Authors / Watch & Listen

Book Trailer: A Year in the Wilderness

Milkweed Staff — 08/01/2017

Covering 1.1 million acres of roadless, unspoiled woodlands and pristine water from northern Minnesota to Ontario, the Boundary Waters is America’s most visited wilderness area. When adventurers Amy and Dave Freeman learned of proposed mines along its edge, they decided they needed to do something big.

On September 23, 2015, they set out into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with a camera and telephoto lens wedged in the cockpit of their canoe. Nestled between them: a dry box stuffed with computers, batteries, and solar-powered chargers—all the equipment they would need to broadcast what they saw to the world.

Amy and Dave stayed in the Wilderness for a full year—traveling over 2,000 miles by canoe, dogsled, and their own two feet—to bear witness and speak loudly on behalf of this quiet place. September 23, 2017 marks one year since their return to civilization, and they’ve been busy writing. A Year in the Wilderness is their story.

Video URL

With the magic—and urgent message behind it—that has already captivated an international audience and brought them to Amy and Dave’s cause, A Year in the Wilderness is a rousing cry of witness activism and a stunning tribute to this special region.

PREORDERS ARE NOW OPEN! Order now to receive a special signed copy in September. 

Deep in the Wilderness but only ever a button’s click away from broadcasting to the entire world, Amy and Dave’s story of living in the Boundary Waters turns the typical wilderness narrative on its head. A Year in the Wilderness is about much more than solitude; it is a story about our incredible ability to connect, and how connection leads us to conviction.

“It doesn’t take a year to fall in love with a place,” Amy and Dave write. “Sometimes all it takes is one sunset, a hike, a brief encounter with wildlife, a clear view of the Milky Way, or even a photograph. This year in the Wilderness heightened our respect for the Boundary Waters and strengthened our resolve to keep it as it is—untrammeled, unpolluted, and wild.”

Whether you’ve camped in the Boundary Waters or are just hearing about this special place now, A Year in the Wilderness is sure to transport you in ways you never imagined.