And an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild

The premiss is a good one: the father daughter thing sells books. This is a book I wanted to like but it just couldn't hold my attention. The Last Frontiersman, also by James Campbell was more interesting. At least to me. But it no doubt strengthened their relationship. Although I doubt this would fit into the self-help category. No amount of book sales will equal their bond.

Adventure writer James Campbell documents his struggles, and those of his teenage daughter Aidan’s, in the wilds of northern Alaska. A no holds barred, beautifully written, coming-of-age story that captures the tension of father and daughter as they face the challenges of life and travel in the Arctic National Wildlife Wilderness.

This is a great read on so many levels.

Having recently taken a Father/daughter trip I found this book very interesting. It is very well written and realistic. Having raised two daughters it was easy to imagine the attitude and emotions of Aiden. I would highly recommend this book for an enjoyable read.

I have been to Alaska - in the wintertime - and loved every moment of it. But I never went north of Fairbanks and, even though I'd once considered moving to Alaska, after I visited that thought never crossed my mind again. It was just too big and too lonely for me.

It takes a special kind of person to live up there or even visit, especially in the sparsely populated outer northern reaches of Alaska. It IS one of the 50 United States but it's really like another country. Instead, nowadays I am an armchair adventurer and this book took me on quite a wild ride.

James Campbell is an outdoorsman and an adventurer. In 2013-14 he took his oldest daughter Aidan to Alaska - on three separate trips which are chronicled in BRAVING IT.

The first trip is a summer trip to help the author's cousin build a cabin. The second is a winter trip to help the cousin and his wife with their trapline and to get winter meat. The third is a summer trip also (although I just about froze just reading the tale) and tells of their canoe trip down (or is it up) the Hulahula River north to the Arctic Ocean.

This is quite an unusual father-daughter team. There were squabbles on all three of the trips but they got along amazingly well. My ONLY complaint about the book is that it's written totally from the father's point of view and I wish we, the readers, could have had more insight into Aidan's feelings during this coming of age story.

This book gave me some of the same feelings as reading some of Jack London's books, those based in the Klondike. The difference is that Campbell wrote his as a memoir whereas London chose to fictionalize some of his stories.

This was a great adventure story, a coming of age story, and a travelogue, expounding on the beauty of Alaska. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in any of these attributes.

Also, I liked Campbell's writing so much that I just ordered copies of his two other non-fiction books - THE FINAL FRONTIERSMAN and THE GHOST MOUNTAIN BOYS.

Having spent several years living in Alaska this was a book
that really reminded me how unique the Alaskan experience
is. Out in the bush Alaska is seldom forgiving when it comes
to major mistakes and the miseries that often accompanies the
wonders that you experience.

The book is from the Father's perspective, but then the description
says that this is the journey of a father dealing with his daughter growing
up and his experience with her in an Alaskan adventure.

What a great change, an actual father-daughter story that shows how much
a father really appreciates, admires and supports his daughter in becoming
a very strong and independent personality and the heart wrenching sadness of
watching them grow up and away from you.

This is a unique "visitor's" experience of the Alaskan Bush and subsistence life style
that many just can not comprehend and this book opens the door at least a bit into
what work, dedication, toughness and intelligence that this life requires.

Great read for anyone that wants a reading adventure, is dabbling with the idea
of visiting the Alaskan Wilderness, or has a vague romantic idea of moving to the
Bush (reality check here).

Good read for Dads, Daughters and anyone interested in the Alaskan Bush Experience.

What a wonderful adventure; an adventure that was made even better by sharing it with your child. We should all be so fortunate. Even though we may not have been able to have this experience ourselves, we are very fortunate to have people like the author who have the skill to pass their private experiences on to the rest of us via the written world. Good grief, it does not get better than this.

This of course is the story a father and daughter team; a teenage daughter of all things, who during the years 2013 and 2014 made three memorable treks into the Alaskan wilderness. This experience of traveling and just as importantly, working together, is unfortunately not something all of us can share on the magnitude that this father and daughter shared, but it most certainly can inspire the same sort of thing on different levels.

Now the concept of Alaska fascinates me and indeed, I have been there on my own a couple of times. I will be honest with you though. Even though there are portions of that state that hold some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and the concept of traveling through it; indeed even living there, rather fascinates me...alas, truth be told I despise cold weather and it just would not be for me. I much prefer reading about it, looking at pictures and reviewing films. Give me brutally hot swamp land any time. For me, living there all year would be out of the question.

Be that as it may, I am ever so grateful that this author was able to share the ups and downs of traveling with and working with their daughter under conditions which are simply not for everyone.

I now have grandsons; indeed, even a great granddaughter and I must admit that having read this I am motivated to take a like trip...just take it somewhere warm.

Highly recommend this one.

In his book, James Campbell talks about taking his 15 yr old daughter into the Alaska Wilderness. What originally was going to be more of a sightseeing trip became helping a buddy build a cabin, strictly by hand.

This book does a great job of describing what the Alaskan Wilderness is like, bears and all. It was really fun to “see” something I’ll never really see. I loved the imageries.

However, I really struggled with a father taking his teenage daughter into this situation when she was not prepared at all. Her life was often endangered because of this. Honestly, mothers don’t like reading about such things! Maybe this is more of a book for guys. Also, I didn’t like the language in it. Often coarse, there was a lot of cussing. Because of these things I did not enjoy this book but others have and that’s great. It’s just not for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to leave a positive review.

