Written by Tim Moss, the book could have easily been called Expeditions For Dummies. Moss has taken his considerable experience in organizing more than 100 expeditions to the more remote and wild places on the planet and condensed it down into a 300 page tome on how to get to just about anywhere. That includes choosing the right gear, honing the proper skills, learning how to deal with weather and other natural phenomena and much more.
No matter what adventure you're planning this book has chapter for you. Moss has written chapters on how to cross a desert, reach the North or South Pole, row an ocean or even make the first ascent of a mountain. Each of those chapters comes with advice specialized for the particular topic. For example, in the chapter on desert trekking he offers advice on dealing with sand storms and traveling with camels while in the section dedicated to getting to the North Pole, Moss discusses how to navigate around or across open leads of water and dealing with polar bears.
Moss shares his experience in a practical, straightforward manner that not only makes it easy to understand but also retain. The chapters are well organized, easy to read and packed with all kinds of information. Not only does the author provide tips on what to eat and drink while on the various expeditions, but he also where you should sleep and even where to go to the loo.
The book can also be seen as Adventure 101 as it provides a fantastic base layer of information on a variety of expeditions that are common topics around these parts. For instance, in the chapter on the South Pole Moss explains the difference between the Magnetic and Geographical South Pole, as well as the South Pole of Inaccessibility. He also lays out the various options for getting to your destination and offers ideas on the best starting points. This is a wealth of information that will be appreciated by both active and armchair adventurers alike.
How to get to The North Pole also features a number of basic, but informative maps and illustrations. The maps show routes for rowing an ocean or pedaling a bike around the world as well as various other important geographic information. The illustrations will show you how to pick a good touring bike, tent or even sailing vessel. Heck! Even the book's glossary provides a lot of information, giving definitions to dozens of terms from the mountaineering and exploration world.
I found the book to be written in an easy to understand manner that complete beginners to the adventure world can understand, without boring the more seasoned traveler in the process. There are helpful hints and tips no matter what your level of experience and if you have an epic adventure you've always dreamed of launching, but weren't sure how to proceed, this is a must read book for sure. Moss has a wealth of knowledge to share and he gets a lot of it down in this one book. Sure, there is more that goes into an expedition than a book can teach you, but this is certainly a good place to start.
The book costs just $17.99 on Amazon, which seems like a steal with all the things you can learn inside.
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