The Only Kayak: A Journey Into The Heart Of Alaska

Written by Kim Heacox

Narrated by Matthew Josdal

Winner of the 2020 National Outdoor Book Award for Outdoor Classic!



In this coming-of-middle-age memoir, Kim Heacox, writing in the tradition of Abbey, McPhee, and Thoreau, discovers an Alaska reborn from beneath a massive glacier, where flowers emerge from boulders, moose swim fjords, and bears cross crevasses with Homeric resolve. In such a place Heacox finds that people are reborn too, and their lives begin anew with incredible journeys, epiphanies, and successes. All in an America free of crass commercialism and overdevelopment.



Braided through the larger story are tales of gold prospectors and the cabin they built sixty years ago; John Muir and his intrepid terrier, Stickeen; and a dynamic geology professor who teaches earth science "as if every day were a geological epoch."



Nearly two million people come to Alaska every summer, some on large cruise ships, some in single kayaks—all in search of the last great wilderness, the Africa of America. It is exactly the America Heacox finds in this story of paradox, love, and loss.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765007365

Kim Heacox

Kim Heacox is an award-winning author, photographer, and motivational speaker. He lives with his wife in Southeast Alaska and is the author of several books including John Muir and the Ice that Started a Fire and the novel Caribou Crossing. His feature articles have appeared in Audubon, Travel & Leisure, Wilderness, Islands, Orion, and National Geographic Traveler. His editorials, written for the Los Angeles Times, have appeared in many major newspapers. When not playing the guitar, doing simple carpentry, or writing another novel, he’s sea kayaking with his wife, Melanie or watching a winter wren on the woodpile.

[creighley_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this coming-of-age memoir, Kim Heacox discovers an Alaska reborn from beneath a massive glacier, where flowers emerge from boulders, moose swim fjords, and bears cross crevasses with Homeric resolve. I such a place Heavox finds that people are reborn too, and their lives begins anew with incredible journeys, epiphanies, and successes. All in America free of crass commercialism and overdevelopment.
Braided through the larger story are tales of gold prospectors and the cabin they built 60 years ago; John Muir and his I tepid terrier, Stickeen; and a dynamic geology professor who teaches earth science “as if every day were a geological epoch,”
Nearly two million people come to Alaska every summer, some on large cruise ships, some in single kayaks-all in search of the last great wilderness, the African of America. Timid exactly the American Heacox finds in this story of paradox, love, and loss.

[katyefk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful account of the author's 25 years living in Glacier Bay Alaska. It should be made into a movie. I read it prior to a trip to the Inside Passage in Alaska. It added so much to my understanding and feelings for the "Heart of Alaska." Beautifully written and inspiring. Let's keep wild places wild!!

[dele2451 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I recently took a trip to Alaska and asked two different park rangers there (one male and one female) what their favorite book about the state was and they both quickly answered "The Only Kayak". That was good enough for me, so I bought it. They certainly didn't steer me wrong. This is nature writing at its finest. If Muir were still with us, he'd own a worn copy of this book and be honored to be featured in it. This book is even more important today than it was when it was copyrighted in 2005. Read it and buy another copy for someone you love.

[nilchance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heacox's book isn't one to devour at high speed; it was one to be sipped, calming and grounding. It's about love of place, wherever that is, and preservation of the world through wildness. It's about how our collection fascination with conquering nature, with being the only kayak, has contributed to sprawl and to material excess. It's a love poem to a dying habitat, and a rage against the government that wants to drill holes in sacred places. It acknowledges that Alaska has teeth, that it can kill the careless, but that its danger is its beauty. I love this book, I love the sentiment behind it, I love its wisdom. I want to buy a hundred copies and give it out like matchbooks in a bar: a small way to light a thousand fires.

[sstreett_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is equal parts: memoir, history, environmental activism, philosophy, ecological education, big business scandal and tribute to a famous wildlife photographer and friend.
I loved Mr. Heacox's easy writing style. He has led such an interesting life that his retelling of his experiences is captivating. There are several breath-taking photos in the books to help visualize the places and faces.
I love this book so much that I give it as a gift.