Those who make poor decisions and live, call it adventure and write about it. Those who don't live are silent.

The first question is, why did the author put so much faith in the decisions of Heimo? The entire premise of rushing to build a cabin seemed like a bad move. Both men seemed far too bullheaded to make wise decisions.

Why go rushing back in the middle of winter temperatures? Besides putting a burden on Edna and Heimo's food supply, inexperience at those temperatures is easily deadly. Aiden wouldn't have been happy to lose parts of her ears or anything else!

To go and run wild rivers with SO little experience is reckless. Many people have written about running rivers in various types of boats and about the thrill of having survived each close call. Yes having survived is partly due to having chosen a good path but much of it is pure luck. Experienced paddlers die everyday on familiar rivers, yet this man instantly chooses a wilderness river.

How would the author have felt, if his daughter ended up like Heimo and Edna's? How would someone live with losing a daughter because of a reckless "recreation" trip? It is one thing to risk your own life and leave a family behind, but a far far different thing, to include your under age daughter!

His self worth seemed to be deeply tied to their being "tough enough to cut it". The He-Man male mentality was hard to keep reading after a while.

Too bad we didn't hear more about his daughter's thoughts.

Why does the title use Journey in the singular? This book is about 3 separate trips to Alaska.

Father takes 15 year old daughter on three Alaskan adventures. One adventure is to help his cousin, Heimo, and his wife, Edna, build a new cabin in the Alaskan Arctic where they have lived for years. With expected teenage reluctance James Campbell's daughter, Aidan, balks, but soon embraces the tasks and hardships and enjoys herself.

The second adventure is a short winter trip to hunt and trap with Heimo and Edna. James Campbell takes his daughter on that trip too. That also. turns into a fascinating and educational adventure.

The third trip was a dangerous hiking and canoeing adventure that was pretty foolish. They had prepared as best they could, but father and daughter truly had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I did learn something. I didn't know that the person sitting in front of the canoe is the boss. I am always the person sitting at the front of the canoe taking orders. Somebody will be surprised when I take charge in our next canoe trip!

I couldn't help but be cynical about the father's motives for these trips with his daughter. I think these adventures
were all about writing another book and spinning them to look like he wanted to teach her what life could be like without cell phones, television, and the internet. I didn't feel Mr. Campbell was sincere about the reasons for the trips although, of course, I believe he loves his daughter and she had experiences she will never forget. I read the entire book with the uncomfortable feeling that the author was trying to pull the wool over the readers' eyes.

If “Braving It” by James Campbell were ONLY a travelogue, or just a memoir, or a single adventure story, it would be a superlative read; however, it is actually three adventure stories rolled into one, and the memoir takes us not only into the intimidating trackless wilderness of Alaska in both summer and winter, but into an even more breathtaking adventure of parenting.

Let me admit at the outset that I haven’t even the slightest affinity for cold, snow, or “roughing it”. I abhor the idea of backbreaking labor which I couldn’t have done in my teens like Aidan or in my 50’s like James, either. Although I am a mountain person, and have occasionally fantasized about doing some minimally dangerous whitewater rafting, I can’t even begin to imagine wanting to spend two weeks on an Alaskan river headed for the Arctic Ocean. However, Campbell’s narrative is so intensely involving that I was able to put aside my instinctive “No, Thanks!” reaction and share both the fear and excitement with actual joy; his descriptions are breathtakingly beautiful.

Aidan, as described by her father, is an extraordinary young woman. However, his account of her occasional rebellion and lack of enthusiasm during the three adventures he shared with her bring to mind an experience I had with one of my own granddaughters at about the same age. Thinking to introduce her to relatives on the Navajo reservation, a friend of mine and I took her on a cross-country drive from her coastal Georgia home to the desert Southwest. It was NOT an unmitigated success, and years afterwards we heard how very bored she’d been. Such was definitely not Aidan’s reaction, despite the much greater hardships and challenges she and her father endured.

Of course, obviously a huge part of the success of this venture did indeed hinge on the unique opportunity to bond with one another that James and Aidan shared. Again, thinking back to my childhood, I realize that some of the pinnacle moments in my own recollection involve those summers in my pre-teen and early teenage years when I was able to accompany my dad Ted on sketching trips into the mountains where he took some of the painting classes he was teaching. Although he was focused on his art students and not on me, I was keenly aware of the honor of being allowed to observe his teaching as well as to experience the outdoors in his company.

In sum, this is a richly rewarding book, one that I strongly recommend to anyone interested in “true-life adventures” of the most honest kind.

Like many Americans, I have a fascination with the Alaska wilds. This book gave me a chance to do virtually what I will never do in reality---brave those wilds. It's a story of three trips James Campbell makes to Alaska with his daughter Aidan. First, they visit a cousin who has lived in Alaska most of his adult life, and now at near age 60 is building a new cabin to live in with his wife. James and Aidan help him built. Back home in Wisconsin, Aidan is restless, wanting to go back, and they do---they return for a mid-winter visit. Then, the next summer, they take a hiking and canoeing trip in the very north lands.

The book is full of detailed descriptions of what living in the wild entails---trapping, hunting, staying warm, living with mosquitoes, the constant need to be aware of bears, what it feels like when the sun never sets or never rises, worries about having enough food---all told vividly. If you are bothered by hunting or trapping, you might not want to read this book, but you will see if you do how they are a vital part of living in that land.

