggadocio and with real insight—and theyre a powerful reminder of how lucky we are to have Alaska!”—Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Greg Urquhart - Pacific Northwest Quarterly
Review
“Interweaving action and introspection, epiphanies and ethics, adventure and homecoming, Kahn charts both the geography of Alaskas outdoors and the interior landscape of a thoughtful man learning to live with appreciation and respect for all life.”—Gary Holthaus, author of Learning Native Wisdom Bill McKibben
Review
“Steve Kahn’s prose is as uncompromising and compelling as the Alaskan life and landscape he describes. Blood-stained and brisk one moment, reflective and reverent the next, these stories remind us of the riches that await whenever we step away from the overwhelming technology and materialism of modern life. A great read.”—Karsten Heuer, author of Being Caribou --Gary Holthaus
Review
“Steve Kahns finely crafted essays brim with the sort of detail and authenticity that can only come of long, hard-won experience. Literary yet accessible, both tender and unflinching, The Hard Way Home is a true book of substance.”Nick Jans, author of The Last Light Breaking and The Glacier Wolf
Review
"Alaskan Kahn has written a series of heartfelt, yet understated, essays about life on the Last Frontier that will appeal to nature lovers and thoughtful outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen. . . . This is quiet Alaska, and much closer to the truth than most depictions."—Colleen Mondor, Booklist Colleen Mondor
Review
"The Hard Way Home offers exceptionally well-crafted prose about life in the bush, and establishes Steve Kahn as one of Alaska's most gifted writers. We need to hear more from him."—David James, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Tim Troll - Alaska History
Review
"A fine read for anyone who wants to understand Alaska better, The Hard Way Home is a solid addition to any memoir collection, highly recommended."—Midwest Book Review David James - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Review
"Steve Kahn's essays and stories cover a lifetime in the outdoors of Alaska, from early adventures as a young man, to his career as a big game guide, to reflections on the simple subsistence life he and his wife Anne now share on the shores of Lake Clark. There is much to admire here—in particular, good writing, and the classic Alaskan life of flying, fishing, hunting, and living off the land."—Tim Troll, Alaska History Booklist
Review
"The Hard Way Home provides an excellent firsthand account of life in rural Alaska. It is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, anyone wishing to learn about life in the wilderness, and those interested in Alaska history."—Greg Urquhart, Pacific Northwest Quarterly Midwest Book Review
Review
"Alaska seems like a great place to get in touch with the world around us on more than just a material dirt and rock level but instead to dig a little deeper. This book was a perfect window into the lives, attitudes and personalities of people who are living all the way there on the other side of Canada."—Outdoor Book Club Greg Urquhart - Pacific Northwest Quarterly
Review
"Almost Somewhere is, at all turns, a gratifying read. It is intimate and funny, sharp and pensive, and its readersand#8212;if not inspired to undertake their own adventuresand#8212;will certainly be sad to leave Roberts at the trail's end."and#8212;Michelle Schingler, ForeWord
Review
"[Almost Somewhere] will appeal to readers of travel and nature books, as well as those who enjoy reading about social interactions and group dynamics."and#8212;Kirkus
Review
"Roberts dares to combine a hiking adventure with a healthy dose of humor and female bonding in all its complicated and turbulent best. . . . An utterly refreshing outdoors memoir free of the seemingly manufactured drama so many similar titles contain. A delightful and quite literary diversion."and#8212;Colleen Mondor, Booklist
Review
"Almost Somewhere is a contribution to the growing body of women's nature writing, and a worthwhile, entertaining and occasionally funny story of the California wilderness."and#8212;Julia Jenkins, Shelf Awareness
Review
"Readers who have walked sections of the John Muir Trail will appreciate Roberts's accurate descriptions of lakes and passes, of trail-worn feet, and of the fleeting moments when you seem to float down the trail."and#8212;Bradley John Monsma, ISLE
Review
"[Almost Somewhere is]and#160;a 260-page journey that is bound to take you beyond the John Muir Trail."and#8212;Kathryn Reed, Lake Tahoe News
