In this episode James shares the stories from the Alaskan tundra including canoeing rapids up the Hulahula River to the Arctic ocean, how they dealt with hiking and camping in bear country, why an adventure was something both him and his daughter wanted to share, and the time they had to face down a polar bear. Plus, how many teenagers get a chance to spend months in the peaceful quietness of nature.all while gaining a respect for hard work and learning how strong they actually are. I feel like a wilderness experience like James gave his daughter is of utter importance in both parent and child understanding the evolution of the relationship. The end goal is to raise self-reliant, confident human beings, but reaching the moment where your child is becoming more independent and is preparing to 'leave the nest' has to be an extremely tough time. Very excited to bring you this week's episode with author, adventurer, and family man James Campbell.Īuthor of 'The Color of War', 'The Ghost Mountain Boys', and 'The Final Frontiersman', I reached out to James specifically to hear about his latest book'Braving It' which tells the story of bringing his 16 year old daughter Aidan on three separate trips to the far north wilderness of Alaska.Īs a parent, and specifically a father of daughters, the book really connected with me. I want Aidan to be filled with life and wonder.'- James Campbell, Braving It I want her to remember me after I am gone. I want her to remember this trip for the rest of her life. The journey would test them, and their relationship, in one of the planet's most remote places: a land of wolves, musk oxen, Dall sheep, golden eagles, and polar bears.'I want an indelible bond with my daughter. It would be their third and most ambitious trip.

So he decided to take Aidan back to Alaska one final time before she left home.

Despite windchills of 50 degrees below zero, father and daughter ventured out daily to track, hunt, and trap.Ĭampbell knew that in traditional Eskimo cultures, some daughters earned a rite of passage usually reserved for young men. She even agreed to return a few months later to help the Korths work their traplines and hunt for caribou and moose. Would she be able to withstand clouds of mosquitoes, the threat of grizzlies, bathing in an ice-cold river, and hours of grueling labor peeling and hauling logs?īut once there, Aidan embraced the wild.

So when James Campbell's cousin Heimo Korth asked him to spend a summer building a cabin in the rugged Interior, Campbell hesitated about inviting his 15-year-old daughter, Aidan, to join him. Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to only a handful of people, is a harsh and lonely place.

James campbell author braving it