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"This Land of Snow" by Anders Morley

book review by Riley Burnham 2/1/2023

good stuff -- an audiobook version of a story of a man in his early 30s setting out from Canada's western coast to somewhere on its east [i think he was heading for Ontario], during winter, alone, w/ cross-country skis & a small sled in tow

whoa(!!) that takes some fortitude, hahaha

sleeping in his tent & bag, he recounts shivering during the nights, combatting all sorts of weather & terrain, meeting plenty of great folks along the way; discussing relationships [some fail] & new budding ones, as well as the apparent event of kissing someone you've been waiting to see/meet & feeling little if anything [hmmm]

it's a fresh, human take on adventure -- Anders stops his trek a bit short & just calls it -- although he does have some father-son time on the journey as his dad travels to join his last stretch

he finished the book having rejoined the greater world, walking his dog Beowulf, & talks about how they walk on the same trail yet attend to their individual lives & purposes, tho having a "sixth sense" for knowing where the other is roaming [or that they're there/nearby] even when out of sight

my ultimate takeaway from the book is that doing feats of travel tends to impress other people ["holy shit!"], puts people against their psyche [for better or worse], tests them to the brink [usually straddling danger & peril], & reacquaints them w/ natural earthly splendor

people are pretty tough, & most people are pretty helpful [especially once they deem a stranger safe enough]