James and Aidan learn a lot about each other during their trips. One of the themes is James realizing he might not be able to make such trips much longer. He has a heart condition and arthritis, and in a way, he's passing the baton along to his daughter by teaching her what she needs to know to live as he has. I loved his line about middle age being a coming to terms with what life is and not what you thought it would be. I am around his age, and have found this to be very true.

I loved reading about Heimo and Edna, James' cousins who live in Alaska. They have endured much hardship to make a life there, but they are content with their life. Reading about Edna decorating their cabin for Christmas, with decorations no-one but themselves will see, was a scene that said a very lot.

I am going to seek out other books by this author, and I want to thank him for a very enjoyable virtual trip to Alaska.

James Campbell provides the reader with an absorbing true adventure story about a father and daughter who go to Alaska to spend several weeks at a time living and working with hard core back country Alaskans. They are made welcome and invited to partake in the hard scrabble and unforgiving lifestyle of a long time hunter, trapper, river runner, cabin builder, pioneer friend of James Campbell. The teenage daughter experiences a number of revelations when she encounters real wilderness and has to come to grips with working out the details of her daily existence in what is for her a totally new reality. The only practical way into the Alaskan wild where fathe and daughter go to help build a log cabin is to be flown in with a bush pilot. We learn about flying the rugged fat tire, ski equipped planes that are the air freight and passenger service to very short, hand made ( with light equipment) landing strips. These landing zones are informal, unpaved, located on whatever flat place can be cleared and marked with improvised boundaries.

The teenage daughter, on her first trip the far North faces infestations of biting insects, grizzly bear country, primitive facilities, back breaking labor that is unrelenting, infrequent bathing in icy mountain streams and unfamiliar food. She gets to know her dad's Alaskan wilderness expert friend and his indigenous Alaskan wife. The daughter comes of age on this first trip and the good old life in Minnesota seems boring and unsatisfying upon her return home. Two more trips follow. Each is more challenging and more interesting the one before.

As a reader, you will be rewarded by insights into wilderness life and practicalities of being self reliant in a part of Alaska where - for some hardy and adventurous souls - the pioneer life can be attained with cost and self sacrifice. Many useful skills are described by sharing in such events as building a log cabin, cutting down trees, preparing the lumber by hand, moving and erecting huge, heavy timbers and so forth. You will learn some details about hunting, skinning animals, trapping, butchering, running rivers and rapids, wilderness survival, dealing with Grizzlies in closer proximity than seems comfortable and staying healthy in an environment that can kill the careless visitor. Enjoy "Braving It" and remember its teachings - they could come in handy for you one day.

Whenever I read a book about roughing it, adventure in the wilderness, or life off the grid, I find myself comparing it to Dick Proenneke's work. I think Braving It comes about as close to that caliber as I've seen, and the fact that the book is so much more modern makes that fact even more striking.
The most obvious difference between James Campbell and his daughter and Dick Proenneke is that the Campbells return to modern society, whereas Proenneke chose for the majority of his life to be lived out in the Alaskan wilderness. Campbell's acknowledgement of the sometimes painful nature of the transition between lifestyles underlines how dramatic that difference is.
The most amazing thing about Braving It, I think, is the way James Campbell, even in the course of learning more about his daughter Aidan, doesn't seem to realize how astonishing she is. The idea of anyone, let alone a teenage girl, peeling logs all day and then having enough energy and resilience to jump rope afterward blows my mind a little.
I feel like the amount of the first part of the book that was dedicated to describing the butchering of animals in detail was a little odd. It was graphic, of course; but there wasn't so much gritty, detailed description about bathroom procedures, for instance, even when the Campbells attended a class to teach them about the procedures. I didn't necessarily want to read pages and pages about hygiene, but I was a little curious, whereas I was probably less curious about the butchering.
The honesty of James Campbell's rumination about aging, the failure of body parts, and the necessary transition from childhood to adulthood made me tear up a bit a couple of times. I definitely felt pangs.
The thing I love most about Braving It is the idea that there are still young people who can really experience the world directly, rather than through cell phones. That idea gives me hope for the future.

Awhile back I read Wild, after reading derisive reviews suggesting that the book was too self-absorbed, too focused on the internal drama of the author. I laughed that off because who's afraid of a little emotion? But the criticism stands in one respect; often that book seemed to be more about Strayed's life outside of her Hike than how she felt on it.

Shortly later I read a book called AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, which was much more firmly a travelogue style story. Again, I found the book a bit wanting: though the author included abundant trip detail, much of his storytelling was dry, lacking the sort of emotional investment I was expecting from someone taking on a through-hike.

This book, Braving It, is exactly what I wanted from the genre - lots of detail about the trip(s), life on trails and in boats and in wild places in general, but most importantly an understanding of how it felt to be in those places, to confront hardship and danger and beauty. I loved that the trips and the story were centered around such a strong familial relationship - I felt very inspired throughout, and felt like I learned things about how to approach adventures with my own kids, especially as they grow up. Loved it.

Whoa. That’s my initial reaction to this book.

Let me preface by saying I love the wild places, the wilderness, nature…but I also love beds and showers and food.

