A six-hundred-mile canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness is a seventeen-year-old’s dream adventure, but after he is mauled by a grizzly bear, it’s all about staying alive.This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts seventeen-year-old Alex Messenger’s near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they … as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive. Over the next hours and days, Alex and his companions tend his wounds and use their resilience, ingenuity, and dogged perseverance to reach help at a remote village a thousand miles north of the US-Canadian border.
The Twenty-Ninth Day is a coming-of-age story like no other, filled with inspiring subarctic landscapes, thrilling riverine paddling, and a trial by fire of the human spirit.
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Five high school guys and a guide canoe in the Canadian wilderness. A 600 mile adventure of a lifetime turns bad when Alex (one of the high schoolers) is mauled by a grizzly bear. This true story speaks of the bravery and maturity of all concerned as Alex fights for his life.
Great book for outdoor people, deals with real life situation and how true outdoor individuals deal with an emergency in the back country. Really enjoyed the book
Thought it was a little boring.
This is a great true life story. I don’t know much about the canoeing world and some of the story was over my head in that regard, but it was written well enough that I could picture what was going on. Truly amazing what the author did to not just survive but to continue on. Well done.
Book was very interesting-good look at the after attack mind.
I love backpacking and enjoy adventure stories about surviving in the wilderness. This also had the added element of surviving a horrific bear attack. It is an amazing story that illustrates what one can do when they have no one else to depend on and a life is hanging in the balance. Difficult to read some parts if you are squeamish. I really loved this book and recommended it to others.
juvenile
Slow starter
Interesting account of an epic canoe trip. Low level of excitment.
Sorry, I gave up about halfway through. Never got to the bear.
Well written and exciting.
Beautifully written, descriptive
I read this book out loud to my husband. We both really enjoyed it! It was exciting and we learned a lot about canoeing as well. Loved that it is a true story!!
Yikes! What a true story.
I enjoyed learning so much about canoeing, Canadian tundra, geography, the experience . This was well written and descriptive. The scenes played out in color in my mind, even though the early photographs were black and white. The description of the attack was VIVID! But not gory or disturbing. Same for description of the follow-up care. I was particularly gratified with the completed information when he returned. Nice close to the experience.
I thought it was a great read.
Well explained
I love reading true adventures, especially those involving the wilderness and animals. This one did not disappoint. It involved a group of young men canoeing in the Canadian wilderness and had a lot of technical descriptions, which were educational since I have no clue about canoeing. The angst of knowing there would be a bear attack was paramount, and the resulting story of survival and those young men’s spirit kept the pages turning. Highly recommend.
The scenario that nightmares are made of. What starts out as a lifetime adventure turns into a nightmare. This brave young man writes about his ordeal and you feel like you are right there with him. Read this book very fast, because I couldn’t put it down. My heart was in my throat.
Well written account of a terrifying wilderness experience.