From the bestselling author of Sand Dance.
Stuck in an engineer’s cubicle, dutifully beginning the responsible adult life he was raised to undertake, Kirkby is tormented by doubts and boredom. In a fit of rebellion, he quits his job to bicycle the Karakoram Highway in northern Pakistan. He is twenty-two and absolutely clueless. Miraculously, hilariously, he survives — and discovers his life’s passion.
Over the next fifteen years, Kirkby navigates an evermore uncertain and uncommon path, honing his skills on some of the most challenging expeditions the world has to offer. Whether it’s gun fights and crocodile attacks while running Africa’s Blue Nile Gorge, the rescue of a fallen sherpa on Mount Everest, evading capture in Myanmar’s forbidden tropical paradise, or learning to embrace the wilderness on the Tatshenshini River of Canada’s Arctic, Kirkby shares with the reader the excitement, doubts, insights, and even the uncomfortable self-knowledge that a life lived on the edge brings.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Bruce Kirkby, wilderness guide, paddler, mountaineer, and accomplished photographer, lives a life of challenge and exploration that the majority of us only dream of. Sharing those adventures is his passion. His writing has appeared in Time, The Globe and Mail, the National Post, and explore; his photographs in National Geographic, Outside, American Photo, and Maclean’s. His first book, Sand Dance, spent fourteen weeks on the national bestseller lists, and he has been singled out for his leadership and unique journeys by National Geographic and The Globe and Mail. When not travelling, Kirkby lives in Kimberley, B.C.
Shawn bursts through the front door of our house in downtown Ottawa, an enormous cardboard box in his arms.
“Check this out!” he yells, dropping to his knees and tearing open the lid.
I join Kolin and Jeff, two friends visiting from university, as they press close and peer in. Swirls of white elastic band fill the box to the rim, like a jumbled pot of overcooked spaghetti. Jeff kneels and runs his hands through the thin strands, stirring up clouds of chalk dust.
“Holy crap, that’s a lot of elastic.”
“Twelve kilometres in total,” Shawn smiles. “The exact stuff that is sewn into the waistbands of women’s underwear. Gentlemen, this is going to make us rich.”
A month earlier my three engineering buddies had been on New Zealand’s South Island, where they witnessed the exploding popularity of bungee jumping. Upon returning home and realizing there was nothing similar in Canada, they decided to start their own company.
“You’ve seen it yourself, Kirkby.” Shawn gets excited whenever he talks about the project. “In Queenstown tourists are lining up for hours and paying one hundred dollars each, just for the chance to jump off an abandoned bridge with nothing but elastic cord attached to their ankles. There can’t be many overhead costs. I think we’ve stumbled on a gold mine.”
The few bungee companies already in existence around the world carefully guard their secrets. Bungee cords are simply not for sale, anywhere. There are no “how-to” manuals or training courses. In fact there is no public information at all, so experimentation is going to be required.
Shawn grabs the box and disappears into the basement, Kolin and Jeff in tow. For hours they work, weaving strands of thin elastic back and forth between two carabiners. Eventually they create a cord as thick as a baseball bat, fifteen hundred individual strands in total. Before dinner they allow me a sneak preview. The white worm they have constructed does not instill confidence. It looks like a floppy, springy, fraying firehose. I feel no inclination to jump off a bridge with it tied to my ankles.
That weekend, as dawn breaks over Eastern Ontario, a group of friends secretly gather at an abandoned railroad trestle. Kolin loads a backpack with weightlifting plates; thirty-six kilograms (80 pounds) in total. He throws in a few rocks for good measure. It’s not even close to body weight, but he decides it will do. One end of the rubbery cord is lashed to the bridge railing, while the other is clipped to the heavy pack, which is then heaved up onto the railing with a clunk.
“Three . . . two . . . one . . .” Everyone tenses. “. . . Go.”
The pack topples over the edge and for a few heart-stopping seconds it plummets. Then bit by bit the cord begins to stretch, and the pack slows. Eventually it stops, well before hitting the water, and then . . . boing! . . . it bounces back up, almost reaching the railing again. Boing, boing, boing. Finally the bouncing and swinging stops and the pack is lowered to Shawn’s younger brother, who waits on the shore below. The cord is set up again. It is time for a human test pilot.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 868666-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 868664-75
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Zoom Books Company, Lynden, WA, U.S.A.
Condition: good. Book is in good condition and may contain underlining or highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include library labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc . We offer 100% money back guarantee and fast customer support. Seller Inventory # 5AAWX7001Q37_ns
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Condition: very_good. Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks, notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZWM.1968
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Condition: very_good. Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks, notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZWM.1VIM
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.85. Seller Inventory # G077109566XI4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.85. Seller Inventory # G077109566XI4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.85. Seller Inventory # G077109566XI3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. This item has a missing dust jacket. 1.15. Seller Inventory # 077109566X-2-4
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 25-077109566x-G
Quantity: 1 available