The Only Kayak: A Journey Into The Heart Of Alaska

Very introspective without being preachy

The last time I went to Alaska, I bought new binoculars. I had to get them even though I own two standard binoculars and the boat I was chartering had a pair. All of these are standard binoculars. I needed a pair with much greater magnification. I got a pair of 15X binoculars. These were not enough. I should have to 20X. You see, Alaska is large - very large. The distances are great, the heights make your neck hurt as you tilt your eyes to see the snow covered peaks. Sometimes the depth finder on the boat goes blank when the depths exceed its range and dive to more than 1500 feet, while a 3000 foot mountain is just off your starboard side. Glacier Bay is a very small part of Alaska, but it is still immense. If you look at a full map of Alaska you can just barely make out Glacier Bay in the Southeast portion of the State. Now imagine navigating a boat around Point Gustavus at the entry of Glacier Bay and suddenly you feel as if you have entered a great cathedral. If you are lucky enough to explore around this cathedral, you will soon learn that it is immense and filled with uncountable beautiful things. You will want powerful binoculars. It is around Glacier Bay that Heacox has built his book. He has crafted a provocative book that asks more questions than it answers and poses more dilemmas than it resolves. It tries to explore the difficulties of preservation and observation. How can people observe what needs to be preserved? As the Heisenberg Principle says, "The very act of observing something, disturbs it state." Heacox does not try to define the ideal balance, but it is clearly composed of many fewer large cruise ships sailing all the way to the farthest northern point to see Margarie Glacier. He seems to suggest that one kayak at a time might be ideal, but clearly that is impossible. Heacox takes his questioning and challenging beyond nature preservation to many other realms. Unfortunately, the arguments often stray into a bit of hubris and smugness - "I know nature and what nature needs. I know values and what is right and wrong." He sometimes pokes fun at people who may not have met his standards. This is unfortunate because it detracts from his otherwise powerful book. I wondered sometimes what he would say about me - someone who spent a career traveling around the world working on health for the poor in developing countries. I flew in a lot of polluting jets; I stayed in large cookie cutter hotels; and I worked with large pharmaceutical firms. Was I part of the solution or part of the problem? Overall however this is a wonderful book and deserves to be widely read and debated. Ultimately, and somewhat surprisingly to me, the book is a collection of love stories. So pop up a bowl of popcorn, grab a beer, sit back, enjoy this book, and maybe be reminded of the power of love.

What a wonderful book! My wife and I just finished re-reading it aloud together after returning from a vacation in Southeast Alaska, where we had a chance to meet the author and his wife Melanie. There is so much here to absorb that we limited ourselves to 10-15 pages per day in order to be able to have sufficient time to reflect on what we had read. It is autobiographical, philosophical, and historical. It is written by a story-telling, humorous, climate activist and nature preservationist. Kim arrived in Glacier Bay National Park as a young park ranger, fell in love with everything about the place and people, then immersing himself in the magic of the area, trying to figure out some of life's big questions. Treat yourself by taking this journey with him.

Kim Heacox writes beautifully and shares powerful messages and stories, including the willingness to be the only kayak, or to tent camp with bears, which involves life-or-death risks. He shares paradoxes, including taking photographs and writing books, which are then printed on paper made from trees, about conserving our natural resources. And yet, he also shares a sense of humor, which makes us laugh, and not give up hope, as we grieve our changing world, which includes the melting of glaciers and loss of wilderness.

This book is a treasure. It's the one book I give away the most. The wisdom, humor, and beautiful writing will stay with you for years. The storytelling, the characters, and the setting will draw you in and keep you turning pages, putting off all other duties because you have to keep reading. Though I've read it multiple times, it's still a book I pick up at random and read a chapter.I love Heacox's style of writing. He is a master of his craft, able to write well but with humility and compassion and humanity. He's not on an author's perch, looking down at us. You get the feeling you're out there in the wilderness with him, having deep conversations and heartfelt laughs.This book will make you think, about how we live in this world, about how we could live in this world. About what it means to love--places and people.And this book will make you feel, both tears and laughter, both joy and pain. He doesn't lob softballs. This is writing that hits you in the chest, fires up your brain, and on good occasion, gets you laughing from the belly.Do yourself a favor: let yourself love this book as much as I do. You won't be sorry.

Kim’s writing is beautiful and inspiring. But beyond that, it is critical, honest, & does not shrink from the contradictions of being a modern person who loves the wilderness… and by loving it is compelled to delve into it, collectively making it less wild. But Kim embraces that love of the wild with thoughtful and well-researched prose about institutional processes at play which drive much of our unwitting destructive tendencies.I had the rare and fortunate opportunity to meet both Kim and his spouse Melanie, after reading and loving The Only Kayak. They are truly authentic & caring people; it was a privilege to read Kim’s account and spend a brief moment of conversation with them.Highly recommend this book!!

this book is so great everyone is borrowing it

Interessantes Buch! Kaufempfehlung wenn man Englisch kann!

Yes, it's OK.