This was a powerful story of a middle aged man from Wisconsin who is rediscovering his own need for travel and wilderness through the eyes of his 15 year old daughter. As a young man, he did a lot of traveling around the world, and wants to raise his daughter with the same skills and sense of appreciation for the wilderness. They dream up a river trip in Alaska, but an old friend and cousin, Heimo, invites Jim and his daughter, Aidan, to help him build a new cabin in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (This is only legal for people who were living on the land when the Wilderness Act went into place in 1964.) His daughter agrees to face the grizzlies, the bugs, the wilderness, and the hard work, and falls in love with the place. When they return home to Wisconsin, she is sullen and withdrawn. Her mom agrees to allowing Aidan and her dad to return for an winter arctic trip of running traplines and hunting for food. The following summer, they return for one last trip canoeing the Hulahula river.

I found the first two parts – building the cabin and coming back in the winter to help run traplines and experience some of the coldest times in Alaska – more interesting than their canoeing trip, so I think that is influencing my opinion somewhat. I did really like their description of the hard work it takes to live, or just hike, in Alaska and the beauty that you encounter while doing those things. Both of us would like to visit Alaska someday, but I am not sure that we will be within the Arctic Circle like James and Aidan were.

Our combined score is an 8 out of 10 for enjoyment and 3.5 out of 5 for readability.

To read more about this book and others that you can read while tired, come visit our blog - Bedrooped Bookworms.

After a little bit of persuading, James Campbell takes his fifteen year old daughter Aidan to help build a new cabin up in the Alaskan wilds for a friend. Little does she know it will require more grit and resolve than someone her age may be able to muster. Braving It covers all of their adventures in fine detail. The juicy taste of blackberries that ripened in the Alaskan sun, the feeling of finishing a cabin with your bare hands, the ache in your legs as you make your way through a river pass. These things are why you will continue to read this book.

BULLET POINTS

-Braving It goes over three separate trips: A visit to help an old friend build a cabin, a winter adventure visiting said cabin, and a long trek and paddle down the HulaHula River. Within these three tales, both learn the strength of their bond, and the real purpose of family when dealing with the callous wild.​

- Campbell's descriptions really put you there. The weather, the greenery, the animals, everything that is apart of the experience, is detailed to the point that you feel present in the wilderness of the last frontier.

-I wish we had gotten a little bit of insight from his daughter Aidan. You can learn more about her own experiences and thoughts at her blog [...]

- Campbell occasionally comes off as arrogant and headstrong- but he often admits in reflection he knew he was wrong. To be honest, if you're going to be an explorer and a journalist you have to be resilient and have that sort of personality, or you probably won't last long.

​-The bond and understanding between father and daughter sometimes strains during narration. It's obvious that both of them love and respect each other, but seeing the stress that nature adds to their relationship brings reality and the harshness of nature crashing down into reality in the book, and it makes it all the more introspective.

-The real theme of Braving It is how indifferent nature is. Through a heartbreaking tale from longtime friend Heimo about loosing his daughter on the river, to Aidan and James coming across polar bears or almost capsizing their canoe on a swiftly running river, this reminder pops up often.

-Their multiple journeys are fascinating. Even though some lingo and nicknames for camping and exploring are used, they are framed so that you know exactly what is going on in the moment.

​-If you love the idea of Alaska, but don't think you'll ever get to go (or you know you wouldn't be able to hack it), this book will fulfill your wanderlust.

*There was an instance of a derogatory old name being referenced for a plant that was really unneeded. It took away from my concentration while I was reading because it was so superfluous. There was only one instance I could think of this happening though.

You can find more of my reviews at amandadanadotcom

~I received a free copy for an honest review~

I’ve just finished reading James Campbell’s new autobiography, Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild, and am so incredibly excited to be reviewing this outstanding novel! Campbell wows and amazes with his account of three separate trips to Alaska with his fifteen year old daughter, Aidan. Anyone that knows me well, knows that it has always been a dream of mine to visit Alaska, and also that I am 100% daddy’s girl, therefore, I couldn’t wait to read and review this book.

Over the course of one year, Jim and Aidan leave Wisconsin behind for three very different trips to Alaska. Their first adventure was during the summer months where they helped Jim’s cousin, Heimo, build his new cabin on the Coleen River. The second trip was in November, to visit with Heimo and his wife Edna, as well as, help with hunting and trapping. The final trip was again in summer, where Jim and Aidan hiked and paddled the Hulahula River with Jim’s friends Dave and Chris. Several things amazed me about each of these trips in so many ways. First, was the enormous about of preparation and training for each of their visits. Whether it was learning to skin and gut game, whitewater paddling lessons, or endless examinations of maps – each trip took a huge amount of planning and discussion. Secondly, and most impressive, was Aidan’s determination and strength on each of their trips. She wanted to learn how to do everything, and pitched in with everything. If this account is accurate regarding her tiny amounts of frustration and pouting, then it’s truly amazing. During each of the trips she encountered scary things and gross things, got cold, hot, wet, and learned countless survival skills. Another amazing thing about this novel is all that I learned about Alaska. I have read countless books and magazines about Alaska or watched television shows about Alaska, but I learned something new about Alaska (or some sort of sport or survival skill) on practically every page of this novel. My husband has had the opportunity to go to Alaska, so every time he would come outside to sit down with me while I was reading, I would start asking him, “did you know this? ” or “can I tell you about this part?” prompting several discussions about Alaska and his time there.

Braving It… is a difficult book to categorize. Obviously, it’s an autobiography, but it could also be classified under travel, outdoors, sports, wildlife and game, Alaskan history, and so on. So much thought and information was put into this novel, it will just blow your mind. What I loved most though, was the fact that Campbell did these three expeditions with his teenage daughter, allowing her to experience things that most people only dream of. Furthermore, it appears that he is instilled a love of nature and exploring in Aidan, and his younger daughters too. Some of my best memories in my life involve my Dad, and there are tons of them that involved the outdoors in some way. If I remember correctly, I went on my first picnic in the mountains of Asheville, NC when I was only about a month old, so he has also instilled the love of nature and wanderlust within me. This novel is an incredible account of a young girl overcoming obstacles and embracing new experiences, it’s about the bonds between a father and daughter, and it details the beauty, risks, and rewards of the Alaskan wild.

*I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Like Mr. Campbell, I have a fifteen year-old daughter. Before finding this book, she and I read, Into the Wild by John Krakauer. We have discussed it for hours and even watched several episodes of Life Below Zero on television. We felt a thirst for adventure, just as James and Aidan have. I'm going to go out on a limb and wager that there are thousands of other parents out there hoping to show their children that life cannot be fully lived when chained within the artificial halo of an electronic screen.
As he discusses in this book, the relationship you build with your daughter will go with her for the rest of her life. She should experience the difficulties of this life with you by her side before she has to trek alone or with someone else. Now is when you prepare her.
I felt challeng d on several different levels. The logistics and daily issues that go along with living in the wild, the scary endeavor that is raising a child in today's world and answering the call for significance all are themes in this book. I felt as if James were my friend by the turning of the last page. A flawed man, but one intent on being present with his daughter and showing her how to live life fully.
You won't find the blinding highs and lows of Chris McCandless' story. But you will be different at the end of this book. Because it forces you to question whether or not you are living fully yourself. And whether you are passing a thirst for fullness on to your children. This is a journey worth taking.

James Campbell has written something for everyone in his book, “Braving It.” For the adventurer there’s roughing it in the Alaskan wilds with bears, mosquitoes, backbreaking work, and terrible weather on every page. For the environmentalist there’s pristine country in a wildlife refuge that is emblematic of our attempts at preservation of the wilderness. For the woodcrafter there’s the building a log cabin from the ground up using hand-peeled logs and sweaty labor and few modern tools. For the river runner, there’s paddling a canoe on a wild river in chilling cold and bracing winds using less than expert skills. Most of all, there’s the love between a fifteen-year old girl and her restless father as they struggle at keeping a trusting relationship while suffering the usual father-daughter clashes.

James and daughter, Aiden, make three trips to the Alaskan wilderness, each with its own adventures. Aiden gives up the usual girly attractions for the privilege of working her butt off, enduring the stink and filth of woodsy living, having her dad sometimes disrespect her, and being on the constant lookout for vicious bears that could disassemble her. It all works and the closeness that develops between the two of them is poignant and joyful.

I suppose there are those who would argue that Campbell was too free and easy with his daughter’s safety. Others might say he was being foolish or self-centered in his attitude about her joining him in extreme hardship. I say, “Good on yah.” To Aiden, a remarkable woman (she’s certainly not a foolish little girl in this story), I say you are the bright light and incredible star of this chronicle.

The author is remarkably candid about his behavior. He admits his mistakes and his poor handling of some situations. He is also quick to credit Aiden with her remarkable performance. His writing is not overly sentimental, but his feelings are well expressed. He is descriptive and dispenses some extraordinary information that was new to me. Most people would be reluctant to expose their own shortcomings or poor performance, but Campbell tells of his heart problems and lack of strength at certain times with uncommon openness.

I recommend this book for the types of people I mentioned as well as anyone who enjoys a heartening story of bonding and familial love.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

Holy adventure! I truly admire the individuals in this book! James and his daughter, Aiden, are so brave and have such a desire to seek out adventure. I loved reading about their time in the Alaskan bush and their trip down the Hulahula river. I also really enjoyed reading about the preparation and training that went into the trips. Packing, mapping, and training were important parts of the Campbell's success out n the wild.

I was absolutely shocked at the risks that they took in their adventures. The author is very frank about how dangerous their travels were and why. They explored a deep fear of mine in the book- being secluded and in need of medical attention. In the Alaskan bush, you are surrounded by danger - the tools necessary to build shelter, wild animals, and the extreme cold. But you are also in danger from your own health as well. In such a secluded location, something that could be easily remedied on the mainland, such as a heart isue - can become a dire emergency. I was surprised by the risks that they took, particularly those regarding their health. They definitely put everything on the line to experience the awe inspiring nature of the Arctic.

I absolutely loved this book! It is based on factual trips made into the Alaskan Wild by A Father and his daughter. They actually made three trips, starting when she was fifteen, she went with her Father to help build a new winter home for his cousin and his wife who had lived in the far back woods of the Alaskan wild! I have never had any idea how it was to live in Alaska let alone how they trapped, hunted and fished for their food every summer, to put enough away to get them through the long rough winters. James and his daughter Aiden went for a very long summer to help build that cabin, braving clouds of mosquitos, the threat of grizzles, bathing in an ice-cold river and hours of grueling labor. James had Alaskan creeping into his bones, when he was away from there all he could think of was returning there. His daughter got the same urge and they returned twice during the year that she was fifteen to the Alaskan Wild. The story was really great, it went into wonderful detail of all of their activities. I don't think I could ever have done any of what they did but it was surely a great story and would definitely make a great movie!

