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oakwrought's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe closer to 4.5 stars but I just really enjoyed this book. It inspired me and made me think a lot about wilderness and the limits of us as people. It’s just an incredible endeavor and tale and I am really looking forward to also watching the movie. Caribou!!!! I love them <3
lacyk_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t think I’d be into a book about caribou - its just not the kind of animal that I tend to be drawn to (I’m a bird/reptile kind of person). But by the end of the book, I had gained so much respect for these mysterious creatures, not to mention the humans that followed them! The pace was excellent, as was the writing. You’d think that reading about days on the tundra would be a bit bland, but the author’s descriptions gave me the clear view of an environment full of hardships but also of life and determination and beauty in need of preservation.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I liked the cold. I would love to do something like Karsten and his wife did in this book. But alas, the Alaskan and Yukon wilderness is not for me.
Karsten and his wife decide to follow a caribou migration.....on foot and skis. The total trip lasts about five months and they go hundreds of miles. They sleep in a tent and just try to keep up with the herd, I'll while carrying only what they can on their backs and avoiding predators like grizzly bears and wolves. Supplies are dropped along the way for them, but its still a very tough journey, but one that is ultimately rewarding as they learn quite a bit about the caribou. With the calving grounds at risk for being exploited for oil, they feel that the trip is necessary to help preserve the land for the caribou.
Karsten as a narrator was pretty good. There are times where I think he's a bit unfair at describing his wife, but ultimately he admires her, and I'm sure she'd probably be snarky too when writing the book because of the sheer amount of time they spent with only each other. The main focus is the caribou and traveling though, so there really isn't a lot of description of people they encounter with the exception of a few airplane pilots who pick them up or drop off their food for them.
If you think the main focus of this book is going to be the caribou, it isn't. This book is more about the total journey itself. Sure they mention spotting the caribou and some of the migration and some other facts, but just as much time is given to their camping supplies and relationship with each other, and the wilderness in general. Its more of a trip book. I'm sure their documentary probably focuses more on the caribou themselves. Which is just fine, but I would have loved to have them go even further in depth about caribou than they did. But hey, they included some great pictures of the animals and some scenery shots as well, so it was nice to put visuals to the book. As a warning, this book does take a stance against drilling for oil in the arctic, so if you're for it, this may not be a read for you.
Very interesting and informative, and just a good read in all. I would definitely look to see if this author or his wife have more books out.
Being Caribou
Copyright 2005
233 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Karsten and his wife decide to follow a caribou migration.....on foot and skis. The total trip lasts about five months and they go hundreds of miles. They sleep in a tent and just try to keep up with the herd, I'll while carrying only what they can on their backs and avoiding predators like grizzly bears and wolves. Supplies are dropped along the way for them, but its still a very tough journey, but one that is ultimately rewarding as they learn quite a bit about the caribou. With the calving grounds at risk for being exploited for oil, they feel that the trip is necessary to help preserve the land for the caribou.
Karsten as a narrator was pretty good. There are times where I think he's a bit unfair at describing his wife, but ultimately he admires her, and I'm sure she'd probably be snarky too when writing the book because of the sheer amount of time they spent with only each other. The main focus is the caribou and traveling though, so there really isn't a lot of description of people they encounter with the exception of a few airplane pilots who pick them up or drop off their food for them.
If you think the main focus of this book is going to be the caribou, it isn't. This book is more about the total journey itself. Sure they mention spotting the caribou and some of the migration and some other facts, but just as much time is given to their camping supplies and relationship with each other, and the wilderness in general. Its more of a trip book. I'm sure their documentary probably focuses more on the caribou themselves. Which is just fine, but I would have loved to have them go even further in depth about caribou than they did. But hey, they included some great pictures of the animals and some scenery shots as well, so it was nice to put visuals to the book. As a warning, this book does take a stance against drilling for oil in the arctic, so if you're for it, this may not be a read for you.
Very interesting and informative, and just a good read in all. I would definitely look to see if this author or his wife have more books out.
Being Caribou
Copyright 2005
233 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
alishabillmen's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible pair Karsen Heuer and his wife Leanna are. I can only look up to them with amazement at what they have achieved in the 5-month feat this book documents.
Being Caribou is an exhilarating, inspiring and touching adventure of the newly wedded couple, following the Porcupine Caribou herd on a 2,800-mile journey from their winter-feeding grounds to their summer calving grounds. Migratory caribou herds are named after their birthing grounds, in this case, the Porcupine River, which runs through a large part of the range of the Porcupine herd. Though numbers fluctuate, the Herd comprises about 218,000 animals (based on a July 2017 photo census).
