Once Upon a Time in Seattle, by Emmett Watson

Luckily for him, and for us, Emmett Watson’s beat as a columnist for The Seattle Times required him to stay in touch with his beloved native city. In his daily meanderings, usually accompanied by his miniature poodle, Tiger, Watson saw much that is invisible to the rest of us. Of course, he was around longer than most…

Read More

The Flight of the Arctic Tern, by Constance Helmericks

In June of 1947, Alaskan adventurers, Constance and Bud Helmericks, returned to the arctic wilderness in their first airplane. Originally published in 1952, Connie’s fifth book, The Flight of the Arctic Tern (342 pages), chronicles their lives from constructing a log cabin in the Brooks Range to flying the Arctic coast in search of their Inuit…

Read More

Down the Wild River North, by Constance Helmericks

In suburban Arizona, 1964, Connie Helmericks announced to her two daughters, 12-year-old Ann and 14-year-old Jean, “We’re going to make a canoe expedition to the Arctic Ocean.” And for two successive summers, that’s exactly what they did. Down the Wild River North (328 pages) is the vividly told story of their adventures in the remote northern reaches…

Read More

Denali Ranger, by Lew Freedman

Roger Robinson has been Denali mountaineering for over forty years and has worked as a ranger for most of this time. Robinson has climbed Denali, at 20,310 feet, numerous times, leading patrols on the mountain, organizing clean climb efforts on the mountain, meeting the best climbers in the world, and leading rescues that saved lives.…

Read More

Trusting the River, by Jean Aspen

Jean Aspen, daughter of arctic explorer and author Constance Helmericks, began life in the wilderness. Throughout six decades, the natural world has remained central to her. What began as a series of letters to her son, Lucas, when she and her husband Tom set out to search for a different future, evolved over the seasons…

Read More

Far Corner, by Stewart Holbrook

Far Corner (284 pages) is the saga of a latter-day pioneer who invaded the Pacific Northwest wearing the only derby hat those parts had ever seen. Author Stewart H. Holbrook bought the hat in Boston just before he boarded the steam-cars to seek fame and fortune amidst the booms and busts of the roaring ‘20s. On…

Read More