For those intrigued by a McCandless-like journey (minus the death)

rockpantsrockpants BC Posts: 838
edited November 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
It's Into the Wild-ish, so I thought some may be interested in the following book and its author. This fellow took a lot of stuff with him, so it seems less live-off-the-land and more focused on the emotional, spiritual aspect of solitude and connecting with nature.

A former logger from BC (originally California), Robert Kull, had a few, shorter, solitary jaunts before tackling a year-long excursion on a small, remote island off the coast of Chile. He wrote a book about his experiences, called "Solitude: Seeking Wisdom in Extremes -- A Year Along in the Patagonia". (He did take a kitten with him, mind you.)

I learned of the book and author through an alternative BC news source called The Tyee, who conducted an interview with Kull. http://www.thetyee.ca/Books/2008/10/29/Solitude/

I did a search and found, amongst other reviews, the following article at Foreward Magazine:
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/reviews/viewreviews.aspx?reviewID=4294

Two small excerpts:

"My goal in the wilderness was not to conquer either the external world or my own inner nature, but to give up the illusion of ownership and control and to experience myself as part of the ebb and flow of something greater than individual ego."

“We each have a social identity, a persona held in place by our interactions with other people. In solitude, without others to mirror this persona, it begins to lose solidity and to dissolve. The process can be terrifying, and one powerful aspect of solitude is that there are few easy escapes from such experiences. There is opportunity and necessity to face inner darkness. Emotional cycles, usually modified by social engagement, can become extreme.”


Amazon links:

Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Solitude-Seeking-Extremes-Patagonia-Wilderness/dp/1577316320/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225409423&sr=1-4
US: http://www.amazon.com/Solitude-Seeking-Extremes-Patagonia-Wilderness/dp/1577316320/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product
UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solitude-Seeking-Extremes-Patagonia-Wilderness/dp/1577316320/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225410491&sr=1-1

It's currently on sale for the hardcover. It's a newer release, so the softcover isn't out yet. Of course, if you have a locally owned bookstore (unlike me), I'm sure they'd love your support. :)

Edit: Forgot to add the author's website: http://www.bobkull.org, where there are pictures from his journey.
Post edited by Unknown User on

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