Flying a small plane to Alaska is an adventure many pilots only dream of. In 2008, the author, a student pilot, and his brother, a flight instructor, embarked on this adventure in an airplane old enough to be their mother. On their journey, they examined how to fit twelve feet eight inches worth of grown men into one of the smallest cockpits on earth--for as many as eight hours a day. They visited places they had planned on going, to see friends and relatives, and made unintended stops in places they hadn’t ever heard of. They waited out weather, waited on maintenance, and wrapped the whirlwind of learning to fly into one of the grandest cross-country trips imaginable. In the end, they covered in two weeks what takes commercial air carriers only a few hours to accomplish--but they had a lot more fun--and a much better view.

Cathy Carr’s 365 Days to Alaska is a charming debut middle-grade novel about a girl from off-the-grid Alaska adjusting to suburban life. Eleven-year-old Rigel Harman loves her life in off-the-grid Alaska. She hunts rabbits, takes correspondence classes through the mail, and plays dominoes with her family in their two-room cabin. She doesn’t mind not having electricity or running water—instead, she’s got tall trees, fresh streams, and endless sky. But then her parents divorce, and Rigel and her sisters have to move with their mom to the Connecticut suburbs to live with a grandmother they’ve never met. Rigel hates it in Connecticut. It’s noisy, and crowded, and there’s no real nature. Her only hope is a secret pact that she made with her father: If she can stick it out in Connecticut for one year, he’ll bring her back home. At first, surviving the year feels impossible. Middle school is nothing like the wilderness, and she doesn’t connect with anyone . . . until she befriends a crow living behind her school. And if this wild creature has made a life for itself in the suburbs, then, just maybe, Rigel can too. 365 Days to Alaska is a wise and funny debut novel about finding beauty, hope, and connection in the world no matter where you are—even Connecticut. “Rigel’s big heart made my own heart ache. A funny and poignant fish-out-of-water tale with all the right feels and an important reflection on how we can all find our way home.” —John David Anderson, author of Ms. Bixby’s Last Day “Rigel’s suspenseful journey toward finding a home for her brave and wild heart is one that will help us all discover the beauty and uniqueness of where we are.” —Francisco X. Stork, author of Marcelo in the Real World “Readers will want to travel alongside Rigel as she struggles to survive the halls of middle school as well as she did the Alaskan bush. 365 Days to Alaska is a wonderful debut novel about compassion, belonging, and finding your way home when you feel lost in the wilderness.” —Lynne Kelly, author of Song for a Whale “Cathy Carr’s debut is a poignant novel about family and truth, particularly the uncomfortable truths between fathers and daughters, told in a voice full of insight, love, and humor. She’s an author to watch, full of wisdom and exquisite heart.” —Carrie Jones, NYT bestselling author of the Need and Time Stoppers series “Rigel Harman isn’t just any outsider—she’s an Alaskan Bush outsider. Carr’s empathic and outstanding debut novel will move readers of all ages, creating internal acceptance not only for Rigel but also for ourselves.” —Bethany Hegedus, author of Grandfather Gandhi

Best-selling Paws IV illustrator Shannon Cartwright is back with this charming children's book based on the infectious rhythms of the classic song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.' Here, the famous 'partridge in a pear tree' becomes a 'black bear in a spruce tree,' while the fifth day of summer in Alaska yields everything from swans and wood frogs to bald eagles and moose. Count Alaska’s famous wild animals while singing along to the well-known tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” On each page, more and more animals appear, starting with starting with a single bear in a spruce tree and growing until animals are everywhere, waiting to be discovered and counted.

Before Alaska became a mining bonanza, it was a scenic bonanza, a place larger in the American imagination than in its actual borders. Prior to the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, thousands of scenic adventurers journeyed along the Inside Passage, the nearly thousand-mile sea-lane that snakes up the Pacific coast from Puget Sound to Icy Strait. Both the famous—including wilderness advocate John Muir, landscape painter Albert Bierstadt, and photographers Eadweard Muybridge and Edward Curtis—and the long forgotten—a gay ex-sailor, a former society reporter, an African explorer, and a neurasthenic Methodist minister—returned with fascinating accounts of their Alaskan journeys, becoming advance men and women for an expanding United States. In Darkest Alaska explores the popular images conjured by these travelers' tales, as well as their influence on the broader society. Drawing on lively firsthand accounts, archival photographs, maps, and other ephemera of the day, historian Robert Campbell chronicles how Gilded Age sightseers were inspired by Alaska's bounty of evolutionary treasures, tribal artifacts, geological riches, and novel thrills to produce a wealth of highly imaginative reportage about the territory. By portraying the territory as a "Last West" ripe for American conquest, tourists helped pave the way for settlement and exploitation.

Hikes within driving distance of Anchorage and its environs 100 day hikes, from iconic to beginner to lung-burner! Day Hiking: Southcentral Alaska features 100 day hikes in the populous region around the Greater Anchorage area. Starting with the immense and accessible Chugach State Park, the guide includes hikes north of the city to include the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Hatcher Pass areas, and also trails near Eagle River, Palmer, and Wasilla. There are hikes along Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, including near Girdwood, Portage Glacier, and Whittier, as well as all of the Kenai Peninsula--Chugach National Forest, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park, Soldotna, Homer, and more. "Hikes at a Glance" highlights features of each hike Difficulty rating, elevation gain, distance, and best season for each trail Detailed driving directions to trailheads Useful trail icons for dog-friendliness, glaciers, lakes, and more Convenient, compact, and packable size Full-color photos throughout