Winner of the Nebraska Center for the Book Award, Travel -
A Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award Notable Book - Honoree
of the Society of Midland Authors Annual Literary Award for
Biography/Memoir
Now that President Donald Trump has revived the Keystone XL pipeline
that was rejected by former President Obama, Trespassing Across
America is the book to help us understand the kaleidoscopic
significance of the project. Told with sincerity, humor, and wit,
Ilgunas's story is both a fascinating account of one man's remarkable
journey along the pipeline's potential path and a meditation on climate
change, the beauty of the natural world, and the extremes to which we
can push ourselves--both physically and mentally.
It started as a far-fetched idea--to hike the entire length of the
proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline. But in the months that
followed, it grew into something more for Ken Ilgunas. It became an
irresistible adventure--an opportunity not only to draw attention to
global warming but also to explore his personal limits. So in September
2012, he strapped on his backpack, stuck out his thumb on the interstate
just north of Denver, and hitchhiked 1,500 miles to the Alberta tar
sands. Once there, he turned around and began his 1,700-mile trek to the
XL's endpoint on the Gulf Coast of Texas, a journey he would complete
entirely on foot, walking almost exclusively across private property.
Both a travel memoir and a reflection on climate change, Trespassing
Across America is filled with colorful characters, harrowing physical
trials, and strange encounters with the weather, terrain, and animals of
America's plains. A tribute to the Great Plains and the people who live
there, Ilgunas's memoir grapples with difficult questions about our
place in the world: What is our personal responsibility as stewards of
the land? As members of a rapidly warming planet? As mere individuals up
against something as powerful as the fossil fuel industry? Ultimately,
Trespassing Across America is a call to embrace the belief that a life
lived not half wild is a life only half lived. It's the perfect
travelers gift for fans of Free Solo and Turn Right at Machu Picchu.