Review
"A highly readable journey of one man's renewed lease on life."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Beneath Blossom Rain succeeds in merging travelogue with personal contemplation, allowing the armchair traveler to share both the physical and personal journey and taking them beyond a geographic place to a more philosophical one."and#8212;Tim Gebhart, blogcritics.org
Review
and#8220;Entertaining. . . . [Grange] writes well of the beauty he encounters.and#8221;and#8212;Michael J. Ybarra, Wall Street Journal
Review
"For an immersion in many things Bhutanese, this is the book for you, part of the University of Nebraska Press's excellent Outdoor Lives Series."and#8212;Richard West, Everett Potter's Travel Report
Review
"The lure of legends and the allure of mountains have possessed the human race for eons. Kevin Grange's remarkable debut, Beneath Blossom Rain: Discovering Bhutan on the Toughest Trek in the World, merges the myth of the Yeti and the tangible Himalayan mountains into a tension-filled journey through Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon."and#8212;Barb Teed, Rain Taxi
Review
"Beneath Blossom Rain, Grange's account of his journey, packs an adventure story, a romantic twist, and a celebration of group travel into a single entertaining book. The result is the ultimate journey for any traveler, armchair or otherwise."and#8212;Sandy Amazeen, Monsters and Critics
Synopsis
A lifelong Alaskan, Steve Kahn moved at the age of nine from the “metropolis” of Anchorage to the foothills of the Chugach Mountains. A childhood of berry picking, fishing, and hunting led to a life as a big-game guide. When he wasnt guiding in the spring and fall, he worked as a commercial fisherman and earned his pilots license, pursuits that took him to the far reaches of the Alaskan wilderness. He lived through some of the most important moments of the states history: the 1964 earthquake (the most powerful in U.S. history), the Farewell Burn wildfire, the last king crab season in Kodiak Island waters, the Exxon Valdez oil spill and cleanup, even the far-reaching effects of the 9/11 attacks. The landscape of the essays in The Hard Way Home extends from the tip of Admiralty Island in the southeast to the Teocalli Mountains of the interior, from the windswept Alaska Peninsula to the authors present home on Lake Clark. These essays offer a view of Alaska that is at once introspective and adventurous. Here we find the states plants, animals, people, geography, politics, and culture considered from an intimate perspective, leading to hard-earned lessons about conservation, sustainability, and living well. Ever the irrepressible guide, Kahn invites readers to share his experiences and discoveries and to consider questions about a place, and a life, that are disappearing.
Synopsis
Day One, and already she was lying in her journal. It was 1993, Suzanne Roberts had just finished college, and when her friend suggested they hike Californiaandrsquo;s John Muir Trail, the adventure sounded like the perfect distraction from a difficult home life and thoughts about the future. But she never imagined that the twenty-eight-day hike would change her life. Part memoir, part nature writing, part travelogue, Almost Somewhere is Robertsandrsquo;s account of that hike.
John Muir had written of the Sierra Nevada as a andldquo;vast range of light,andrdquo; and this was exactly what Roberts was looking for. But traveling with two girlfriends, one experienced and unflappable and the other inexperienced and bulimic, she quickly discovered that she needed a new frame of reference. Her story of a month in the backcountryandmdash;confronting bears, snowy passes, broken equipment, injuries, and strange menandmdash;is as much about finding a womanandrsquo;s way into outdoor experience as it is about the natural world she so eloquently describes. Candid and funny and, finally, wise, Almost Somewhere is not just the whimsical coming-of-age story of a young woman ill-prepared for a month in the mountains but also the reflection of a distinctly feminine view of nature.and#160; and#160;
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About the Author
Kevin Grange is an award-winning freelance writer who has written for Backpacker Magazine, National Parks Magazine, and the Orange County Register, among others. He has been to Bhutan four times and has completed the Snowman Trek three times, including twice as a guide. A native of New Hampshire, he currently lives in California.