I'm Ready to go Camping Now!

My favorite type of "fun" books to read are those dealing with outdoor expeditions. My particular favorites are those dealing with exploration in the arctic and the challenges of the cold and ice. I'm not sure where this enjoyment came from, but maybe it's the Norwegian genes of my ancestors coming out in some way.

I recently finished a really great book called "In the Land of White Death" by a Russian named Albanov. He is the navigator of a hunting ship that gets stuck in the ice north of Russia. His foolish captain thinks that after a year they will thaw out and get home. That year goes by and they're still stuck, and the captain decides to wait another year. Albanov, the navigator, knows that they are heading farther north, not south to warmer waters, and asks to be relieved of his duties and sets out across the ice with several companions in search of land. Out of a party of 10, only he and one other sailor survive. No one ever hears of those left on the ship again.

The best part of this book is Albanov's faithfulness. He absolutely knows that God has promised him that he will survive his ordeal. Every time their situation looks totally grim, with no help in sight, they wake up the next morning and shoot a polar bear, or some other miraculous provision shows up. The story that takes the cake, though, is when they're setting out across an icy channel between two islands. The island they are making for has cabins and food supplies, but halfway across the channel they get caught in a hurricane! They somehow paddle to an iceberg and drag their kayak on top. Him and his companion sailor spend the night huddled up against hurricane-force winds. About 7 hours later they wake up to the sound of, "CRACK!" and they are soaking wet! The iceberg has split in two and their heavy clothes are quickly dragging them to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean (remember, there's still a hurricane going on)! They wriggle out of their clothes and swim to the surface, only to realize that there's no way for them to reach their kayak, still up on the top part of the iceberg. Albanov thinks to himself, "What now?" And prays to God that He will remember His promise. Immediately the iceberg breaks open again and his kayak slides down right in front of him! Him and the other sailor climb on board with their wet clothes, and make for the island they just came from. They are still in a hurricane and it takes them 6 hours to reach land where they promptly burn everything they can spare for a fire and jump around all night long to stay alive!

This book is one in the Modern Library of Exploration series, and I would love to have all those books! Some of theme are out of print, including "The Voyage of Saint Brendan." This is another great one by explorer Tim Severin. He describes the medieval tale of Saint Brendan the voyager, a 5th century Irish monk who travels across the ocean. Severin believes that Brendan made it to North America and back, and decides to re-trace his trail to prove that it was possible. Severin makes fun of modern historians who scoff at these "mythological" tales and he has a genuine respect for medieval scholarship and technology. He makes and sails a leather boat with a team of sailors, who travel from Ireland, to the Faroe Islands, to Iceland, Greenland, and finally America.

All this exploration is great to prepare for camping!