Being Caribou is the second book I have read recently set on the Alaska/Yukon border. Being Caribou has certainly grown my obsession. There was just SO much I got from this book. I felt fully submersed within the environment the author was in, almost as if I could feel the snow, the rain, the hunger when they were without food and the smells and sounds of the migrating Caribou.
What the couple went through was a feat. One that I know I would never be able to accomplish myself, so of course, I lived vicariously through the author and his wife. They faced starving, curious bears along their way, and armed with nothing but a small knife and bear spray the pair had to use their gut instincts to come out alive. From lucky escapes from hypothermia when they could not find a flat spot to pitch their tent to shelter from the rain and snow to learning to live, as a newly married couple, elbow to elbow with each other, day in and day out in a small tent.
This book made me feel something a book has not done in a while. I felt in some way connected to the Porcupine herd. I read through their difficult migration path, calves losing their mothers to botfly infestations, cows losing calves to bears and the biggest threat of all, our greed for economic growth in the form of oil.
The Porcupine Herds calving grounds are directly on top of the 1002 area, which has long been a target for oil development. This threat is the whole purpose the couple set on this journey to follow the herd's migration route, to show why this can’t happen.
For the sake of the Porcupine Herd and inhabitants of the Yukon, which rely on the Caribou for sustenance, I hope that we can prevent such turmoil from being caused to their essential calving grounds.
Being Caribou is an exhilarating, inspiring and touching adventure of the newly wedded couple, following the Porcupine Caribou herd on a 2,800-mile journey from their winter-feeding grounds to their summer calving grounds. Migratory caribou herds are named after their birthing grounds, in this case, the Porcupine River, which runs through a large part of the range of the Porcupine herd. Though numbers fluctuate, the Herd comprises about 218,000 animals (based on a July 2017 photo census).
Being Caribou is the second book I have read recently set on the Alaska/Yukon border. Being Caribou has certainly grown my obsession. There was just SO much I got from this book. I felt fully submersed within the environment the author was in, almost as if I could feel the snow, the rain, the hunger when they were without food and the smells and sounds of the migrating Caribou.
What the couple went through was a feat. One that I know I would never be able to accomplish myself, so of course, I lived vicariously through the author and his wife. They faced starving, curious bears along their way, and armed with nothing but a small knife and bear spray the pair had to use their gut instincts to come out alive. From lucky escapes from hypothermia when they could not find a flat spot to pitch their tent to shelter from the rain and snow to learning to live, as a newly married couple, elbow to elbow with each other, day in and day out in a small tent.
This book made me feel something a book has not done in a while. I felt in some way connected to the Porcupine herd. I read through their difficult migration path, calves losing their mothers to botfly infestations, cows losing calves to bears and the biggest threat of all, our greed for economic growth in the form of oil.
The Porcupine Herds calving grounds are directly on top of the 1002 area, which has long been a target for oil development. This threat is the whole purpose the couple set on this journey to follow the herd's migration route, to show why this can’t happen.
For the sake of the Porcupine Herd and inhabitants of the Yukon, which rely on the Caribou for sustenance, I hope that we can prevent such turmoil from being caused to their essential calving grounds.
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
5.0
Why ANWR must be preserved
Husband and wife team of Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison decide to spend their honeymoon in just about the most off-the-beaten-track way possible: they're going to migrate with caribou.
Not just any caribou, but the Porcupine herd of northern Canada and Alaska, the herd whose calving ground is the 1002 Section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the place where Exxon wants to drill to get what will likely be less than six months, maybe one year's worth of U.S. needs of oil supply.
So, skiing and hiking, the duo spend April-September 2003 covering hundreds of miles in the wake of thousands of caribou, starting from Canada's Yukon, going into Alaska, then coming back. On the way, they cross and recross multiple mountain ranges and rivers, the latter frozen on the way up and roiling currents on the way back, battle swarms of summer mosquitoes and other bugs, cut their food budget tight between plane drops, and make psychological connections with both the herd instinct of the caribou and with each other as newlyweds.
Portraying the caribou instinct as a more jazzy, free-form version of the salmon's drive to spawn, their trek sheds valuable new light on caribou activities. It also underscores the fragility and the absolute importance of ANWR's 1002 Section.
To see just what is at stake on the side of the aisle opposite Exxon, and to fall in love with the Arctic North, read this book. Sixteen pages of full-color plates provide a wonderful photographic sidebar.