"On an adventure like this, we evolve." - Braving It

Braving It is a story about adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. It is a non-fiction read written by James Campbell (new to me, but definitely not a new nonfiction writer). While this may be a topic that you feel as if you've read before (Into the Wild, One Man's Wilderness, etc), this book is unique and worthwhile because it tells the story of a father and daughter entering the wilderness (on three separate occasions) in Alaska to evolve and bond.

Pros:
Alaska Love
Shared Experiences
Informative

Cons:
Where was Aiden's Voice?
Too many stories packed into one book

"But we sure did pack a lot of life into the past week," she added. "That's what I love about traveling." - Braving It

Overall, this was a strong adventure read that is sure to prompt your wanderlust and help prompt you to plan your next adventure. I recommend this book for fathers of daughters and for anyone who loves adventure and wildness trips. I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in return for my honest review.

Oh my goodness you guys!!! This book....awesome. I'm sure I could have chosen a better adjective to describe Braving It by James Campbell but that was the one that kept sticking into my head.

When I first picked this book I thought it would just be a memoir of a guys journey in the wilderness... and brought his daughter along with. No this book was so much more than that. It was a dad, helping his daughter become a person of character and giving her experience few of us will ever have.

Campell didn't shy away from the hardships or struggles they faced. He recognized his own limitations yet did his best to persevere. He was even transparent when it came to his parenting struggles.

This book was such a gift. As someone who longs to go to Alaska ( I have begged my husband just to ditch everything and live off the land there) I loved the honesty of this book. What an amazing gift Campbell was able to give his daughter. This is a good read for anyone who loves the outdoors and is a parent. I was lucky to receive this book for review from blogging for books.

The Synopsis

This is a memoir of James Campbell and his teenage daughter Aidan and their several trips to Alaska. The first is to help James’ cousin Heimo build a new cabin upstream. The second time they return to help Heimo set up their trap lines. Their last trip is to paddle the Hulahula River in a canoe. They face clouds of mosquitoes, the threat of grizzlies, bathing in an ice-cold river, backpacking over Alaska’s Brooks Range and hours of hard labor. Braving It is a tip of the hat to America’s disappearing wilderness, what it means to grow up and finally let go.

The Review

This book truly immerses you into James's life. While reading every word, you truly become more and more aware of who he and his daughter are. James paints a beautiful memoir that will take you along the journey to Alaska, all while being in the comfort of your own home. You truly see the father/daughter relationship emerge and see all the ups and downs that come along with it. There is also so much rich cultural history and this book teaches so much, such as Alaska has 40 types of mosquitos. You see the harsh beauty that is Alaska from a front row seat. You can also feel the love Campbell has for Alaska as each word is written so poetically. I was thoroughly impressed by Aidan. She was such a trooper. She sets out to do something and did it! For a teenager she was impressively strong willed. I also loved the added photos in the middle of the book. It helps for the reader to really see who these people are and helps paint Campbell's description even better. The chapter titles were also amazingly picked as the accurately fit to each of the following context. "As the day's light dimmed, and the palette of colors that tinged the sky faded, I spotted a great gray owl-perhaps the one that Edna and Aidan had seen."- pg 185. Its words like these that are there just simply to describe it getting dark out that pull me into this beautiful read and make me never want to leave it. Thank you Blogging For Books for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars from me.

There is an old saying I read somewhere that says we read to find that we are not alone. That is totally what I felt when I was reading this book. You might need to know that this is not just a story of survival in the wilderness, but more of a story of watching a child grow and find her own way and the story of a Father and Daughter falling under the spell of Alaska.

For me, to hear a caring, but human parent was as heart warming as the call of Alaska as I have experienced both. The author is frank about his attempts to parent, honest right down to his small personal failures. Again I can relate... I do wonder what someone looking for a book about wilderness adventure would feel while reading this, but for me, it hit several targets.

If you are a parent who would love to share their love for the wild, and in particular, a love for AK, read this book. It's a small but ultimately huge adventure of watching a youngster find herself in a stark setting. Highly recommend if that is what you are looking for.

James Campabell loves the Alaskan wilderness. He wanted his teenage daughter, Aidan, to experience it, but more than that he hoped the wilderness adventure would help her increase her self-sufficiency and strengthen their relationship.

The adventure has three parts. The first time the pair went to Alaska it was late summer. The task was to help Jim's cousin, Heimo, build a new cabin. The description takes you to a remote location where grizzly bears may wander into your camp, a land with thousands of mosquitoes, and the ever present need to beat the approaching deadline of winter to finish the cabin.

The second adventure takes place in winter. The cabin is finished. Now Jim and Aidan help Heimo and his wife on their trap lines and experience the intense cold. The descriptions make you feel as if you're there trying to stay warm, even if you're reading the book in summer.

The final adventure was my favorite. Aidan and Jim with two friends set off to canoe down the Hulahula. Tis is the most exciting part of the book where the rapids pose a serious danger to the canoe and immersion in the freezing water can lead to hypothermia and possibly death.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy descriptions of the wilderness, and how special people manage to live so far from civilization. Although the adventures were exciting and kept me turning the pages, the best part was the relationship between Jim and Aidan. While not perfect, it was wonderful to see a father trying to understand his daughter and give her room to grow and experience a unique part of life.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Most of you I bet have seen those photos that have someone reading a book and above that book are multiple pictures of what it could contain. It actually was like that for me while reading this book the author’s writing is breathtakingly descriptive, almost in a poetic way so it felt like the images were jumping off the pages with the majestic and mesmerizing prose. Braving It is Chock-full of interesting facts regarding Alaska and the Arctic Circle area, the animals that live there, how people live in the bush, there is just so much great information packed into this book what I previously mentioned could fit on the tip of a needle.

