Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker - Softcover

Harris, J.R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1680511203 ISBN 13: 9781680511208

Publisher: Mountaineers Books, 2017

Synopsis

A gifted storyteller shares seven decades of surprising adventures
· The author is a distinguished member of The Explorers Club
· The author is an unexpected adventurer, disarmingly positive and companionable
· Lively stories of remote treks around the world

Way Out There is an account of J. Robert Harris’s extraordinary exploits while backpacking in some of the world’s most tantalizing places―largely alone and unsupported. And after almost fifty years of wilderness travel, “J.R.,” as he’s known, has plenty of tales to tell! His stories are by turns funny, tragic, and uplifting, and are all told in his down-to-earth, friendly storytelling style.
For J.R. it all began in 1966 when, as a young New Yorker, he impulsively drives his VW Beetle across the country to the very end of the northernmost road in Alaska, searching for an answer to a simple question: What is it like to be way out there? How this happened, who he met, and what he encountered along the way became the foundation for a lifelong attraction to trekking and adventure travel. Subsequent chapters chronologically explore some of his many journeys, revealing an enduring wanderlust honed by his emerging maturity and outdoor skills. Stories of J. R.’s solo treks point to stark contrasts between his urban upbringing and his wilderness wanderings, while tales of adventure with small but diverse groups of friends are enriched by their collective experiences and varying viewpoints about exploration.
Way Out There is a lively yet introspective book by a restless soul that will attract countless readers who love to travel, as well as armchair adventurers and communities looking for outdoor role models. The foreword is by the late Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilots during World War II.

About this title

About the Author

J. Robert Harris, whom most people just call J. R., is a septuagenarian and a still active and an enthusiastic outdoorsman! He enjoys backpacking, canoeing, skiing, rock and ice climbing, and has been a licensed wilderness guide. Through the years, he has learned how to enjoy, not simply endure, the scant comforts of being totally self-sufficient for extended periods of time in isolated locations. Most of Harris's treks and expeditions are accomplished under his own Brokenbo Wilderness Expeditions banner and, since 1987, most of them have been solo. Even today, he still plans his own trips and has never used a guide or a trekking outfitter. His most recent expeditions, in 2015, were to Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand, and the Wind River Grand Tetons region of Wyoming. In 1993, Harris s many expeditions got him elected into the prestigious Explorers Club, where he remains an engaged member.

J. R. is a self-proclaimed Deadhead! 'Truckin ... got my chips cashed in'

Edition details

• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1680511203
• ISBN 13: 9781680511208
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304