C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

ForewordXIand solitude-loving people chose an itinerary with such a high proportion oftravel either by conventional commercial means, shared by many strangers, or inthe company of guides. One answer to this puzzle is that they were uninterestedin proving their physical strength and stamina; moreover, the stage by canoe wasinitially only incidental to the whole journey. Their chief aim was to see as muchas they could of Alaska's mountains and glaciers, and to do so by a one-wayroute-both of them hated to retrace their steps. It was an intriguing and enterprisingitinerary for the time. Not until they were well on their way did theydiscover conditions would be far different from what they had imagined. Theunexpected toil up the Rat intensified the ecstasy of emerging at the pass, and,even more, the delight of the few days on their own, idling down to Old Crow.Writing the book in her mid-seventies, Vyvyan shows why the experienceremained fresh in her memory throughout her life.Arctic Adventure has long been out of print. The Ladies, the Gwich'in, and the Ratperforms a valuable service in bringing it back into print, supplemented with awealth of background material, including Vyvyan' s field notes and biographicalsketches of the other three participants in the struggle up the Rat.PAMELA MORSE