James and Aidan go on three separate adventures in Alaska each one very different from the last. Therefore, each magnificent in its own way. The conditions that they endure are intense with daily survival always at the forefront of their minds. In addition to, you will be impressed with what 15-year-old Aidan is able to do and handle in such extreme conditions. Very few individuals older than Aidan could have endured what she did.

Campbell outdid himself writing an outdoor book, unlike others I have ever read before putting Braving It up at the top with the best of them. I am looking forward to reading all his other books.

“Thank you, Blogging for Books, for allowing me to give an honest opinion”

As a daughter of an adventurous father, I was instantly drawn to this book, which is account of the adventures of father and daughter through Alaska. The book is a non-fiction biography written by the father. I loved reading about the duo's travels and moments of adventure together. It was wonderful to see how their bond was challenged and strengthened throughout the book. Very well written, interesting, and captivating. I also found the daughter has a blog online, so I was able to read some of the adventures from her point of view as well. Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it! I also ended up buying a copy as a gift for my own father, and he loved it too! I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful read that kept your attention. This story is about a father and daughter and their quest for exploration and survival. They developed a bond and trust of each other. If any father has a teenage daughter, he knows that this stage in their life- the father is at the bottom of the totum pole until the daughter matures and then father daughter relationships are at the top once again. In this book, the relationship does not experience that same awful phase that most experience. It is a touching bond and passion that they both experience together This was a quick read that kept your attention. I would recommend this book highly. I was given this book from blogging for books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have a massive crush on the Alaskan lifestyle, landscape and people. This is one of the best memoirs I have read about adventures in the fierce Alaskan world. When his cousin, living out in the Alaskan Bush, invites him to visit and assist in building a cabin, Campbell can't turn down the offer. In fact, he decides to take his eldest daughter, Aidan, a young teen, along. The two make three separate and unforgettable trips, which are narrated in this story. Awe, beauty and danger everywhere, he's written it in a way that allows the reader to be right there on the trips. The only thing that could have made this story better was if we had learned first hand how his daughter viewed the trips. Wonderful adventure for the armchair traveler or Alaskan dreamer. Highly Recommended!

I received my copy of Braving It through a goodreads giveaway.

I thoroughly enjoyed Braving It. James Campbell takes us on a journey with himself and his daughter as they travel to Alaska three times, each time living through a different range of experiences, from building a log cabin, to hunting and trapping through the winter, to hiking through mountains and rafting down the Hulahula river. It’s a tale of Alaska, sharing small glimpses into the lives of those who choose to live a life a little closer to nature than most of us. It’s also a tale of a father and daughter bonding over new experiences, learning more about one another and themselves, about growing older and learning to let go. I’m very happy to have read it. It brought back memories of reading The Cheechakoes by Wayne Short when I was younger, which is another true tale of a family learning to live in the backwoods of Alaska. I highly recommend both books. Great reads.

Braving It by James Campbell is about a father who invites his 15 year old daughter, Aidan, to join him for the summer roughing it through the Alaska countryside. Not only did she embrace the rugged outdoors of Alaska during the summer, she went back during the winter to help out with hunting and trapping. Ultimately, they made 3 trips back to Alaska before she leaves home, the last being a backpacking trip. Their time in Alaska was not easy and it tested them, but in the end their relationship grew in so many ways.

This is another great read from James Campbell. It's an amazing adventure that holds your attention throughout. It's also very enjoyable to learn about Alaska, combined with a love for nature and the outdoors. It reminded me very much of my one trip to Alaska I took in 2001, except I was on a cruise. But what I did get to see was exciting and beautiful. The author is a master storyteller, and the book is a refreshing, enjoyable read. Highly recommended!

Great story! Well-written and personable account of some Alaska adventures. As a father of three kids myself, I enjoyed the descriptions of Campbell's interactions with his daughters, especially his oldest daughter. The stories gave me some ideas for trips to do with my daughter. I like the motivation, self-confidence, independence and strength that were instilled in his daughter throughout the period described in the book.

Overall a gripping, well-written book. I've only had the token Alaska cruise experience, which was enough to whet my appetite for more, and Braving It gave me a picture into the life of some who live there and others who go for the adventure and appreciation of all that the land is.

The downside for me was all of the language- there was a lot of swearing and that wore on me quickly.

Braving It: A Father, A Daughter, and An Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild by James Campbell is a great memoir of the adventures he has with his oldest daughter, Aidan, as they travel to the Alaskan Arctic together.

I thought this memoir might be similar to If You Lived Here I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende about life in small town Alaska. However, Campbell and his daughter spend their time in Alaska in the remotest region: the Arctic.

Campbell's cousin Heimo lives in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with his Eskimo wife, Edna, and Campbell has visited them before, but this time he wants to bring his teenage daughter along.

This Alaska is far different than Lende's Alaska. Campbell shares what it is like to spend time in this remote area. Canoeing adventures, hiking, and a second trip during the winter that includes caribou hunting share are just some of the adventures that Campbell has with Aidan.

I loved reading about this place and the experiences this father and daughter had. Despite great descriptions, I still believe that I can't imagine the beauty of this remote wilderness.