Husband and wife team of Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison decide to spend their honeymoon in just about the most off-the-beaten-track way possible: they're going to migrate with caribou.
Not just any caribou, but the Porcupine herd of northern Canada and Alaska, the herd whose calving ground is the 1002 Section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the place where Exxon wants to drill to get what will likely be less than six months, maybe one year's worth of U.S. needs of oil supply.
So, skiing and hiking, the duo spend April-September 2003 covering hundreds of miles in the wake of thousands of caribou, starting from Canada's Yukon, going into Alaska, then coming back. On the way, they cross and recross multiple mountain ranges and rivers, the latter frozen on the way up and roiling currents on the way back, battle swarms of summer mosquitoes and other bugs, cut their food budget tight between plane drops, and make psychological connections with both the herd instinct of the caribou and with each other as newlyweds.
Portraying the caribou instinct as a more jazzy, free-form version of the salmon's drive to spawn, their trek sheds valuable new light on caribou activities. It also underscores the fragility and the absolute importance of ANWR's 1002 Section.
To see just what is at stake on the side of the aisle opposite Exxon, and to fall in love with the Arctic North, read this book. Sixteen pages of full-color plates provide a wonderful photographic sidebar.
mscalls's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
_micah_'s review against another edition
4.0
The kind of book that broke my heart because it meant facing a terrible, horrible reality and trying to appreciate a diminishing beauty within it.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful story! And what an extraordinary pair of human beings. Karsten is a wildlife biologist and Leanne is a filmmaker. These newlyweds spent five months north of the Arctic Circle, on skis and on foot, following the Porcupine Caribou Herd. One thousand miles round trip!! They endured grizzly bear attacks, near-starvation (six days without a meal to speak of), borderline hypothermia, monster mosquitoes from hell, and just pure exhaustion. With only each other for company, frustration and frayed nerves were inevitable, but they stayed the course.
They were rewarded with the chance to witness caribou cows giving birth, a special connection with the herd, and encounters with wolves, musk oxen, foxes, grizzlies, bighorn sheep, and countless bird species. Not to mention trekking through stunning, nearly untouched wilderness. If you've ever spent time connecting with wilderness and dreaded returning to civilization, you'll understand the tears streaming off my face and down into my cleavage at the end! :0 I felt like I'd been on the journey with them, and I didn't want it to be over.
Unfortunately, the caribou calving grounds sit directly within the "1002 area" of ANWR. This area has long been targeted for oil development by the Bush crime family. A short-sighted solution fueled purely by greed, since U.S. Geological Survey estimates project only 6 to 12 months worth of oil supply after ten years of development prior to extraction.
This book is very well written and superbly edited. They don't bore you with every plodding step of every day, just the most important ones. There's a children's version, about 60-70 pages, mostly photos, so be sure you get the adult one.
There's also a 72-minute Being Caribou DVD of their trip, filmed by Leanne. It doesn't come with the book, but my library had it. It was awarded Best Environmental Film at the 2005 Telluride Mountain Film Festival. I watched the DVD before reading the book, which I recommend. I liked having the images in my mind and a feel for the people when I was reading. If you watch the DVD, don't turn it off when it gets to the credits. There's a funny voice-over right at the end. :)
They were rewarded with the chance to witness caribou cows giving birth, a special connection with the herd, and encounters with wolves, musk oxen, foxes, grizzlies, bighorn sheep, and countless bird species. Not to mention trekking through stunning, nearly untouched wilderness. If you've ever spent time connecting with wilderness and dreaded returning to civilization, you'll understand the tears streaming off my face and down into my cleavage at the end! :0 I felt like I'd been on the journey with them, and I didn't want it to be over.
Unfortunately, the caribou calving grounds sit directly within the "1002 area" of ANWR. This area has long been targeted for oil development by the Bush crime family. A short-sighted solution fueled purely by greed, since U.S. Geological Survey estimates project only 6 to 12 months worth of oil supply after ten years of development prior to extraction.
This book is very well written and superbly edited. They don't bore you with every plodding step of every day, just the most important ones. There's a children's version, about 60-70 pages, mostly photos, so be sure you get the adult one.
There's also a 72-minute Being Caribou DVD of their trip, filmed by Leanne. It doesn't come with the book, but my library had it. It was awarded Best Environmental Film at the 2005 Telluride Mountain Film Festival. I watched the DVD before reading the book, which I recommend. I liked having the images in my mind and a feel for the people when I was reading. If you watch the DVD, don't turn it off when it gets to the credits. There's a funny voice-over right at the end. :)