I finished "Saved by Beauty" by Roger Housden. It's a sort of inner pilgrimage as he tours Iran, exploring its cultural and artistic side. A contemporary review, he features the webs of intrigue and deceit prevalent in present day Iran.
I'm enjoying "The Land of Feast and Famine" by Helge Ingstad. He is known for his discovery of a Viking village at L'Anse aux Meadows on the far tip of Newfoundland. In this book he relives his memories trapping and hunting in the Northwest Territories.
I finished, "Tundra", part of a trilogy by Farley Mowat. He also describes life 'at the top of the world'. There is an account by Samuel Hearne who explored the area in 1769. He came across a solitary figure in a lone hut hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement. For seven months this person lived alone, never seeing anyone and surviving by trapping and snaring animals. It was a solitary young woman who had been captured by Indians and was now returning home.
She had lost her way, but built her shelter, and had a sufficient supply of food and clothing when they found her. She built only one fire in those seven months which she had never allowed to go out. Hearne described her remarkable fortitude and beauty, the clothes she made from tanned hides, and the time she took to embellish them.
Hearne was astonished at her composure and self-sufficiency. The Indian guides, however, saw her quite differently. They fought with each other to claim her. It was not mentioned what happened to her. I'm pleased she is now part of my memory, a solitary woman who lived over 200 years ago!
I've Google Earthed the entire area of exploration, scanning the shoreline of the Beaufort Sea, the Barrens - what an amazing place. Flickr also has photographs of the areas I studied, showing people kayaking down the Coppermine River, enjoying the beauty of the countryside.
Yesterday I perused photographs of 'The Montana Project', a collection of historical photos online.
I spent time reading historical accounts of Browning, where the Blackfeet live not far from Glacier Park.Tuesday I had a new furnace installed. Sure works great! Today I'll be patching window seams with clay coils to conserve heat. Then we'll put plastic up over the windows, on the inside.