A great story of adventure and the loving relationship between a Father and Daughter. As parents we pass to our children traits we may not even realize. In the case of the Author, he passed on a sense of wanderlust to his Daughter and helped her experience some of our countries most wild lands. They both overcame adversity to grow in who they are.

I've been reading several books set in Alaska recently, and the true life memoir is definitely in the highest tier of those books. It certainly brings out the adventure of traveling in the state, but more importantly, it's about parenting. Don't judge the father's decisions in the book until you've read the entire memoir. I certainly recommend the read.

Before I had finished reading this book, I'd subscribed to Aidan's blog - Aidan is the author's daughter - I was so impressed with what I had read. James Campbell and Aidan have not one but 3 very different adventures in the wilds of Alaska. We see the beauty when those of us from the lower 48 look at the photography of the mountains and glaciers, but we don't get a feeling for just how wild that immense state is and how hard life there can be living out in the wilderness. I have a whole new respect for the people who choose to live that way and for those who choose to make their way through such a challenging area. Through Campbell's eyes the reader can get a glimpse of the wild beauty that is Alaska, even as he finds a stronger bond with daughter Aidan. Aidan grows so much through the course of her trips north; it is encouraging to see the dedication and determination in one who is so young. Truly inspiring!

James Campbell's book "Braving It", takes the reader into the unspoiled wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on an adventure of a life time shared with his oldest daughter Aidan. From the initial idea of going, through the careful planning, preparation and training to the unscripted revelation of each new day in the wild, Mr. Campbell's narrative gives the reader a tundra wide view of extreme life above the Arctic circle. Page by page, trial by trial, their odyssey together brings out the hidden best in each of their characters and reveals the unconditional love between them. A rich and inspiring narrative that I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in the wilderness and the forging of shared experience that will never be forgotten. I cherish this book.

Campbell has penned a wonderful book about the bonding that occurred when he took his teenage daughter into the Alaskan wilderness on several trips. Not just any trip, but ones that involved building a cabin, spending a month on a trap line in the dead of winter, and hiking/canoeing an extremely difficult route. A somewhat typical teenager, we get to witness her growth into a confident, resourceful person. And witness the author's own fears and doubts as he confronts his own "slowing down" due to age. The book will make you laugh, worry, and reflect on your own life. While I at one time wished to have a similar adventures, I too have been forced to confront my own mortality and realize that it probably is not going to happening. That's why it is so enjoyable to witness through the author's eyes.

Penguin First ARC.

James Campbell takes his 15 year-old daughter on three trips to Alaska. First to help his cousin build a new cabin in summer, second to return in winter to work with the same cousin on his trap-lines, and third to paddle down a river in the fall.

You feel the wanderlust that he shares with his daughter. Also his concerns about being able to do something similar with his two younger daughters, his spirit is willing but his body is not.

Like other books that explore the wilderness, you see both the beauty and dangers without having to experience any of the hardwork or hazards.

I will not be following this father-daughter team's path into the Alaskan wilderness. They're crazy! First trip, they went to help some of the last homesteaders (who live completely off the grid) build a new home. Second trip, they hiked for an really long time before finally making it to a river where they could finish their canoe trip. Good on them. So much more adventurous than I am. I highly enjoyed reading this story, though. It was entertaining and well-written. Passed it onto my dad (he took a camping trip to the UP that reminded me of this narrator's second trip), who's currently enjoying the story.

I really enjoyed this book. Being the father of 3 daughters myself, I truly appreciated the honesty of the father's struggles with trusting and allowing his daughter walk her own path and felt the book contains the right balance of story, emotional insight, and technical content. I highly recommend it for any father/daughter team; especially, those interested in outdoors recreation.

A thoroughly enjoyable book that lends insight to Alaska and its raw wilderness. The best part is the final 1/3 of the book, where they canoe the rapids of the Hulahula River in Alaska. That is exciting and reflective. The first 2/3 of the book prepares us for that final adventure, and is replete with enjoyable ruminations of a father watching and guiding his eldest daughter into the next phase of her life. There is also a nice subtle undertone of finding one's place in the world, and how some people only feel they belong when they enter strange places and keep moving.

I really enjoyed reading this book, as I have always wondered how in the world people actually "made it" breaking trails and creating homes and families in the wilds of the unknown. There are so many good reviews here that I leave it to the readers to see them first. I never wanted to go anywhere COLD, but after reading this story I am actually considering it.

Just know that this true story is awe-inspiring and I wish I had known a father like this one. Would have loved to go hiking or camping or adventuring with a man like James Campbell.

This is a memoir of third separate trips the author took with his daughter into the Alaskan ANWR. It's a genuine walk into the wild, a story told with a great deal of humor but also a seriousness about respecting the elements and power of nature. It's best parts find the thrill in small bits, small tales, and the little ways in which traveling in (and with) nature enlarge us.

The book is well written. At least as much about parenting as about the wilderness.

The author mentions so many lengthy exotic trips that he has taken including the 3 to Alaska in this book, I wondered if he has a day job, aside from writing books. I'm glad he shared his experiences and relationship with his growing daughter. I read it quickly since it was so interesting. The part I expected him to comment on more was the experience of living in near total darkness on the winter trip to visit Heimo. It took place just before Christmas, so isn't that when the sun barely, if ever, appears there? How could you even go out trapping under those conditions? Wouldn't it be a shock to a Wisconsin person?