Arctic Crossing: One Man's 2,000-Mile Odyssey Among the Inuit Paperback - 2002

I am paddling the western channel of a dozen rivercourses, running at maybe 2 miles an hour.

Jonathan Waterman's 2,200-mile journey across the roof of North America took him through Inuit communities in Alaska to Nunavut, Canada's new, self-governed territory. His story offers firsthand observations of Inuit life, language, and beliefs; records their reactions to modernization; documents their centuries of unjust treatment at the hands of Kabloona (bushy-eyebrowed whites); and witnesses unemployment, teen suicide, spousal violence, and substance abuse. From the perspective of his 1997 - 1999 voyage - as the Inuit stand on the brink of a more hopeful, independent future - he also looks into a past marked by famous (or infamous) Arctic explorers, governement cover-ups, and environmental destruction.This beautifully written work reveals the perils of crossing the Northwest Passage. Utterly alone for weeks at a time, struggling against freezing conditions, tricks played on him by his own mind, aggresive bears, stormy seas, and mosquito blizzards, Waterman arrives at a profound understanding of environment and culture. (6 x 9, 368 pages, color photos, b&w photos)Jonathan Waterman has worked as a naturalist, Outward Bound instructor, park ranger, boatman, mountain guide, freelance writer, magazine editor, and director of a small press. He developed the television documentaries The Logan Challenge for PBS; Surviving Denali (which won an Emmy), for ESPN; and Odyssey Among the Inuit for the Outdoor Life Network. He began traveling to the Arctic twenty years ago.