The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds

Ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert conducted research on chickadee beaks during graduate school, but found herself feeling stifled by the isolated lab environment. Concerned she was losing her passion for scientific work, she sought to reconnect with the natural world and the sounds of birds. In March 2012, Van Hemert and her husband embarked on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic. They traveled by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe, encountering both serious dangers and moments of wonder—migrating birds against the moon, caribou, and the connection forged through shared experience. The Sun Is a Compass blends science, adventure, and personal narrative to explore physical endurance and the fragility of life among creatures in North America's wildest regions. The book won the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel.