Arctic Circle: Birth and Rebirth in the Land of the Caribou

Every year without fail, caribou from the Yukon and Alaska set off in early April to a small corner of the Arctic Circle to give birth to their young. The journey of 3000 miles is the longest migration of any land animal on earth. Despite the formidable obstacles, the females find their way to the calving grounds on the coast of the Beaufort Sea, deliver their calves in June, and then begin their long journey home. This is their story, told by an author who travels to the Arctic on his sixtieth birthday, partly to "witness a few moments of this endless turning circle of birth and rebirth," partly to fulfill a promise he made to a visionary ecologist, and partly to answer the question,"What is the true nature of the North?" Personal and profound, chock-full of adventure, literary references, natural history, and ecological concerns, Mr. Reid has written a memoir that is moving and poignant, evocative and cautionary.

"Spectacular descriptions, charming wit, and forthright reflections on what makes a place sacred become striking testimony to the importance of the Arctic wild and the need to preserve it." Booklist

A writer, musician, and mathematician based in Nevada, Reid had just turned 60 when he found himself 200 miles north the Arctic Circle. But he remembered how he had gotten there and what he had come for. Himself and a friend were there to witness the annual calving of the Porcupine caribou herd, named after the nearby Porcupine River, in traditional Inuvialuit territory through which Canada and Alaska drew their border. He recounts the experience, drawing on scientific and historical literature now and then, in sections on Alaska, Yukon, and closing the circle. Among his topics are a sure wind in spring, the island, salmon smoothies, the Porcupine in winter, a great land within, and a vow fulfilled. The memoir is not indexed. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Memoir of a sixty-year-old armchair adventurer's long awaited journey to the Great North to follow the caribou migration. Sixteen pages of color photo inserts and maps of his journey on the end pages.

Author of Mountains of the Great Blue Dream and America, New Mexico, Robert Leonard Reid has received grants from the Sierra Arts Foundation and the Nevada Arts Council. He has worked as a songwriter, a cabaret pianist, and a mathematics textbook writer. He lives in Carson City, Nevada, with his wife and son.