The Alaska Gardener's Handbook


Book Description

Lenore Hedla, the dean of Alaska gardeners and garden writers, has written a classic yet witty tome on making things grow in the 49th state. With tips from the best of amateurs to professionals, The Alaska Gardener's Handbook is a useful reference for newcomers and experienced Alaska gardeners alike. This is the fourth book on Alaska gardening for Lenore Hedla, a veteran of 40 years of agricultural experience and writing in the far north. Richly illustrated with more than 100 color photos.




Alaska Homesteader's Handbook


Book Description

The Alaska Homesteader’s Handbook is a remarkable compilation of practical information for living in one of the most impractical and inhostpitable landscapes in the United States. More than forty pioneer types ranging from their mid-nineties to mid-twenties describe their reasons for choosing to live their lives on Alaska and offer useful instructions and advice that made that life more livable. Whether it’s how to live among bears, build an outhouse, cross a river, or make birch syrup, each story gives readers a window to a life most will never know but many still dream about. Dozens of photographs and more than 100 line drawings illustrate the real-life experiences of Alaska settlers such as 1930s New Deal colonists, demobilized military who stayed after World War II, dream seekers from the ’60s and ’70s, and myriad others who staked their claim in Alaska.




The Packraft Handbook


Book Description

"A staple for paddlers.... [The Packraft Handbook has] now become the bible for outdoor recreators taking their inflatable rafts into the backcountry." ― Anchorage Daily News 2021 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Outdoor Adventure Guides 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition Guidebook Winner Alaska-based author is a leading expert on wilderness travel Emphasis on skill progression and safety applies to wide range of outdoor water recreation Vibrant illustrations and photos inform and inspire The Packraft Handbook is a comprehensive guide to packrafting, with a strong emphasis on skill progression and safety. Readers will learn to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk with trip planning and boat control, and how to react when things go wrong. Beginners will find everything they need to know to get started--from packraft care to proper paddling position as well as what to wear and how to communicate. Illustrated for visual learners and featuring stunning photography, The Packraft Handbook has something to offer all packrafters and other whitewater sports enthusiasts.




The Alaska Cruise Handbook


Book Description

Updated for 2012, A Rich and Unique Cruise Guide. Award winning author and mapmaker Joe Upton spent 20 years exploring the NW coast as a commercial fisherman and journalist, collecting stories, taking photos, making maps, and catching fish. In this book with over 300 color photos and included large illustrated map, he has assembled all the information you need for your Alaska cruise. Includes detailed information on excursions, wildlife, walks, ports of call, cruise planning tips, where to look for whales, and much more. But the enduring popularity of this book is because in addition to being a fully informational guide, it is filled with Joe's wonderful Alaska stories. Upton's maps are displayed on many ships.




Alaska's Wild Plants


Book Description

An authoritative guide book to more than 70 of Alaska's most common wild edible plants. Tuck this guide into a backpack, glove compartment, or pocket and use its color photographs and habitat and plant descriptions to help you discover the bounty of the land and its plants around you. The authoritative gathering instructions ensure a healthful harvest. Learn about each plant's nutritional content, and medicinal and culinary uses. Also included are recipes for fresh salads, unusual appetizers, delicious soups, breads and more. The author is an authority on the wild plants of North America and Alaska.




The Nature of Southeast Alaska


Book Description

“Unlike the standard nature guides that explain how to recognize common animals, Nature stresses the web of interrelationships that link the regional flora and fauna. This affectionate examination of some of North America’s most spectacular surviving old-growth forests will delight backpackers and armchair naturalists.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review Everything you ever wanted to know about the flora and fauna of Southeast Alaska is contained in the third edition of this lively field guide to the natural world, from bears to banana slugs, mountains to murrelets. The authors, who are both Alaskan residents and biologists, combine scientific research with personal experiences to make a definitive field guide for residents of or visitors to Southeast Alaska. The unique features of the book include: In-depth information about how wildlife coexists with the environment Detailed discussions of mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, fungi, and plants Detailed map of wilderness areas in Southeast Alaska More than 200 black-and-white illustrations A bibliography, list of common and scientific names, and an index New to this edition: More than 100 new illustrations, many never before published, as well as new maps and photos Major expansion of sections on geology, old-growth forests, marine mammals, and amphibians Fifty-two new sidebars—written in the first person to give the text a more personal touch­—that describe recent findings or experiences. Sweeping updates and elaborations to chapter narratives—often thanks to technology unknown in 1992. In-depth guide to Southeast Alaska’s flora and fauna; more than an identification manual, Nature explores how the species and habitats encountered in the woods and waters of Southeast Alaska fit into the bigger picture.




Alaska Gardening Guide: Alaska vegetables for northern climates


Book Description

If you can garden well in Alaska, with its immense size and varied climates, you should be able to garden in any northern area, from Canada to Maine, from Norway to Northern Oregon. This is a hands-on, how-to book which reveals the secrets of generations of experts in cold climate gardening. It provides Alaskans (whether cheechako or sourdough) with the special knowledge they need to succeed in their state, and other northern gardeners the techniques that will help them meet their own unique growing challenges, no matter where they live and garden. The book is arranged in three parts; a section on planting basics for the beginning gardener, a more in-depth section dealing with specific problems encountered in the various areas in Alaska (like cold soil, premature bolting to seed, or heavy precipitation), and a final section packed full of techniques and tips for raising particular vegetables.




Building a Log Cabin in Alaska in Four Months


Book Description

This book should prove most helpful as a "how to" guide for a man working alone to build a strong, yet simple log cabin made to last. It can be a log cabin that a man can be proud to call his home or for a getaway home away from home on the weekend. I built the 13 by 41 foot cabin shell, including cutting down the trees and peeling off the bark, in three months while camping out in a tent. Cutting down the trees and pilling off the bark took more than half of the time in completing the shell of the cabin. It was hard work, but by using the trees on my property I saved money and it gave me a more satisfying feeling of accomplishment as I lived my dream. After about three months work the cabin was up and we moved from our tents into the cabin, however, the electrical wiring, well and plumbing, septic system, interior walls, chimney, and 8 by 28 foot add-on, which are covered in varying details (less on the wiring and plumbing) in this book, were worked on as I got the time and money. Overall, to complete the cabin, it took about four to five months time. The 757 square foot cabin was completed in about four months by working long hours, six days a week. The long camping experience was an ordeal for my wife, but my son and I enjoyed it. We thank God for His help and guidance through it all. The plans contained in this book are designed to allow a man working alone to build a cabin in a short time that will last a life time. I include an additional chapter about building a pergola type patio cover out of red cedar. 48 pictures are included in this book. Happy trails!




The Frozen Toe Guide to Real Alaskan Livin'


Book Description

The Frozen Toe Guide to Real Alaskan Livin' both embraces and instructs readers on everything one needs to know to be a true Alaskan, or at least to look the part. Combining both handbook format with anecdotal bits about the author’s own experiences moving to the state, the book advises readers on such topics ranging from winter survival skills to regional fashion to Alaskan dating advice to extreme sports. Learn how to make ice cream from snow, or how to seek out a career in dog mushing. Find out where to travel for weekend trips, and what Alaskans do for entertainment.




Flyfishing Alaska


Book Description

Tony Route's long experience as a year-round resident of Alaska shows in his descriptions of all the game fish available to the Alaskan angler and his insightful lessons on how to catch them.